UCLA
24-6, 4-2
Stanford
24-2, 5-1
No. 4 UCLA Drops 10-7 Decision to No. 1 Stanford
May 07, 2022 | Women's Water Polo
ANN ARBOR, Mich. โ Malia Allen scored a team-leading three goals as the No. 4-seed UCLA women's water polo team lost to No. 1-seed Stanford, 10-7, in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament at Canham Natatorium on Saturday.
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UCLA (24-6) trailed against Stanford at halftime, 5-4, before tying the contest 5-5 midway through the third period. The Cardinal (24-2) outscored the Bruins by a 5-2 margin over the game's final 11 minutes.
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Allen was one of four Bruins to score in Saturday's semifinal contest. Abbi Hill registered a pair of goals, while Katrina Drake and Emma Lineback each tallied one goal.
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Bruins' goalkeeper Georgia Phillips tallied eight saves in the cage.
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"Overall, much better today," UCLA head coach Adam Wright said. "I loved our energy and loved our effort. There's no doubt that we put them in a tough spot at certain points, and then it just kind of got away from us. That 6-on-5 timeout that we had called โ [if] we hit that there, and instead of giving up a counter goal the other way, that's a big change in the game. Overall, I'm really proud of the effort we put in."
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Stanford's Aria Fischer and Makenzie Fischer each scored three goals to lead the top-seeded Cardinal. Ryann Neushul scored two goals, and Sophie Wallace and Jewel Roemer each tallied one goal.
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Stanford claimed an early 2-0 advantage midway through the opening quarter before Allen found the back of the cage at the 1:57 mark (first quarter).
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Trailing 3-1, UCLA answered with a power-play goal from Hill at the 5:22 mark of the second quarter to pull within one goal of Stanford. Stanford's Aria Fischer slammed home a five-meter penalty shot with 2:49 to go before halftime. UCLA responded with a 6-on-5 goal from Allen, less than 25 seconds later.
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The two teams traded goals in the final two minutes of the second quarter, as Stanford headed into the intermission with a 5-4 advantage.
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After Stanford missed a five-meter penalty shot attempt with 5:23 left in the third quarter, Allen tied the game for the Bruins. The sophomore left-hander from Irvine, Calif., slammed home a goal from the corner, knotting the score at 5-5.
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The Cardinal added two goals in the final three minutes of the third quarter, securing a 7-5 cushion as the game moved into the final frame.
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Hill got the Bruins to within 7-6 at the 7:32 mark in the fourth period, before Stanford tallied back-to-back goals with 7:20 and 6:41 to play in regulation.
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UCLA pulled its goalkeeper in the final minute, and Lineback scored at the 43-second mark to cut Stanford's margin to 9-7. The Cardinal answered, taking advantage of an empty-net situation, as Aria Fischer tallied her third goal of the game with 22 seconds to play.
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Stanford advanced to the NCAA championship contest and will face No. 2-seed USC on Sunday, May 8. Game time at Michigan's Canham Natatorium is 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET, in Ann Arbor, Mich.).
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The Bruins had advanced to Saturday's semifinal round after defeating UC Irvine, 8-7, in a first-round matchup on Friday afternoon.
No. 4-seed UCLA vs. No. 1-seed Stanford
Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
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| SCOREBOARD | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
| UCLA | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Stanford | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
6x5 โ UCLA: 3/12, Stanford: 1/5
Penalty Shots โ UCLA: 0/0, Stanford: 1/3
UCLA Goals:ย Malia Allen 3, Abbi Hill 2, Katrina Drake, Emma Lineback
UCLA Saves:ย Georgia Phillips 8
Stanford Goals:ย Aria Fischer 3, Makenzie Fischer 3, Ryann Neushul 2, Jewel Roemer, Sophie Wallace
Stanford Saves:ย Maya Avital 5
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Team Stats
Makenzie Fischer
6:44
Ryann Neushul
5:48
Malia Allen
1:57
Aria Fischer
7:29
Abbi Hill
5:22
Aria Fischer
2:49
Sophie Wallace
1:38
Katrina Drake
1:04
Malia Allen
0:22
Malia Allen
4:49
Ryann Neushul
2:54
Jewel Roemer
0:52
Abbi Hill
7:32
Makenzie Fischer
7:20
Makenzie Fischer
6:41
Emma Lineback
0:43
Aria Fischer
0:22
