UCLA
Stanford (Championship)
UCLA Women's Water Polo Falls to Stanford, 7-6, in NCAA Title Match
May 11, 2015 | Women's Water Polo
Stanford (25-2) snapped a 6-6 tie as Kiley Neushul scored on a five-meter penalty shot with 11 seconds to play in regulation.
Neushul's game-leading fifth goal of the match came after Bruins' goalkeeper Sami Hill made a two-handed save and passed the ball to teammate Kodi Hill. UCLA (26-3) called timeout after Hill's save, and Stanford was awarded a five-meter penalty shot as referees ruled the Bruins did not have possession of the ball.
"I thought that you had two great teams that played their hearts out," UCLA head coach Brandon Brooks said. "I'm extremely proud of my girls. My hat goes off to the hard work that Stanford puts in. This team was magnificent. My team was incredible. I couldn't ask for anything more out of them."
Sunday afternoon's championship match featured six ties with neither team leading by more than one goal.
Stanford earned a 6-on-5 opportunity with 34 seconds to play in the game, and the Bruins successfully thwarted the power play before being assessed a five-meter penalty shot.
“We played great defense," said Brooks, when asked about the interpretation of the five-meter penalty. "We funneled the ball to our goalie. Our goalie got a two-handed stop to establish possession. As soon as we had possession, I hit the horn. The referee believes that the goalie had it and threw it so that she did not have possession, and that resulted in a penalty shot."
UCLA had tied the contest, 6-6, with 2:45 remaining in the fourth quarter on Charlotte Pratt's team-leading third goal of the game. Stanford had claimed a 6-5 advantage on a power-play goal from Neushul with 5:43 left in the final quarter.
Trailing 5-4 after three quarters, Pratt came to the rescue for the Bruins with her second goal of the game at the 6:05 mark.
UCLA and Stanford played to a 4-4 tie by halftime after a back-and-forth first two quarters. Neither team led by more than one goal in a first half that featured four ties and two lead changes.
Trailing 2-1, UCLA claimed a 3-2 lead by the end of the first quarter with consecutive goals from Mackenzie Barr (1:04) and Pratt (0:20). Stanford tied the contest, 3-3, with a 6-on-5 goal from Ashley Grossman at the 5:37 mark in the second quarter. The Cardinal claimed a 4-3 lead on a 6-on-5 goal from Kiley Neushul (2:02).
UCLA tied the contest 4-4 with 25 seconds to play before halftime on a skip-shot goal from Alys Williams.
Hill finished with eight saves in the cage for the Bruins. Stanford goalkeeper Gabby Stone tallied nine saves.
UCLA concluded its 2015 campaign with a 26-3 overall record, having won the MPSF Tournament at Arizona State two weeks ago. The Bruins' season ended with a loss to Stanford in the NCAA Tournament's title match for the second consecutive season.
All-Tournament Team: UCLA's Rachel Fattal and Sami Hill (goalkeeper) earned first-team All-Touranment accolades ... Emily Donohoe secured second-team acclaim ... Stanford's Kiley Neushul was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Stanford vs. UCLA
NCAA Tournament Championship Game – Stanford
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Stanford | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| UCLA | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
Stanford Goals: Kiley Neushul 5, Ashley Grossman 2
Stanford Saves: Gabby Stone 9
UCLA Goals: Charlotte Pratt 3, Mackenzie Barr 2, Alys Williams
UCLA Saves: Sami Hill 8
