University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Saturday, April 11
Berkeley, Calif.
2:30 PM (PT)
UCLA
11
vs
12
Stanford
Lauren Steele
Photo by: Robert Edwards
Women's Water Polo Falls to Stanford in MPSF Semifinals
April 11, 2026 | Women's Water Polo
BERKELEY, Calif. โ The third-seeded UCLA women's water polo team fell to No. 2 seed Stanford 12-11 Saturday afternoon in the MPSF Championship Tournament semifinal round at Spieker Aquatics Complex. The game was decided in its first sudden-death overtime period.
Lauren Steele stopped a season-high 20 shots in the cage for the Bruins (19-4), but Juliette Dhalluin would deliver the difference-making goal. Dhalluin scored four times to lead the Cardinal (13-1), who got nine saves from Christine Carpenter. Elektra Urbatsch scored a career-high four goals to lead UCLA, with Bia Mantellato adding three.
Stanford jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter, but Carly McMurray cut the Bruins deficit in half with a six-on-five strike. Tali Stryker would then pull UCLA level two trips down the pool later. The Cardinal pushed its lead back to two, though, with Lucy Haaland-Ford accounting for both goals in the final 39 seconds.
Steele turned away shot after shot in the second to help keep the Bruins in range. Mantellato's six-on-five conversion just shy of the midway point made it a one-goal game once again. Urbatsch's first of the day came on a penalty shot at 2:55, setting off a scoring flurry over the next 1:53. Stanford's Sienna Green followed at 2:30, Mantellato answered at 2:20 and Haaland-Ford's goal at 1:02 made the Cardinal's lead 6-5 going into halftime.
Mantellato completed her hat trick at 6:44 of the third, capitalizing on a power play. Alternating goals followed, as Urbatsch answered Jenna Flynn's offering. UCLA broke through to take the lead at 1:31, with Anna Pearson finding the back of the net. Green answered seconds later, but Urbatsch beat the buzzer to make the score 9-8 at the end of three.
Stanford took the lead on a pair of Dhalluin goals in the fourth and Urbatsch's game-tying tally was registered at 2:05. Steele made five saves in the frame.
Neither side was able to get a goal across in the first three minutes of overtime. Dhalluin finally got one through at 1:38 of the second, but Smith was quick to answer at 1:21. The sudden-death period followed and it took 2:22 before the deciding goal came by way of a penalty shot.
The Bruins will play in Sunday's third-place game against No. 4 seed California. Play is scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m. PT.
No. 3 seed UCLA vs. No. 2 seed Stanford
6x5: UCLA โ 4/15, Stanford โ 3/7
Penalties: UCLA โ 1/1, Stanford โ 2/5
UCLA Goals: Elektra Urbatsch 4, Bia Mantellato 3, Carly McMurray 1, Anna Pearson 1, Taylor Smith 1, Tali Stryker 1
UCLA Saves: Lauren Steele 20
Stanford Goals: Juliette Dhalluin 4, Lucy Haaland-Ford 3, Jenna Flynn 2, Sienna Green 2, Serena Browne 1
Stanford Saves: Christine Carpenter 9
Lauren Steele stopped a season-high 20 shots in the cage for the Bruins (19-4), but Juliette Dhalluin would deliver the difference-making goal. Dhalluin scored four times to lead the Cardinal (13-1), who got nine saves from Christine Carpenter. Elektra Urbatsch scored a career-high four goals to lead UCLA, with Bia Mantellato adding three.
Stanford jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter, but Carly McMurray cut the Bruins deficit in half with a six-on-five strike. Tali Stryker would then pull UCLA level two trips down the pool later. The Cardinal pushed its lead back to two, though, with Lucy Haaland-Ford accounting for both goals in the final 39 seconds.
Steele turned away shot after shot in the second to help keep the Bruins in range. Mantellato's six-on-five conversion just shy of the midway point made it a one-goal game once again. Urbatsch's first of the day came on a penalty shot at 2:55, setting off a scoring flurry over the next 1:53. Stanford's Sienna Green followed at 2:30, Mantellato answered at 2:20 and Haaland-Ford's goal at 1:02 made the Cardinal's lead 6-5 going into halftime.
Mantellato completed her hat trick at 6:44 of the third, capitalizing on a power play. Alternating goals followed, as Urbatsch answered Jenna Flynn's offering. UCLA broke through to take the lead at 1:31, with Anna Pearson finding the back of the net. Green answered seconds later, but Urbatsch beat the buzzer to make the score 9-8 at the end of three.
Stanford took the lead on a pair of Dhalluin goals in the fourth and Urbatsch's game-tying tally was registered at 2:05. Steele made five saves in the frame.
Neither side was able to get a goal across in the first three minutes of overtime. Dhalluin finally got one through at 1:38 of the second, but Smith was quick to answer at 1:21. The sudden-death period followed and it took 2:22 before the deciding goal came by way of a penalty shot.
The Bruins will play in Sunday's third-place game against No. 4 seed California. Play is scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m. PT.
No. 3 seed UCLA vs. No. 2 seed Stanford
| SCOREBOARD | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT1 | OT2 | OT3 - SD | FINAL |
| No. 3 UCLA | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| No. 2 Stanford | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
6x5: UCLA โ 4/15, Stanford โ 3/7
Penalties: UCLA โ 1/1, Stanford โ 2/5
UCLA Goals: Elektra Urbatsch 4, Bia Mantellato 3, Carly McMurray 1, Anna Pearson 1, Taylor Smith 1, Tali Stryker 1
UCLA Saves: Lauren Steele 20
Stanford Goals: Juliette Dhalluin 4, Lucy Haaland-Ford 3, Jenna Flynn 2, Sienna Green 2, Serena Browne 1
Stanford Saves: Christine Carpenter 9
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ Women's Water Polo
CTR
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
UTL
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
GK
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
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