Bruins miss MPSF title, focus on NCAAs
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 30, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Senior Coralie
Simmons lunges for the ball in the Bruins’ match against
UCSB earlier this month. Simmons and the Bruins demolished UCSB
this weekend, 17-3. MPSF Championships
UCLA d. UCSB, 17-3 UCLA d. USC,
9-8 Stanford d. UCLA, 8-5
By Emily Whichard
Daily Bruin Contributor
The No. 2 UCLA women’s water polo team got exactly what
they came for at the MPSF league championships in Honolulu this
weekend.
They may have lost the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title,
but they won a chance to compete for the ultimate trophy ““
the first NCAA women’s water polo championship.
UCLA (16-4) held nothing back in its first matchup against No. 7
UC Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Bruins came
out firing, scoring four goals in the first quarter. They
maintained the momentum throughout the game, handing the Gauchos a
17-3 loss.
Their next match was not so easily conquered. After a season
filled with low-pressure games where they averaged a nine-goal
advantage, the Bruins met a new level of play against No. 3 USC on
Saturday.
The semifinal was a ticket to much more than the final game of
the MPSF tournament. With No. 1 Stanford’s triumph over No. 4
California in the other semifinal, the single at-large bid for the
NCAA tournament was on the line.
In their last match against USC on March 9, the Bruins handed
the Trojans a solid defeat with a final score of 13-6. After a week
of preparing for USC’s style of play, UCLA’s confidence
was riding high.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Head
Coach Adam Krikorian. “It’s a whole different story
when everything is on the line like that.”
It certainly was a different story. The Trojans refused a repeat
of the earlier season matchup, taking the game into sudden death
overtime.
“Everyone there insisted it was the most exciting game
they’d ever been a part of,” Krikorian said.
Freshman Thalia Munro recalled the critical moment when
sophomore Robin Beauregard scored in overtime on a pass from senior
Kristin Guerin. The goal took the game into sudden death play,
where the Bruins triumphed with a final score of 9-8.
“Once Robin’s unbelievable shot spiraled in, I knew
we were gonna win,” Munro said.
Munro viewed the pressure-filled game as a new kind of practice
after a season of landslide victories.
“We needed a close game,” Munro said.
“It’s that kind of pressure that will prepare us for
Stanford at NCAAs.”
Stanford overcame its own set of challenges to beat California
6-4 on Saturday. After a day full of nerve-racking excitement on
both sides, the Cardinal and Bruins entered their rehearsal for the
NCAA matchup in two weeks with a sigh of relief.
“Both teams realized that the game was less important than
it may be two weeks from now,” Krikorian said. “Neither
of us played up to par.”
In the MPSF title game, their fourth game against Stanford this
season, the Bruins were unable to break their losing habit.
Stanford handed UCLA its fourth defeat of the season by a score of
8-5.
Krikorian cited stellar performance from Stanford’s
goalie, Jackie Frank, and deficiency on UCLA’s six-on-five
play as the major problems.
“The pressure was less because we knew we’d
qualified. We just didn’t execute very well,” Guerin
said.
The Bruins may have returned home without the MPSF title, but
they are not giving up on the prospect of bringing home the
inaugural NCAA trophy in two weeks. In their fifth matchup against
Stanford, UCLA will look to break its losing streak.
“We’re gonna put up a fight,” Krikorian said.
“It’s just one game, anything can happen.”
