No. 2 UCLA Looks to Dethrone No. 1 USC
April 07, 2016 | Women's Water Polo
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The second-ranked UCLA women's water polo team heads crosstown on Saturday for a pivotal MPSF battle. The Bruins face top-ranked USC for the third time this year and look to upend the Trojans' perfect season. The conference clash takes place at 1 pm PDT at USC's Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
UCLA (20-2, 3-0 MPSF) is on a nine-game win streak since falling to USC in the title game of the UC Irvine Invitational in February. Rebounding from the loss, the Bruins went 4-0 at the Wolverine Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich. In addition to routing George Washington and Bucknell, UCLA also took down No. 15 Loyola Marymount and fifth-ranked Michigan.
The Bruins opened MPSF play with a pair of wins against No. 24 Cal State Bakersfield and No. 8 Cal. The March 25 tilt with the Golden Bears was a defensive showdown. Despite being held scoreless in the first and fourth quarters by the third-ranked team defense in the conference, the Bruins nabbed a 4-3 win.
UCLA returned home to host No. 11 San Jose State and the Bruin Invitational last weekend. Led by Mackenzie Barr and Kelsey O'Brien's combined seven goals, the Bruins coasted to a 13-6 victory over the Spartans to improve to 3-0 in MPSF play. The following day, UCLA swept Redlands and Pomona-Pitzer at the Bruin Invite. Nine different Bruins found the back of the net against the Bulldogs, and 15 of UCLA's goals were assisted. Lizette Rozeboom and Devin Grab led in scoring with five goals apiece. UCLA was five for nine on power plays, led by Grab with two man-up goals. Carrying this momentum into its afternoon bout with the Sagehens, the Bruins put away 15 goals in the first half alone. Overall, 12 Bruins put points on the board and UCLA tallied 19 assists on 25 goals.
In 22 outings this season, the Bruins have presented a well-balanced attack with multiple scoring threats. Grab, Barr, and India Forster lead the squad with 32 goals apiece. Rozeboom is making a big impact as a freshman, posting 29 thus far. In total, the Bruins have compiled 272 goals on offense, 154 of which were assisted, while holding opponents to 110.
UCLA is the second-ranked team defense in the MPSF, allowing only five goals per game. In goal, rookie Carlee Kapana has put up 114 saves and ranks first in the MPSF with a goals-against average of 4.77. Veteran keeper Alex Musselman has stopped 90 shots for an 8.78 saves average, ranking fourth in the conference.
Scouting the Trojans
USC (17-0, 3-0 MPSF) kept its undefeated 2016 record decidedly intact after grabbing two wins last weekend. The Trojans first traveled to San Diego State and snagged a 13-3 win over the No. 20 Aztecs before returning home to Los Angeles to notch a 16-3 MPSF win over visiting No. 23 CSU Bakersfield. USC is the top-ranked team defense in the MPSF, allowing just 4.53 goals per game, and second-ranked team offense, averaging 12.59 goals per game.
The Trojans are led by Stephania Haralabidis and Ioanna Haralabidis, who both rank in the top five in the MPSF in goals per game—the former averaging 2.71 and the latter 1.82. In the cage, freshman Amanda Longan has recorded 69 saves in eight games, for a saves average of 8.63.
UCLA is 49-24 all-time against USC. The Bruins boasted a five-match win streak over the Trojans prior to this year's back-to-back losses.
