UCLA
8-1
UC Irvine
3-5
No. 3 UCLA Rallies to Deny Upset Bid By No. 6 UC Irvine, 16-15
February 15, 2025 | Women's Water Polo
IRVINE, Calif. โ No. 3 UCLA (8-1, 1-0 MPSF) erased a four-goal deficit to rally to a 16-15 win at No. 6 UC Irvine (3-5, 0-0 Big West) at Anteater Aquatics Complex on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins only led for the final 2:35 of the contest but held on for their 38th consecutive win over the Anteaters to improve to 38-0 in the series history.
A total of nineย different Bruins scored against the Anteaters, paced by four goals each from redshirt junior Emma Lineback (ties season high) and junior Anna Pearson. Junior transfer Bia Mantellato was the only other Bruin to score multiple goals with a pair, including the eventual game-winning goal with 0:38 left in the fourth.ย
Sophomore Lauren Steele got the start in the cage and played the first quarter and the first minute of the second period. She left after tallying three saves while giving up eight goals. Sophomore Joey Niz came on in relief and got her second consecutive win, holding UC Irvine to seven goals over the next 23 minutes while recording one steal and a career-best 12ย saves.
With the game tied at 2-2, UC Irvine scored four unanswered goals to take a 6-2 lead during the first period. UCI would go on to take a 7-4 lead at the end of the first period. The Bruins won the second period, 3-2, to pull to within two goals at the break, 7-9. UCLA would win the third period, 5-4, to trail 13-12 heading into the final stanza. The Bruins won the fourth, 4-2, to provide the 16-15 final. Molly Renner converted a penalty shot to open the scoring in the fourth (7:44) to tie the game at 13-13. After UCI scored a power play goal (7:11), Pearson scored her third of the game on a power play (2:58) to tie the game again at 14-14. She would tack on her fourth to give UCLA its first lead of the game with a score from two meters (2:35). Mantellato'sย penalty shot conversion (0:38) would put the Bruins up 16-14. UC Irvine would score the final goal of the game with seven ticks left in the fourth.
UP NEXT:ย
The Bruins return to Irvine, Calif., to compete in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational next weekend. UCLA will open up with No. 23 Pomona-Pitzer on Friday, February 21 at 3:20 p.m. PT at Anteater Aquatics Complex.
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| SCOREBOARD | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
| No. 3 UCLA | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 16 |
| No. 6ย UC Irvine | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 15 |
6x5 -ย UCLA - 4/11 - UCI - 2/6
Penalties -ย UCLA - 4/4 - UCI - 3/4
UCLA Goals:ย Emma Lineback 4, Anna Pearson 4, Bia Mantellato 2, Elektra Urbatsch 1, Taylor Smith 1, Molly Renner 1, Lily Gess 1, Sienna Green 1, Genoa Rossi 1
UCLA Saves:ย Joey Niz 12, Lauren Steele 3
UCI Goals:ย Lauren Hett 5, Brooke Hourigan 4, Libby Alexander 2, Nioka Thomas 2, Kennedy East 1, Pippa Heaverย 1
UCI Saves:ย Ella Walker 5
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Team Stats
Libby Alexander
7:40
Emma Lineback
7:26
Brooke Hourigan
7:14
Bia Mantellato
7:02
Libby Alexander
6:26
Lauren Hett
6:04
Lauren Hett
4:39
Pippa Heaver
3:07
Taylor Smith
2:30
Elektra Urbatsch
1:41
Nioka Thomas
1:27
Lauren Hett
7:12
Sienna Green
6:37
Kennedy East
3:38
Anna Pearson
1:16
Emma Lineback
0:02
Lily Gess
7:31
Lauren Hett
7:20
Emma Lineback
6:57
Anna Pearson
5:35
Brooke Hourigan
3:43
Emma Lineback
2:23
Brooke Hourigan
1:55
Genoa Rossi
1:45
Brooke Hourigan
0:53
Molly Renner
7:44
Lauren Hett
7:11
Anna Pearson
2:58
Anna Pearson
2:35
Bia Mantellato
0:38
Nioka Thomas
0:07
