Saturday, April 20
Los Angeles, CA
2:00 PM
UCLA
21-0
7
at
5
USC
17-6
1
2
3
4
OT
OT
SD
SD
SD
SD
SD
F
UCLA (W)
0
3
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
USC (W)
1
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
The Bruins won the Crosstown Splashdown, 7-5, at No. 4 USC.
Photo by: Elijah Carr
No. 1 UCLA Stays Undefeated with 7-5 Win at No. 4 USC
April 20, 2024 | Women's Water Polo
LOS ANGELESย --ย Top-ranked UCLA (21-0, 6-0 MPSF) completed its first undefeated regular season since 2008 with a 7-5 win at No. 4 USC on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins improved to 54-40 all-time against the Trojans with USC dropping to 17-6 on the year and 4-2 in the MPSF. In 2008, the Bruins ran through the postseason to win both the MPSF and NCAA Championships, finishing the year at 33-0.
UCLA had just four different players score in the contest, paced by a hat trick from freshman Panni Szegedi. Graduate student Brooke Doten chipped in two scores to become the only other multiple goal scorer for the Bruins.
Freshman goalkeeper Lauren Steele got the start in the cage and went the distance, recording 12 saves. She and the Bruins' defense held USC to a season-low five goals. This is the second straight week that UCLA has held an opponent to a season-low (held No. 5 California to a season-low-tying six goals last week).
USC scored the lone goal of the first period to take a 1-0 lead into the second. But The Bruins won the second period, 3-2, to tie the game at 3-3 at the break. Szegedi got the Bruins on the board with a power play goal (7:09) to tie the game at 1-1. Then Doten scored her first of the game (6:18) to give the Bruins their first lead of the game. After USC tied it at 2-2, Szegedi struck the twine again for her second goal (3:01). The Trojans scored the last goal of the second period (2:26) to tie it up at 3-3.
The Bruins won the third period, 4-2, to build a 7-5 lead heading into the final stanza. That score would prove to be the final with both teams pitching a shutout in the fourth. Doten scored her second of the game off a rebound to put UCLA up 4-3 (7:05). USC would tie it at 4-4 (6:43), but senior Malia Allen put the Bruins back in front with a cross-cage heater (5:09). The Trojans would tie it up again (2:36), but the Bruins regained the lead on a power play goal by Taylor Smith off a feed from Hannah Palmer (2:13). Szegedi then completed her hat trick with 1:31 remaining in the third to push the lead to 7-5. It would be the final goal of the game.
UP NEXT: UCLA has earned the No. 1 seed at next week's MPSF Championship hosted by Indiana. The Bruins have received a bye into the semifinals where they will face the winner of fourth-seeded USC and fifth-seeded Arizona State at 3:30 p.m.ย on Saturday, April 27.
No. 1 UCLA at No. 4 USC (Regular Season Finale - MPSF Contest - Game 21)
6x5 -ย UCLA - 2/7 - USC - 1/5
Penalties -ย UCLA - 0/0ย - USC - 0/0
UCLA Goals:ย Panni Szegedi 3, Brooke Dotenย 2, Taylor Smith 1, Malia Allen 1
UCLA Saves:ย Lauren Steele 12
USC Goals:ย Alejandra Aznar 2, Morgan Netherton 1, Isabel Zimmerman 1, Abigail Hendrix 1
USC Saves:ย Carolyne Stern 6
ย
UCLA had just four different players score in the contest, paced by a hat trick from freshman Panni Szegedi. Graduate student Brooke Doten chipped in two scores to become the only other multiple goal scorer for the Bruins.
Freshman goalkeeper Lauren Steele got the start in the cage and went the distance, recording 12 saves. She and the Bruins' defense held USC to a season-low five goals. This is the second straight week that UCLA has held an opponent to a season-low (held No. 5 California to a season-low-tying six goals last week).
USC scored the lone goal of the first period to take a 1-0 lead into the second. But The Bruins won the second period, 3-2, to tie the game at 3-3 at the break. Szegedi got the Bruins on the board with a power play goal (7:09) to tie the game at 1-1. Then Doten scored her first of the game (6:18) to give the Bruins their first lead of the game. After USC tied it at 2-2, Szegedi struck the twine again for her second goal (3:01). The Trojans scored the last goal of the second period (2:26) to tie it up at 3-3.
The Bruins won the third period, 4-2, to build a 7-5 lead heading into the final stanza. That score would prove to be the final with both teams pitching a shutout in the fourth. Doten scored her second of the game off a rebound to put UCLA up 4-3 (7:05). USC would tie it at 4-4 (6:43), but senior Malia Allen put the Bruins back in front with a cross-cage heater (5:09). The Trojans would tie it up again (2:36), but the Bruins regained the lead on a power play goal by Taylor Smith off a feed from Hannah Palmer (2:13). Szegedi then completed her hat trick with 1:31 remaining in the third to push the lead to 7-5. It would be the final goal of the game.
UP NEXT: UCLA has earned the No. 1 seed at next week's MPSF Championship hosted by Indiana. The Bruins have received a bye into the semifinals where they will face the winner of fourth-seeded USC and fifth-seeded Arizona State at 3:30 p.m.ย on Saturday, April 27.
No. 1 UCLA at No. 4 USC (Regular Season Finale - MPSF Contest - Game 21)
| SCOREBOARD | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
| No. 1 UCLA | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 4 USC | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
Penalties -ย UCLA - 0/0ย - USC - 0/0
UCLA Goals:ย Panni Szegedi 3, Brooke Dotenย 2, Taylor Smith 1, Malia Allen 1
UCLA Saves:ย Lauren Steele 12
USC Goals:ย Alejandra Aznar 2, Morgan Netherton 1, Isabel Zimmerman 1, Abigail Hendrix 1
USC Saves:ย Carolyne Stern 6
ย
Team Stats
UCL
USC
Shots
22
29
Goals
7
5
Assists
1
4
Points
8
9
Exclusions
5
7
Steals
6
9
Sprints
1
3
1
Alejandra Aznar
05:52
2
Panni Szegedi
07:09
Brooke Doten
06:18
Isabel Zimmerman
04:18
Panni Szegedi
03:01
Alejandra Aznar
02:26
3
Brooke Doten
07:05
Morgan Netherton
06:43
Malia Allen
05:09
Abigail Hendrix
02:36
Taylor Smith
02:13
Panni Szegedi
01:31
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
5
Goals
3
Assists
0
Points
3
Shots
4
Goals
1
Assists
0
Points
1
Shots
3
Goals
2
Assists
0
Points
2
Shots
3
Goals
0
Assists
0
Points
0
Players Mentioned
ATK
/ Women's Water PoloATK
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
GK
/ Women's Water PoloUTL
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