Water polo captures NCAA title

LA JOLLA “”mdash; Even head coach Adam Krikorian jumped into the
pool in jubilation ““ slacks, black leather shoes, and
all.

The No. 2 UCLA women’s water polo team defeated No. 1
Stanford 4-3 for its second NCAA title in three years of the
tournament’s existence.

After falling behind 2-0 by halftime with goals by junior
2-meter Wendy Watkins and senior driver Julie Gardner, the Bruins
scored four successive goals to propel them to the championship
Sunday at UC San Diego.

“Going into the game, it was our goal to get a lead.
(After the first quarter) there went that idea,” said
Krikorian.

“I thought we were a bit tight, shaky, and not aggressive
in the early going,” he added.

It was a game of numerous defensive highlights, excellent
goaltending, and a down-to-the-wire finish; characteristic of most
games between the top two water polo programs in their budding
rivalry.

Freshman driver Kelly Rulon found the back of the net at the
6:08 mark of the third period on a pass from senior driver Jessica
Lopez, to cut into the Cardinal lead.

Rulon attributed her spectacular freshman campaign to the
team’s undying senior leadership.

“(The seniors) called me “˜freshy’ and made me
do chores, but I couldn’t ask for anything better”,
Rulon said.

“Kelly’s goal and her fist pump sparked our
team,” Krikorian said. “It got everyone excited and
generated positive energy.”

It took inspiration from inside the pool and out, as the UCLA
fans chanted players’ nicknames, “Nasty”,
“Heiny,” “Mo-flo”, and “J-Lo,”
to motivate the team.

After a defensive stop on a 2-on-1 break for the Cardinal, a
power play goal by Jessica Lopez with 52.3 seconds left in the
third tied the game at 2-2. Rulon was credited with the assist.

Golda’s nickname of “Nasty” showed, as she got
into early foul trouble with two ejections. With one more 20-second
penalty, Golda would have been removed from the game.

“I was successful by drawing ejections on them and getting
assists,” Golda said.

The most important penalty she drew came off an impressive
offensive rebound that ended in freshman driver Laurel
Champion’s third ejection, setting up the go-ahead power play
goal by freshman center defender Lauren Heineck. Heineck found room
in front of Frank and capitalized on a pass from senior driver
Maureen Flanagan, emerging out of the pool like Shamu to slam home
the crucial goal and ignite the crowd. The play featured great ball
movement by the Bruins.

After another power play stop with a Golda steal, the Bruins
recorded an insurance goal, their fourth of the half, as Beauregard
took a Golda pass to put the Bruins up by two. With the victory
seemingly imminent, Golda began splashing the water and urging the
crowd to reach even greater octaves of delirious fanfare.

Sophomore driver Hannah Luber made the final 1:40 exciting as
her shot on a 3-on-2 break trickled past Hipp and into the goal by
mere inches.

“I was glad that I was open for the shot and was able to
put our team within one and give us a chance,” said
Luber.

The Bruins’ penalty kill limited the Cardinal to one goal
in six opportunities, while the Bruins converted.

“Playing the 5-on-6 is all about attitude. The key is to
be at two places at once”, said senior center defender Robin
Beauregard.

The Bruins outscored the Cardinal 4-1 in the second half after
failing to score in the first 14 minutes.

Hipp made six saves, while Cardinal senior goalkeeper Jackie
Frank had seven.

Beauregard’s timely scoring and defensive dominance earned
her the NCAA tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.