W. waterpolo: Women’s water polo can’t top No. 1 Trojans
By Raffi Martinian
March 11, 2004 9:00 p.m.
Once again, a slow start doomed the Bruins.
The UCLA women’s water polo team fell behind early at No.
1 USC on Thursday and never recovered, eventually losing 9-4.
The Trojans, who have yet to lose this season, appear to have
the swagger of a champion, the same swagger the No. 3 Bruins (9-3,
3-1 MPSF) had last year when they won the national title.
“Right now they want it and we don’t,” UCLA
coach Adam Krikorian said. “It’s hard to come back
against this team.”
A true sign of a hard-working defensive team is the amount of
blocked shots it registers. Countless times Bruin shooters were
hitting palms instead of the back of the net, much to the
satisfaction of the hostile home crowd.
After a 12-4 loss earlier in the year to the Trojans in which
half the UCLA starters and coaching staff were ejected, the game
seemed less intense to the casual observer.
Inside the choppy water, though, it was a typical rivalry match.
As the seconds ticked down and with the game in hand, USC coach
Jovan Vavic was still yelling for more pressure.
“The game was tough and definitely harder than last
time,” USC sophomore two-meter Lauren Wenger said.
“Both teams played until the end and matched strength with
strength.”
“The score didn’t reflect the intensity of the
game,” UCLA sophomore driver Katherine Belden added.
UCLA had numerous chances to get back into the game after a
first half of lackluster defense, of which the Trojans took
advantage with an effective fast break. After falling behind 5-2,
the third period was a chance for the Bruins to gain some ground.
Instead, the Trojans drew first blood.
USC senior goalkeeper Kelly Graff helped to preserve the lead,
slowing the Bruin attack early in the third period until UCLA was
penalized in its own zone, leading to a successful penalty
shot.
UCLA’s inability to block shots and contest long shots led
to the Trojans’ next goal and biggest lead of the contest.
Freshman utility Brittany Hayes scored at the 3:33 mark, making the
score 7-2.
Belden answered with a long shot from the point, catching Graff
off guard and cutting into the Trojans’ lead. Her physical
and determined play was one of the high points for the Bruins.
“When they backed off, I tried to be aggressive and took
the shots when they were there,” Belden said.
Near the end of the third quarter the Bruins had three offensive
possessions in a row but were denied by blocked shots, saves and
the final buzzer to end the quarter, epitomizing a disappointing
night.
“We have to start playing as a team, and we can’t be
timid. It’s all about attitude,” sophomore center
forward Kristina Kunkel said.
The Bruin coach echoed those sentiments.
“We did a terrible job of communicating, and we
didn’t do the little things to be successful,”
Krikorian said.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, those are the characteristics of a
champion.
