If you only watched the first half, you might have thought that Stanford cruised to an easy win over UCLA this evening in the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Semifinals. You would be wrong. That’s because the Bruins mounted what should be called an epic comeback. The first quarter totally belonged to the Cardinal. Stanford scored four goals in the first quarter while holding UCLA scoreless and the Bruins trailed 4-0 after one. Stanford made it 5-0 with the first goal of the second quarter with 3:35 left in the first half. In the next 21 seconds the tide turned completely. UCLA finally got on the scoreboard when Rachel Whitelegge scored on a powerplay and the Bruins added another powerplay goal before the end of the half when Roxy Wheaton scored with 14 seconds left. UCLA was able to maintain their momentum in the third quarter. Val Ayala cut the deficit to 5-3 with 6:34 left in the third and Maddie Musselman sliced that lead in half with 5:03 to go. Lexi Liebowitz finished the comeback when she tied the game 5-5 with 3:55 left in the quarter and that’s how the game went into the fourth quarter. It stayed tied until there was 4:11 left. That’s when Musselman netted the go-ahead goal on a Bruin powerplay and it looked like UCLA might actually win the game and advance to tomorrow’s championship game against crosstown rival Southern Cal. But, none of us here at Bruins Nation gets to write scripts for how games should end and Stanford managed to tie that game back up with just 2:49 to go. Neither team was able to score in the time remaining, but what was especially disappointing is the fact that UCLA’s final possession in regulation ended with a shot clock violation instead of a shot attempt. In water polo, overtime is played in two extra three minutes periods. Stanford scored twice in the first overtime to go up, 8-6, and that’s how the game went into the second overtime. Finally, with just 57 seconds left in the second overtime, Lexi Liebowitz scored her second goal of the game to make it, 8-7, Stanford. But, that was all that UCLA could muster and the Cardinal will play for the national championship tomorrow. It would have been easy for the Bruins to throw in the towel when the score of the game was 5-0, Stanford, but the team showed enough heart to mount an epic comeback and even take the lead late in the game. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t prevent the game-tying goal in the fourth quarter and they couldn’t generate enough offense in overtime. That’s what ultimately cost them this one. Go Bruins.<doc-sep>Now, the real women’s water polo season begins. After playing the regular season to determine the seedings for this weekend’s NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament, it all comes down to the next few days as the UCLA women’s water polo team chases UCLA’s 118th national championship. 2019 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament Quarterfinal Teams: #3 UCLA Bruins (23-6) vs. Michigan Wolverines (18-7) When: 5:15 pm PT, Friday, May 10, 2018 Where: Avery Aquatics Center, Stanford, CA TV/Radio/Audio: None Live Stream: NCAA Live Stream Live Stats: TheFosh.net Official Preview It won’t be easy. Tonight, the Bruins play a Michigan team which finished the regular season with a 23-8 mark. The good news for UCLA fans is that two of those eight losses the Wolverines had this season came against the Bruins. On January 20, UCLA topped Michigan, 9-7, at the UCSB Invitational. Then, on February 23, the Bruins won 15-5 at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational at UC Irvine. Tonight, the teams meet again at the Avery Aquatic Center where Stanford is hosting this year’s NCAA Tournament. The winner of tonight’s game won’t have an easy road to the title game because they will play the second-seeded Stanford Cardinal in tomorrow’s second semifinal game. The Cardinal cruised past Pacific, 18-9, earlier today. Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, top-seeded Southern Cal crushed UC San Diego, 14-8 and third-seeded UC Berkeley got past Hawai’i, 17-13. That means that the #1, #2 and #4 seeds all advanced and, now, it’s up to the #3 Bruins to do the same. This is your UCLA Bruins vs. Michigan Wolverines NCAA Women’s Water Polo Quarterfinals open thread. Go Bruins!! !