University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Washington
Bruins Fall in Match-Play Semifinals
May 25, 2016 | Women's Golf
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EUGENE, Ore. - Tuesday afternoon's match-play semifinals went down to the wire, but the top-seeded Bruins dropped a 3-1-1 decision to #4-seed Washington at the Eugene Country Club.
UCLA's lone win came from junior Bronte Law, who was named PING WGCA Player of the Year during Tuesday morning's round. Just like her matchup against Oregon earlier in the day, Law never trailed, winning the first hole. She dropped the third to go all square, but won #6, #10 and #13 to take a 3-up lead. Washington's Charlotte Thomas made things interesting with wins on #14 and #15, but Law birdied the par-5 17th to win the match, 2 and 1.
The other four matches also made it to the 17th, including one that went extra holes. Senior Louise Ridderström lost the fifth and won the sixth, with seven halves on the rest of the front side resulting in her match with Sarah Rhee being all square at the turn. Rhee won #10, but Ridderström came right back with three-straight wins on #11, #12 and #13. A 25-foot birdie putt on the 15th gave Ridderström a 3-up lead with three to play. However, Rhee came back to win each of the next three holes, and then on the playoff, holed out from the bunker on #10 to post the third and clinching point for the Huskies.
The Huskies netted their first point when Julianne Alvarez defeated freshman Bethany Wu, 1-up. Wu won the first, but Alvarez claimed #3 and #5. The Bruin freshman then caught fire with three-straight wins on #7, #8 and #9 to take a 2-up lead to the back nine. Alvarez quickly came back with wins on #10 and #11 to get even, and the match remained all square until #16 when Alvarez took a 1-up lead, which she held to the end.
Junior Hadas Libman fell 2 and 1 to Wenyung Keh for Washington's second point. Libman won the first hole, but Keh took #2 and #4 to go up. After Libman won the fifth, Keh came back with wins on #6, #8 and #10 to go 3-up. Libman made it close with victories at #11 and #12. Keh got it back to 2-up at the 13th, but the Bruin junior made it 1-up again on the 15th. However, Keh won #17 to finish the match.
Freshman Lilia Vu's match was halted on the 18th when Washington won its third point on the extra playoff hole. Her contest with Ying Luo finished all square. Luo led the entire front nine with wins on #1, #4 and #6, while Vu won the fifth. Victories by Vu on #12, #13 and #15 put the Bruin on top, but Luo claimed the 17th to even the score.
