UCLA
17-0
Princeton
14-6
No. 1 UCLA Women's Water Polo Defeats No. 14 Princeton, 10-6
March 16, 2024 | Women's Water Polo
LOS ANGELES โ The No. 1-ranked UCLA women's water polo team outscored Princeton by a 7-2 margin in the second half to secure a 10-6 win at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center on Saturday afternoon.
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Anneliese Miller, Anna Pearson and Taylor Smith each scored a team-leading two goals for the Bruins (17-0). UCLA's other goal scorers included Becca Melanson, Lily Gess, Panni Szegedi and goalkeeper Lauren Steele.
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The game featured three lead changes through the opening three quarters before the Bruins pulled away in the final period, outscoring Princeton by a 4-1 margin in the fourth quarter.
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UCLA goalkeeper Lauren Steele finished with 10 saves and three steals.
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The Bruins trailed Princeton by a 4-3 margin at halftime and tied the contest, 4-4, on a 6-on-5 goal from Pearson with 3:42 to play in the third quarter. Princeton pushed ahead, 5-4, on a goal by Kayla Yelensky with 2:04 left in the quarter.
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From that point in the game, UCLA scored six of the game's final seven goals. The Bruins added two quick goals to close the third quarter and take a 6-5 lead into the final period. Smith's 6-on-5 goal tied the contest, at 1:35, before Szegedi found the back of the cage with 15 seconds to play in the third quarter.
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The Bruins outscored Princeton by a 4-1 margin in the fourth quarter, claiming a 10-5 advantage on goals from Miller (at 4:31 and 1:16), Gess (at 3:05), and goalkeeper Lauren Steele (at 0:36).
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Princeton's Kate Mallery finished with two goals for the visiting Tigers (14-6).
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The opening half on Saturday saw Princeton score the game's first goal before UCLA secured a 3-1 cushion on a goal from Melanson in the first quarter and back-to-back scores from Pearson (at the 7:38 and 5:58 marks in the second quarter).
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Princeton tied the contest, 3-3, with a pair of 6-on-5 goals with just under three minutes to play before halftime. The Tigers took a 4-3 lead with a 6-on-5 goal scored by Mallery with just four second left in the second quarter.
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UCLA finished the game 7-for-14 on power-play attempts, converting at a 50 percent rate.
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The Bruins will return to action against No. 17 San Jose State on Sunday, March 17. Game time at Spieker Aquatics Center is 1 p.m. (PT).
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 14 Princeton
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| SCOREBOARD | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
| No. 14 Princeton | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| No. 1 UCLA | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
6x5 โ UCLA โ 7/14 // Princeton โ 5/13
Penalties โ UCLA โ 0-0 // Princeton โ 0/0
Princeton Goals: Kate Mallery 2, Meera Burghardt, Rachael Carver, Charlotte Riches, Kayla Yelensky
Princeton Saves: Lindsey Lucas 13
UCLA Goals: Anneliese Miller 2, Anna Pearson 2, Taylor Smith 2, Lily Gess, Becca Melanson, Lauren Steele, Panni Szegedi
UCLA Saves: Lauren Steele 10
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Team Stats
Rachael Carver
01:20
Becca Melanson
00:07
Anna Pearson
07:28
Anna Pearson
05:58
Meera Burghardt
03:41
Charlotte Riches
02:56
Kate Mallery
00:04
Taylor Smith
03:42
Kayla Yelensky
02:04
Taylor Smith
01:35
Panni Szegedi
00:16
Anneliese Miller
04:31
Lily Gess
03:05
Anneliese Miller
01:16
Lauren Steele
00:36
Kate Mallery
00:04
