No. 3 UCLA Takes Down No. 1 USC, 13-9

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LOS ANGELES – No. 3 UCLA (18-4, 5-1 MPSF) sent its seniors out in style with a 13-9 take down of No. 1 USC (26-2, 5-1 MPSF) on Saturday at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center. With the win, which snapped the Trojans' 12-game winning streak on the year, the Bruins improved to 56-41 all-time in the series. The win by the Bruins also forced a three-way-tie for first to end the MPSF slate with USC, Stanford, and UCLA all going 5-1 in league play.

A total of seven Bruins scored against the Trojans with junior Anna Pearson scoring a game-high four goals. It marked the fourth-straight game that Pearson has scored four or more goals, the first time she has accomplished that feat in her career. She has scored 18 goals in the last four games, including scoring four goals in each game against the top three teams in the country at the time (No. 1 Stanford, No. 3 Hawai'i and No. 1 USC). Junior Taylor Smith also scored a hat trick against USC and added two assists for a game-high five points. Junior Bia Mantellato was the only other Bruin to score in double figures, netting two against the Trojans.

Sophomore Lauren Steele got the start in the cage and went the distance, registering 13 saves and two steals while allowing nine goals, which was only the second time this season USC had been held to single-digit scoring (both losses).

USC jumped out to a 4-1 lead but the Bruins scored the final goal of the first quarter to turn the momentum around. That sparked a 10-0 scoring run that put the Bruins up 11-4. UCLA won the second quarter 7-0 to hold a 9-4 lead at halftime. The Trojans would go scoreless for 15 minutes while the Bruins were clicking on all cylinders on both sides of the ball that included two big stops by Steele on Trojan penalty shots. Both teams drew to a 2-2 tie in the third quarter as UCLA took a 11-6 lead into the final stanza. The Trojans won the fourth period, 3-2, to provide the 13-9 final.

Both coaching staffs knew that a four-goal win by UCLA would give the Bruins the No. 1 seed for the upcoming MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship hosted by UCLA next weekend (April 25-27). With the Bruins leading 12-8, USC called timeout with 1:26 remaining and Tilly Kearns scored her second goal of the game for USC to cut the Bruins' lead to 12-9. The Bruins then called timeout with 1:04 to go and redshirt junior Emma Lineback drew an exclusion on Kearns to set up a power play, which the Bruins converted when Smith found Mantellato who found the back of the net with 0:36 left, putting the lead back to four goals. Pearson then made a huge field block on a shot by Ava Stryker with 0:09 remaining and UCLA ran out the clock to preserve the four-goal advantage

UP NEXT:
The Bruins host the 2025 MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship (April 25-27) at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center. UCLA will have a first-round bye by virtue of being the No. 1 seed and will face the winner of No. 4 California and No. 5 San Jose State on Saturday, April 26 at 12:45 p.m. PT.

No. 1 USC at No. 3 UCLA (MPSF Match - Game 22)

SCOREBOARD	1	2	3	4	FINAL
No. 1 USC	4	0	2	3	9
No. 3 UCLA	2	7	2	2	13

6x5 - UCLA - 4/9 - USC - 1/4
Penalties - UCLA - 1/2 - USC - 1/3

USC Goals: Ava Stryker 2, Alma Yaacobi 2, Emily Ausmus 2, Emma Lawson 1, Isabel Zimmerman 1, Tilly Kearns 1
USC Saves: Jade Ward 5, Anna Reed 3

UCLA Goals: Anna Pearson 4, Taylor Smith 3, Bia Mantellato 2, Carly McMurray 1, Molly Renner 1, Tali Stryker 1, Nicole Struss 1
UCLA Saves: Lauren Steele 13

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No. 3 UCLA Takes Down No. 1 USC, 13-9

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Team Stats

Taylor Smith

Bia Mantellato

Anna Pearson

Molly Renner

Players Mentioned

Emma Lineback

Bia Mantellato

Carly McMurray

Anna Pearson

Molly Renner

Taylor Smith

Lauren Steele

Nicole Struss

Tali Stryker

University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics

No. 3 UCLA Takes Down No. 1 USC, 13-9

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Team Stats

Game Leaders

Taylor Smith

Bia Mantellato

Anna Pearson

Molly Renner

Players Mentioned

Emma Lineback

Bia Mantellato

Carly McMurray

Anna Pearson

Molly Renner

Taylor Smith

Lauren Steele

Nicole Struss

Tali Stryker

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