<doc-sep>Coach Adam Wright repeated the words as he spoke to reporters after UCLA women’s water polo’s quarterfinals win in the NCAA tournament. Big. Huge. Massive. He wasn’t talking about the No. 3-seed Bruins’ 13-7 win over Michigan. It was the next day that already consumed his attention — the semifinals game against No. 2-seed Stanford, set for 5 p.m. on Saturday. The Cardinal cruised through their quarterfinal matchup by beating Pacific 18-9. Advertisement For years USC (27-1) and Stanford (21-2) have established themselves as the teams to beat, and for years UCLA (24-6) has fallen just short of beating them. Each of the last nine national championships was a victory for the Trojans or the Cardinal. UCLA was runner-up three times. On Saturday the Bruins aim to break past that upper echelon. “It’s gonna come down to the very little details tomorrow,” junior Maddie Musselman said. “And I think we’re all very excited for the opportunity… to play them.” The first three quarters UCLA struggled against Michigan. The Wolverines had long possessions while limiting the Bruins’ scoring chances. After the first quarter, UCLA led by a goal. It took one minute for the Bruins to take a three-goal lead in the second quarter, which they maintained until halftime, though UCLA struggled to swing momentum in its favor. When the Bruins scored off of Michigan’s rare defensive lapses, the Wolverines responded with an aggression that kept the contest tight. It was not until the fourth quarter that UCLA finally broke free, when the Bruins ballooned their lead to six goals behind a stifling defense. This followed a tight third quarter, where their advantage held in part thanks to luck — a missed Michigan penalty shot and other would-be scores that bounced off the crossbar. “There just can’t be free goals against a team like Stanford,” Wright said. “You know, if we really want to be the best team in the country, those things have got to get cleaned up. Because the next time they could just as well be goals.” The Bruins have started slow against Stanford in the past, but Wright is not concerned about that. As long as the team plays with the right energy, he said, it can emerge victorious. Advertisement “It’s a huge opportunity…” Wright said. “’Cause the moment’s coming. And it’s either we’re gonna be ready, or we gotta go back to the drawing board and get back to work.” USC ADVANCES TO SEMIFINALS USC’s victory over UC San Diego started as a much closer contest than expected, though the Trojans eventually won 14-8. USC only led by two goals at halftime, and one came in the first half’s final minute. Not that tight competition is a bad thing. “If anything, it helped us get our mojo back,” senior Amanda Longan said. Advertisement The Tritons slowed the pace and forced the Trojans to miss shots early. USC coach Casey Moon said the team was too “anxious to play” after two weeks without any games. But the Trojans snapped out of it in the third quarter, scoring six goals to secure the win and advance. The Trojans will face No. 4-seed California (17-8) at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the semifinals. California defeated Hawaii 17-13 in Friday’s quarterfinals. “I think a fight is always good for us,” USC senior Courtney Fahey said. “It gets our momentum going and allows us to kind of refocus.” Sign up for our daily sports newsletter » Advertisement blake.richardson@latimes.com @rblakerich_<doc-sep>Senior goalie Amanda Longan was nervous. She always is during USC’s water polo games. But as time expired in the NCAA semifinals with the Trojans tied against California, the circumstances certainly added anxiety. But did she doubt they could pull it off? “No doubt ever crossed my mind,” she said. The No. 1-seeded Trojans (28-1) remained composed in the high-pressure situation and scored three times in overtime, securing a 10-8 win over No. 4 Golden Bears (17-9). USC faces No. 2 Stanford (22-2) at 3 p.m. Sunday in the national championship game. Advertisement California played a physical game, with long offensive possessions and an unrelenting defense. USC opened a 3-0 lead, but when California responded with back-to-back goals, the team remained unfazed. “The closer it got,” freshman Bayley Weber said, “the more fun it became.” That energy fueled USC as it persisted through the semifinal. Several players have experience competing internationally for national teams, and the familiarity with pressure showed. Sign up for our daily sports newsletter » With the score tied at halftime, freshman Alejandra Aznar gave the Trojans a third-quarter lead with a lob shot. Minutes later, she drove through defenders and scored again to give USC a 7-5 lead. She was one of five freshmen who scored for USC. “It just shows how much they’ve grown,” Longan said of the freshmen, “and how accepting they are to stepping up and trying to be that … hero for the team.” Even as California tied the score again and took possession with less than a minute left, USC made the defensive stop. Even as the Trojans’ last-second shot bounced off the crossbar, forcing overtime, their excitement only grew. “Our team was built for this …” coach Casey Moon said. “Our girls are so confident in each other and truly, truly love one another. And regardless of what the circumstances are, they’re gonna do everything in their power to come out on the winning end.” Advertisement Minutes after