Georgia Phillips vs. USCGeorgia Phillips vs. USC
Don Liebig/ASUCLA

Georgia Phillips gave the Bruins a fighting chance today with 10 saves (one on a penalty) and three steals in the cage for UCLA.

No. 3 UCLA Edged by No. 2 Stanford, 11-9

Women's Water Polo

UCLA will now face the loser of the No. 1 USC/No. 4 California game tomorrow at 12:45 p.m. PT in the third-place game.

Opens in a new window Box Score (PDF)

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SAN JOSE, Calif. – No. 3 UCLA (20-6, 4-2 MPSF) battled but in the end, No. 2 Stanford (20-1, 5-1 MPSF) relegated the Bruins to tomorrow's third-place game with an 11-9 win in the semifinals of the 2023 MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship on Saturday afternoon at Spartan Recreation Aquatics Center on the campus of San Jose State.

A total of seven different Bruins got into the scoring column, paced by the sixth hat trick of the year from freshman Anna Pearson.

Redshirt senior Georgia Phillips got the start in the cage and went the distance, registering a game-high 10 saves and a team-high and game-high-tying three steals, while giving up 11 goals to the Cardinal. Phillips also had a stop on a penalty shot that was taken by two-time Olympic gold medalist Aria Fischer

The Bruins came out ready to play, leading the Cardinal 4-3 at the end of one. But Stanford won the second quarter, 4-1, to build a 7-5 lead at halftime. Both teams battled to a 2-2 draw in each of the final two quarters as the Bruins could not get closer to within one goal the rest of the way.

The Cardinal, which only had five players get into the scoring column, were led by four goals from Jewel Roemer. Ryann Neushul had a hat trick for Stanford. Maya Avital had four saves and one steal while surrendering nine goals to the Bruins.

The Bruins return to action tomorrow in the third-place game of the 2023 MPSF Championship when they take on the loser of No. 1 USC/No. 4 California at 12:45 p.m. PT at Spartan Recreation Aquatics Center.

No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 3 UCLA (MPSF Championship - Semifinals)
San Jose, Calif. (Spartan Recreation Aquatics Center - SRAC)
SCOREBOARD 1 2 3 4 FINAL
No. 3 UCLA 4 1 2 2 9
No. 2 Stanford 3 4 2 2 11

6x5 – UCLA: 5/11, STAN: 3/8
Penalty Shots – UCLA: 0/0, STAN: 1/3

UCLA Goals: Anna Pearson 3, Brooke Doten 1, Val Ayala 1, Sienna Green 1, Emma Lineback 1, Molly Renner 1, Katrina Drake 1
UCLA Saves: Georgia Phillips 10

ASU Goals: Jewel Roemer 4, Ryann Neushul 3, Jenny Flynn 2, Aria Fischer 1, Ella Woodhead 1
ASU Saves: Maya Avital 4