UCLA
Stanford
UCLA Edges Stanford in Sudden-Death OT
April 23, 2016 | Women's Water Polo
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – UCLA sophomore Devin Grab put away the game winner on a penalty shot to lift the second-ranked UCLA women's water polo team over third-ranked Stanford on Senior Day at Spieker Aquatics Center. With the 9-8 sudden-death victory in a game that saw two lead changes and six ties, the Bruins secure the No. 2 seed in next weekend's MPSF tournament.
“I'm very happy that we had what it took mentally to come away with a victory,” said UCLA head coach Brandon Brooks. “I'm very proud of these girls stepping up on Senior Day and playing big. I thought it was a real coming-of-age game. It was our first overtime game this season, and it feels great. It's great to see the girls step up when we need a win.”
“It came down to finding that Bruin Pride and refusing to lose,” said Grab of what fueled her team to win. “We refused to lose at home and refused to give up. Offensively, we put away shots. I think bouncing back after we got scored on was huge. Defensively, we just knew we had to get stops. Our energy was great. We trusted our conditioning to keep us in the game. All of that combined helped us come away with the win.”
UCLA (22-3, 5-1 MPSF) dictated the pace of the game from the starting whistle, outscoring Stanford 2-0 in the first quarter. Junior Aubrie Monahan got things started for the Bruins with a skip shot that pin-balled off the corner posts and into the net. UCLA's second goal began with a huge defensive stop, as senior keeper Alex Musselman saved a point-blank shot by Stanford's Kat Klass. From the transition, Grab netted her first of the game to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead.
Aubrie Monahan with the power play goal! Bruins up 1-0! #GoBruins #BeatStanford pic.twitter.com/dptZ0Mrqxl
— UCLA Water Polo (@UCLAWaterPolo) April 23, 2016
Stanford came out like gangbusters in the second quarter. After junior Mackenzie Barr scored an extra-man point for the Bruins, the Cardinal rattled off three unanswered goals. Dani Jackovich converted the power play after Grab was called for an exclusion. With less than a minute to go in the quarter, Jamie Neushul recorded back-to-back goals to knot the score at 3-3 heading into the half.
Grab regained the lead for UCLA in the third quarter, but it was short-lived as Neushul and Klass fired in two for Stanford. Neushul notched the equalizer on a lob shot, just out of Musselman's reach. Shortly after, Klass gave the Cardinal its first lead of the game. Heading into the fourth quarter, Stanford led UCLA 5-4.
In the opening minute of the final quarter, Stanford's Shannon Cleary was called for the exclusion. Grab converted the power play to register a hat trick and tie the score at 5-5.
GRAB WITH THE EQUALIZER! Score tied at 5-5! Let's do this! #GoBruins @Pac12Network pic.twitter.com/VhUatrV75d
— UCLA Water Polo (@UCLAWaterPolo) April 23, 2016
The squads then traded goals—Klass tallying one for Stanford and senior India Forster netting the equalizer for UCLA. As time ticked off of the clock, UCLA was on the attack with less than 30 seconds to go. Stanford regained possession after UCLA was called for an offensive foul. With 11 seconds on the clock, Madison Berggren charged toward Musselman in the cage. Due to senior Charlotte Pratt's scrappy defensive effort, Berggren was limited to a lob shot, which Musselman deflected. Tied at 6-6, the game was heading into overtime.
MUSSELMAN!!!! #SeniorDay #ucla #GoBruins #defense pic.twitter.com/8ydCnGHmt9
— UCLA Water Polo (@UCLAWaterPolo) April 23, 2016
Both squads netted two goals in the first period of overtime, while being held scoreless in the second period. For the Bruins, Forster and Barr both converted power plays. At the end of two overtime periods, UCLA and Stanford were tied again, at 8-8. The game would come down to sudden death.
UCLA won the opening sprint to gain the pivotal first possession. As the Bruins worked the ball around the perimeter, Stanford's Cleary was called for the penalty down low to give UCLA a penalty shot. Grab rocketed a skip shot into the bottom corner of the cage to clinch the 9-8 win for the Bruins on Senior Day.
BRUINS WIN!!! Grab seals the deal on a penalty shot! #GoBruins #BeatStanford pic.twitter.com/lbUMy0XrCh
— UCLA Water Polo (@UCLAWaterPolo) April 23, 2016
“There's not much going through your mind in those situations except to score the ball,” said Grab of the penalty shot. “I wasn't going to do anything fancy. I just shot the ball like I know how to do.”
UCLA drew 14 exclusions on Stanford and converted six power plays. Defensively, the Bruins recorded three field blocks and four steals, while Musselman tallied eight saves in the cage.
“She was hustling out there,” said Brooks of his senior keeper. “She wants to win and is a very competitive person. She worked very hard today and came up with some big saves. I think her communication has been big all year for us. I'm happy to see her get the win on Senior Day.”
Next up, the Bruins head to Bakersfield for the MPSF Championship Tournament where they face seventh-seeded CSU Bakersfield in the quarterfinals on Friday, Apr. 29. The game takes place at 11 am PDT at the Hillman Aquatic Center.
No. 2 UCLA (2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 0, 1 – 9)
Grab – 4; Barr, Forster – 2; Monahan – 1
No. 3 Stanford (0, 3, 2, 1, 2, 0, 0 – 8)
Neushul – 4; Klass, Jackovich – 2
Saves: UCLA (Musselman – 8); Stanford (Hermann – 9)