overtime began, junior Maud Megens got the ball in front of the goal and was fouled. Sophomore Paige Hauschild whipped a penalty shot into the net to give USC the lead. Megens later stole the ball from California and USC scored on the fastbreak. The Golden Bears finally scored in overtime to make it a one-goal game, but the Trojans scored once more to regain the two-goal advantage. The Trojans, Longan said, were comforted by their faith in each other. Down the stretch the players did not get down on each other. “When everything is on the line, when your back’s against the wall,” Moon said, “I think that’s when our girls flourish the best.” Stanford 8, UCLA 7 (OT) Advertisement The No. 3-seeded Bruins (24-7) fell behind 5-0 against the Cardinal but closed that to a three-goal gap at halftime. By the end of the third quarter, the score was tied 5-5. The game would eventually reach overtime, where Stanford would prevail to reach the title game. Stanford scored twice early in overtime to take command. UCLA netted a goal with a minute remaining to cut the deficit to one, but the Bruins came up short. The Cardinal took possession and killed the time on the clock, securing the win. “I couldn’t be more proud of our team,” coach Adam Wright said. “To be on this stage and to fight back, to get ahead, to have a couple opportunities to win the game, I couldn’t ask for more.” blake.richardson@latimes.com Advertisement @rblakerich_<doc-sep>
Yesterday, the UCLA women’s water polo team defeated Michigan, 13-7, to advance to the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament Semifinals today against #2 seed Stanford at 5 pm PT. 2019 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament Semifinal Teams: #3 UCLA Bruins (24-6) vs. #2 Stanford Cardinal (21-2) When: 5:00 pm PT, Saturday, May 11, 2019 Where: Avery Aquatics Center, Stanford, CA TV/Radio/Audio: None Live Stream: NCAA Live Stream Live Stats: TheFosh.net Official Preview Last Time Out When UCLA faced Michigan yesterday, the Bruins used eight first half goals to seal the win by halftime. Michigan actually scored first when they netted a goal just over a minute into the game. Maddie Musselman scored her first goal of the game for the Bruins just over a minute later to tie that game at a goal a piece. The teams started a scoring barrage towards the end of the first quarter when the Wolverines retook the lead with 2:27 to go, but Lizette Rozeboom tied the game, 2-2, in a powerplay just 17 seconds later. Then, with 1:38 left, Michigan scored a third time, but, again, 17 seconds later, UCLA tied the game when Rozeboom scored an even strength goal which made it 3-3. With 16 seconds to go in the quarter, Bronte Halligan gave the Bruins their first lead of the game, 4-3. In the second quarter, UCLA was able to expand their lead to 5-3 when Kelsey Blacker scored just 27 seconds into the period. Musselman made it five consecutive Bruin goals when she scored twice. Her goal of the quarter came with 6:57 to go while her second was a powerplay goal with 5:37 left. The goals also gave her a hat trick for the game. Michigan finally ended their drought by scoring a pair of consecutive powerplay goals, first, at the 3:27 mark and, later, at the 1:37 mark, making it 7-5, Bruins. Halligan scored the final goal of the first half for UCLA when she added a powerplay goal of her own with 1:10 left in the half. UCLA took an 8-5 lead into the break. Michigan scored first in the second half to cut the Bruins’ lead to 8-6, but Halligan responded with another powerplay goal to put UCLA ahead by three again. With 5:26 left in the third quarter, the Wolverines scored their final goal of the game. Rachel Whitelegge scored the Bruins’ final goal of the third with just 48 seconds left and UCLA was up, 10-7. Just 32 seconds into the fourth quarter, Rozeboom finished her hat trick with her third goal of the game. Later, with 5:18 left, Musselman scored her fourth goal of the game on a penalty shot. Just over a minute later, Rozeboom scored her fourth of the game to give UCLA the 13-7 win. Stanford Cardinal UCLA has faced Stanford twice so far this season and the Bruins have lost both contests. On Februrary 23, the Cardinal won, 10-4 and, then, on April 6, Stanford won, 7-6. In the second game, the Cardinal needed to score with just 5 seconds left to edge the Bruins. Overall, Stanford has lost just two games all season and both of those games were lost to Southern Cal. Hopefully, the third time is the charm for UCLA, but, if I’m being realistic, I think today’s game may be the end of the line for these Bruins. Of course, Adam Wright knows that the season will be defined by today’s game (and if UCLA can win today’s game, then tomorrow’s game, too). After all, it is Championship Season. This is your UCLA Bruins vs. Stanford Cardinal NCAA Semifinal open thread. Go Bruins!! !