UCLA
San Jose State
Bruins to Open MPSF Play at San Jose State
March 02, 2017 | Women's Water Polo
LOS ANGELES -- No. 3 UCLA rings in the month of March with a trip to Saratoga, Calif., where it will face off with No. 10 San Jose State in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) opener for both teams. Play will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 4.
The Series -- The Bruins hold a 34-0 all-time record versus the Spartans, including a 20-1 victory in UCLA's season opener at the LouStrong Invitational (Jan. 14).
Coming Up -- The Bruins return to Spieker Aquatics Center for their MPSF home opener versus No. 23 CSU Bakersfield. Play versus the Roadrunners, who UCLA holds an all-time record of 7-0 against, will begin at 1:00 p.m.
UCLA Claims Third at Kalbus Invite -- In a field that consisted of 16 of the CWPA-ranked top 22 teams in the nation, the Bruins claimed third place at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational on the campus of UC Irvine. UCLA defeated No. 16 UC San Diego, 19-3 (Feb. 24), and No. 6 UC Irvine, 16-1 (Feb. 25), to earn a spot in the semifinal and a matchup with No. 2 USC in the Saturday nightcap. There, the Bruins battled their crosstown rival to a 2-2 tie at the end of one, a 6-5 deficit at the end of two and an 8-7 deficit at the end of three. Ultimately, the eventual tournament-champion Trojans claimed a 10-9 victory. UCLA then took on No. 4 California in a game that was decided by a Rachel Fattal penalty shot with 17 seconds remaining. The Bruin redshirt senior netted the five-meter attempt to secure third place and a dramatic 12-11 victory over the Golden Bears.
Bruins Still Third in Week 7 Poll -- The Week 7 CWPA poll reflected the finish of the Kalbus Invitational, as the Bruins checked in at No. 3 in the Mar. 1 installment. With its win over previously-top-ranked Stanford in the title game, USC was elevated to the top spot. The Cardinal dropped to No. 2 in the poll, while Cal remained fourth following its loss to the Bruins. UCLA is also third in the MPSF preseason coaches poll, where they totaled one first-place vote and 28 points overall. Also receiving first-place votes were No. 1 Stanford (four), No. 2 USC (one) and No. 4 California (one). This marks the first time ever that four teams have earned at least one first-place vote in the MPSF preseason coaches poll. The MPSF has been the dominant conference in NCAA women's water polo, winning all 21 national championships since its inaugural season in 1996.
Williams Going Wild -- Redshirt senior Alys Williams led the Bruins with nine goals over their four games at the Kalbus Invitational. Including her three goals versus UC Irvine (Feb. 25), Williams recorded a multi-goal game in each weekend contest. Dating back to UCLA's UCI Winter Invitational opener versus Pacific, the defender has scored at least twice in nine out of 10 games. Williams has tallied five hat tricks thus far, including a four-goal game against Michigan (Jan. 22).
Halligan's Hot Streak -- Heading into play at the Kalbus Invitational, Bronte Halligan had recorded four goals (on 10 attempts), seven assists, seven steals and zero earned exclusions over the team's first eight contests. During the four-game tournament, the freshman accumulated eight goals (at least one in each contest and three against USC), six assists (at least one in each contest and three against UCSD), eight steals (at least one in each contest and three against UCSD) and four earned exclusions (all against USC). Despite playing in just 10 games, Halligan has now recorded 12 goals, 13 assists and 15 steals this season. Halligan joins fellow freshman Maddie Musselman among the Bruins' top performers, statistically. Musselman has recorded team highs of 28 goals, 26 steals and a team-high-tying 12 earned exclusions.
Exclusive Company -- The Bruins have outscored opponents 184-46 through 12 games this season. The 184 goals scored stands as the most by a Bruin team over that period of time. The 138-goal difference between UCLA and their opponents, meanwhile, is also a record. With the 46 goals allowed, the 2017 Bruins join their predecessors from 2003 (40), 2002 (41), 1998 (41), 1996 (42) and 1995 (44) as UCLA teams that have surrendered fewer than 50 goals over their first 12 contests.
Record Watch -- Bruin redshirt senior Rachel Fattal has already maneuvered up the UCLA individual career record books over the team's first 12 games, and is within striking distance of the top spot in two notable categories. Fattal currently sits in fourth place on the all-time scoring list with 195 goals. Next in her sights is Katie Rulon (2006-09), who netted 201 goals in her career. The all-time record holder is Kelly Rulon (2003, 2005-07), who scored 237 goals over the course her career. Also, during the four games at the Kalbus Invitational, Fattal recorded five steals to put her at 174 takeaways for her career and seven behind Kelly Rulon's (2006-09) 181 for a share of the all-time mark.
In the Cage -- Sophomore goalkeeper Carlee Kapana, who shared time in goal with the departed Alex Musselman in 2016, has tallied 105 saves over 11.09 games played this season (9.47 saves per game). For the year, Kapana holds a 4.06 goals against average. She also earned her second career MPSF honor and first Player of the Week award on Feb. 21. Freshman Hannah Storum, meanwhile, has finished in the cage three times. She has tallied 11 saves and surrendered just one goal in 3.66 quarters played this season. Between the two goalies, the Bruin GAA sits at 3.83.
Head Coach Brandon Brooks -- Brandon Brooks (UCLA '05) returns for his eighth season, having compiled a 178-39 record over his first seven. Brooks, the 2015 MPSF Coach of the Year, has coached UCLA to three MPSF Tournament titles in six seasons (2010, 2012, 2015). In addition, the Bruins have advanced to the MPSF Tournament championship match five times during his tenure. Twenty-three of Brooks' players have earned 39 All-America certificates, and 21 players have earned 38 All-MPSF awards. As an assistant coach with the men's and women's programs, Brooks was involved in four NCAA championships, and as a player, he was part of two NCAA title teams (1999 and 2000). A two-time Olympic goalkeeper, Brooks was the starting goalkeeper for the 2004 U.S. team that won the silver medal in Athens.
