UCLA
Fresno State
No. 3 UCLA Defeats No. 17 Fresno State, 14-9
January 27, 2019 | Women's Water Polo
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BERKELEY, Calif. -- No. 3 UCLA improved to 7-0 on the year with a 14-9 win over No. 17 Fresno State (2-6) in the Bruins' final game of the Cal Cup at Spieker Aquatics Complex at California on Sunday afternoon.
In the win over the Bulldogs, the Bruins were led by Val Ayala and Bella Baia, a pair of freshmen that each scored a hat trick. Sophomore Jahmea Bent started in the cage for UCLA and registered three saves while allowing three goals in the first half. Senior Carlee Kapana came on in relief in the second half and tallied four saves while allowing six goals.
The Bruins held a 2-1 lead after one period of play. Ayala got UCLA on the board first with a strike from the front court on the first possession of the game (7:32). After Fresno State tied it at 1-1 with a goal from the front court (5:26), redshirt senior Grace Reego put the Bruins back in front with a power play goal at the 5:02 mark. Both teams would not score again in the opening stanza.
Fresno State opened the second quarter with back-to-back goals (7:14 and 5:04) to take a 3-2 lead. But UCLA would score five unanswered goals in the period to take control of the game. Junior Emily Skelly found the back of the net from the front court (4:42) to tie the game at 3-3 and then Baia's power play goal (2:32) would give the Bruins a lead they would never relinquish. Junior Bronte Halligan followed with a counter attack score (2:15) and Ayala netted her second of the game on a power play (1:04) before senior Sarah Sheldon ended the first half scoring from two meters (0:30) to give UCLA a 7-3 lead at halftime.
The third period ended in a 2-2 tie with the Bruins getting a front court score from freshman Skylar Savar (6:47) and a goal at set from freshman Ava Johnson (5:29) to open the quarter with two goals, stretching the consecutive goals to seven, giving the Bruins a 9-3 advantage. The Bulldogs ended the scoring in the third period with two goals, trimming UCLA's lead to 9-5 heading into the fourth period.
The final stanza was an offensive explosion with UCLA winning the period, 5-4. Fresno State was never able to get closer than four goals as the Bruins had an answer every time. Johnson would score her second from two meters (6:37) and Ayala completed her hat trick (4:37) to give UCLA an 11-6 edge. After a Fresno State goal, senior Louise Hazell scored from the front court (3:40) and Baia added her second of the game on a power play (2:55) to give the Bruins a 13-7 lead. FSU would score again from the front court, but Baia completed her hat trick from the front court with 22 seconds remaining to make it 14-8. FSU's Sydney Coachman beat the final buzzer with a goal from the front court (0:01), her fifth of the game and fourth of the second half, to provide the 14-9 final.
The Bruins return to action on Friday, Feb. 1 when they host No. 7 Hawai'i in their home opener at 6:00 p.m. PT at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center. The Bruins will also host the UCLA Mini-Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 2 with No. 15 Loyola Marymount at 8:30 a.m. PT and No. 17 Fresno State at 9:45 a.m. PT. The annual UCLA Alumnae Match will follow at 1:30 p.m. PT.
No. 17 Fresno State vs. No. 3 UCLA (Cal Cup Game 2)
| SCOREBOARD | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
| No. 17 Fresno State | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| No. 3 UCLA | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 14 |
6x5 - UCLA - 4/8 - FSU - 4/8
Penalties - UCLA - 0/0 - FSU - 0/0
FSU Goals: Sydney Coachman 5, Maddie Loggins 1, Callie Woodruff 1, Daphne Guevremont 1, Trystyn Vuori 1
FSU Saves: n/a
UCLA Goals: Val Ayala 3, Bella Baia 3, Emily Skelly 2, Ava Johnson 2, Sarah Sheldon 1, Bronte Halligan 1, Grace Reego 1, Louise Hazell 1
UCLA Saves: Carlee Kapana 4, Jahmea Bent 3
