Former champions fall in season opener
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 7, 1999 9:00 p.m.
Monday, February 8, 1999
Former champions fall in season opener
WOMENSWATER: Cardinal defense, Bruin penalties sink squad which
has lost star personnel
By Laurence Chow
Daily Bruin Contributor
Okay guys, pop quiz. What do the women’s water polo team and the
National Basketball Association’s Chicago Bulls have in common? A)
They’re the 1998 champions of their respective sports. B) Both
teams are missing their star players from last year. C) They both
lost their respective opening games. D) All of the above.
D) is the correct answer. While the Bulls lost their first
regular season game to the Utah Jazz, the No. 1 Bruins suffered a
similar fate at the hands of the No. 3 Stanford Cardinal on
Saturday.
The three-time defending national champion Bruins (0-1, 0-1
MPSF) were upset by Stanford (1-0, 1-0) 4-3 in a game in which
defense became the deciding factor. After the Cardinals took a 1-0
lead in the first quarter, the Bruins answered in the second
quarter when freshman Elaine Zivich rattled home a 6-on-5 goal past
the hands of Cardinal goalkeeper Heather Crary.
Stanford took a 2-1 lead into halftime, but the Bruins responded
when senior Amanda Gall scored early in the third quarter to again
tie the score at 2-2.
UCLA, however, would come no closer the rest of the game.
Two costly Bruin ejections late in the third and early fourth
quarter led to two Cardinal goals and a 4-2 deficit. With 1:38
remaining in the game, Zivich brought the Bruins to within 4-3 with
a hard shot right past Crary.
UCLA, despite having opportunities, couldn’t capitalize due to
the tenacious Cardinal defense and Crary’s ten saves. Junior
All-American Erin Golaboski recorded six saves for the Bruins in
the losing effort.
This year, the Bruins will face a tougher battle after losing
four of six All-Americans. Offensively, senior captains Gall and
Mandy McAloon are expected to fill the huge void left by the
departing players. Defensively, the Bruins are anchored by
Golaboski, who had a 10-0 record in goal last year while replacing
the injured Payne.
The Bruins next travel to La Jolla on Feb. 12 to compete in the
Triton Invitational, which is hosted by UC San Diego.
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