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STOCKTON, Calif. – No. 3 UCLA (21-8) saw its season come to an end with a 14-9 defeat to No. 1 Stanford (23-1) in the Semifinals of the 2023 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship on Saturday evening at Chris Kjeldsen Pool at the Douglass M. Eberhardt Aquatics Center on the campus of Pacific.
A total of seven different Bruins got into the scoring column, paced by two goals each from sophomore Emma Lineback and junior Malia Allen.
Redshirt senior Georgia Phillips got the start in the cage and went the distance, registering nine saves two steals, and one assist, while giving up 13 goals to the Cardinal. The final goal was given up by Taylor Smith when she was in the 1B cap after UCLA's 7-on-6 opportunity.
The game was a see-saw affair for most of the time. The Bruins got off to a good start, leading Stanford 3-1 after a power play goal from Allen at the 3:02 mark of the first period. Stanford score a goal to trim the Bruins' lead to 3-2 at the end of the first period. Stanford scored five straight goals to lead 6-3 with 2:45 remaining in the second period. But goals by Katrina Drake, Lineback, and Emma Pearson, tied the score at 6-6 with just 0:25 left in the first half. Stanford scored with 0:07 left in the second to take a 7-6 lead into the break.
Stanford raced out to a 9-6 lead early in the third, but the Bruins responded with a penalty conversion from Sienna Green and a power play goal by Brooke Doten to cut the deficit to one goal at 9-8 with 1:55 left in the third quarter. But the Cardinal scored the last two goals of the period to build an 11-8 lead heading into the fourth. Stanford won the third period, 3-1, to provide the 14-9 final.
The Cardinal only had six players score, but Jewel Roemer, Aria Fischer, and Sophie Wallace, each scored a hat trick to pace the Stanford offense. Maya Avital had seven saves for Stanford while surrendering nine goals to the Bruins.
No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 3 UCLA (NCAA Championship - Semifinals)
Stockton, Calif. (Chris Kjeldsen Pool at the Douglass M. Eberhardt Aquatics Center)
| SCOREBOARD | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
| No. 3 UCLA | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| No. 1 Stanford | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 14 |
6x5 – UCLA: 3/12, STAN: 4/12
Penalty Shots – UCLA: 1/1, STAN: 1/2
UCLA Goals: Emma Lineback 2, Malia Allen 2, Brooke Doten 1, Val Ayala 1, Sienna Green 1, Katrina Drake 1, Anna Pearson 1
UCLA Saves: Georgia Phillips 9
STAN Goals: Jewel Roemer 3, Aria Fischer 3, Sophie Wallace 3, Jenna Flynn 2, Ryann Neushul 2, Skyler Jones 1
STAN Saves: Maya Avital 7