UCLA Women’s Water Polo Advances to Semifinals at Triton Invitational

The Bruins easily advanced to the semifinals of the Triton Invitational yesterday by beating the Iona Gaels, 12-1, and the UCSD Tritons, 10-2. As a result of winning both game yesterday, the Bruins will play in the second semifinal game today against the #6 Arizona State Sun Devils. If UCLA defeats the Sun Devils, they will advance to the championship game against the winner of the first semifinal game between #2 Southern Cal and #7 UC Irvine.

In other words, the Bruins will have their first opportunity of the season to beat Southern Cal. Of course, a win over the Trojans would move up UCLA in the rankings.

In yesterday’s action, the Bruins destroyed both teams they faced. In their first game, UCLA scored 9 goals before allowing one to the Gaels. They did it by scoring four first quarter goals, adding two in the second and three more in the third.

Devin Grab got things under way with the first goal of the game with 5:30 left in the first quarter. Less than two minutes later, Grab scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal. Lexi Liebowitz and Bronte Halligan would add a few first quarter insurance goals as well.

After Halligan’s goal which came with 2:34 left in the first, the Bruins were held scoreless for more than an entire quarter as they didn’t score in the second quarter until Nicole Reynolds put the ball in the net with 1:46 left in the half. Lizette Rozeboom added UCLA’s other second quarter goal with just 35 seconds left to give the Bruins a 6-0 lead at the break.

Alexis Angermund, Liebowitz and Roxy Wheaton all scored goals in the third before UCLA finally gave up a goal to the Gaels. Brooke Maxson would finish the scoring in the third with less than a minute to play.

Louise Hazell and Sarah Sheldon would score the only goals of the fourth quarter for the Bruins and UCLA advanced with a 12-1 win.

The second game played out much like the first one. The Bruins shutout their opponent until the third quarter while scoring a slew of first half goals.

This time, Grace Reego got the Bruins on the scoreboard first, just 39 seconds into the game. She was followed by Rozeboom less than a minute later and, about 45 seconds after that, Maddie Musselman added what would be the game-winner. Maxson tacked on UCLA’s fourth goal of the period with 1:40 left.

The second quarter was again all-Bruins with goals by Reynolds, Hazell and Musselman’s second of the game and UCLA led 7-0 at the half. Rozeboom scored UCLA’s lone third quarter goal with about two minutes to go. UC San Diego finally got on the board about 15 seconds later and the third quarter ended with UCLA leading 8-1.

Hazell scored her second goal of the game with 6:25 to go while Sheldon put her first of the game and second of the day into the net with less than three minutes to go to give the Bruins a 10-1 lead. The Tritons tried to come back, but the best they could do was add a second goal with 1:21 left and the Bruins won this one 10-2.

This is your Triton Invitational Day 2 open thread.


Go Bruins!!!