UCLA, USC to meet in NCAA women’s water polo semifinals
INDIANAPOLIS — The UCLA and USC women’s water polo teams will square off in the heart of the Midwest on Saturday for a chance to advance to another national title match.
No. 2 seed UCLA shook off a three-goal deficit and defeated Loyola Marymount, 11-8, on Friday afternoon at the IU Natatorium, while No. 3 seed USC took control early and crushed Harvard, 18-7.
Defending national champion UCLA (20-5) and USC (28-4) will square off at 11 a.m. PT, with the match available to stream live on NCAA.com.
Redshirt junior Emma Lineback paced the UCLA offense with a career-high-tying five goals, while junior Bia Mantellato added three goals and junior Anna Pearson had two. Sophomore goalie Lauren Steele had nine saves and three steals.
LMU (20-12) held a 3-2 lead at the end of the first period then scored the first two goals of the second for a 5-2 lead with 4:43 remaining in the first half. Mantellato then scored back-to-back goals to pull the Bruins within one, and Pearson scored a power-play goal with 46 seconds left for a 5-5 tie at halftime.
LMU scored first in the third period, but Lineback responded with three unanswered goals to give the Bruins their first lead. The Lions cut the Bruins’ lead to 9-8 with a penalty conversion with 10 seconds left in the third, but UCLA shut them out in the final period. Mantellato and Lineback scored the only two goals of the fourth to secure the win.
Nine players scored for USC against first-time NCAA qualifier Harvard (26-7). Ava Stryker and Emily Ausmus each scored three, while Tilly Kearns, Sinia Plotz, Ava Knepper, Alma Yaacobi and Maggie Johnson all had two goals apiece. Rachel Gazzaniga and Meghan McAninch also scored and goalie Anna Reed had six saves.
The Trojans used a three-goal surge and later beat the buzzer on a full-length score from Kearns to take a 5-2 lead after one period. The Trojans extended their lead to 10-3 by halftime, but Harvard was more competitive in the third period and trailed 13-6 entering the fourth.
Yaacobi scored back-to-back goals for USC to begin the fourth, then Johnson added a pair of savvy fake-and-fire goals for a 17-6 lead with two minutes left as the Trojans left no doubt and cruised to the victory.
Top-seeded Stanford crushed Wagner, 28-6, and will face fourth-seeded Hawaii, which edged Cal, 8-7, in Saturday’s other semifinal (9 a.m. PT).
The title match is Sunday at 9 a.m. PT and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.