Back-to-back champions

DAVIS “”mdash; The site and image were eerily familiar to UCLA
coach Adam Krikorian.

Watching his players yelp in elation in the middle of the Schaal
Aquatics Center pool. Hearing the UCLA 8-clap resonate in the air.
Feeling the crisp water through his hair, his face and clothes
saturated with chlorinated water and tears of joy.

Ten years ago, Krikorian, who was an assistant coach at the
time, witnessed the women’s water polo team capture its first
national championship on the UC Davis campus.

He relived the moment on Sunday.

On a last-second shot by sophomore Courtney Mathewson,
third-seeded UCLA sneaked past crosstown rival top-seeded USC 9-8,
capturing back-to-back championships and eight national
championships in 11 years.

After the game, Krikorian could not control his emotions. His
comments were nostalgic.

“It’s really mumbled in my brain right now. It was
chaotic,” Krikorian said.

“This program is way bigger than me. It has a lot to do
with the girls that came first, like Nicolle Payne, and those girls
that were on the 1996 team ““ they established an attitude, an
aura that we have just carried along.”

This was the Bruins’ (29-4) second national-title-game
meeting with the Trojans (27-3). UCLA won in their first meeting in
2000.

But to think ““ unlike a year ago ““ this Bruin team
was not expected to win.

After going undefeated and recording 33-0 for the 2005 season,
expectations were bestowed on this year’s UCLA team. Until
the postseason, the Bruins struggled to live up to those
expectations.

A Trojan team that strung together 26 straight wins appeared the
favorite. A Stanford team that fell to the Bruins in the semifinal
game was the most confident bunch heading into the NCAA
Tournament.

But when it counted, the Bruins gnawed their way to a victory
and UCLA’s 99th NCAA championship.

“This team had heart and leadership at the end,”
said Ken Weiner, a senior associate athletic director, who was
soaked head to toe when Krikorian pulled him into the pool.
“I think (men’s volleyball coach) Al Scates rubbed off
on him.”

In a game that saw six ties, 28 ejections and no more than a
two-goal lead by any team, the Bruins were nursing an 8-7 lead with
one final period. Shouts of “seven more minutes” echoed
in the Bruin huddle during a break.

It seemed as though the Bruins were going to pull it out and
that the nation’s water polo dynasty would once again
celebrate a title victory.

But USC’s Patty Cardenas, who scored three goals, put a
dent in the Bruins’ championship trophy hopes when she fired
a shot from the left corner with 44 seconds remaining on the
clock.

Cardenas, who scored in the exact same way earlier, tied the
game up at 8-8.

“We know she’s deadly,” Krikorian said.
“We still couldn’t stop her.”

The Bruins managed to get an ejection on their last possession
of play, and Mathewson found herself wide open for the game-winning
shot.

“I don’t remember everything,” said Mathewson
after scoring her only goal of the tournament. “I had no idea
how much time was left ““ I just got the ball and shot it. My
teammates had faith in me.”

Though Mathewson sat in the limelight for her last-second
heroics, it was redshirt junior Kelly Rulon who put the Bruins in
position to win.

Rulon, who was named the NCAA Tournament’s MVP, finished
with a game-high four goals. This is her second season scoring 70
goals, which sits as second-best in UCLA’s all-time scoring
list (Coralie Simmons holds the record of 74 goals).

The Bruins started right out the gate in large part because
Rulon recorded a hat trick in the first period, scoring on a
four-meter penalty shot that was created by junior Kacy Kunkel and
two outside goals that slipped past Trojan goalkeeper Whitney
Morgan. The Bruins held a 3-2 lead at the end of the first
period.

With her 11 goals over the past three games, Rulon surpassed
Loyola Marymount’s Stacia Peterson on the list of goals
scored in a single NCAA Tournament. Peterson scored 10 goals in
last year’s NCAA Tournament.

Rulon was too modest to speak about her individual
accomplishments, so senior Thalia Munro spoke on her behalf.

“When I think of Kelly, I think of her playing her best
when it’s needed,” Munro said. “The tougher it
gets, the better (she) plays. She’s a clutch player. The
recognition she’s getting is very deserving.”

The second period was brimming with goals. It was also all about
the Trojans’ ability to draw ejections on the Bruins.

In that period alone, USC had five 6-on-5 opportunities and the
Trojans connected on two. However, the Trojans finished a pitiful
2-for-17 to UCLA’s 5-for-11 on man-advantage plays.

Foothill High School lefty standout Brittany Hayes scored one of
the Trojans’ man-advantages with a goal with 1:30 to goal for
their first lead, 5-4.

Not to be outdone, UCLA’s Gabrielle Domanic, a teammate of
Hayes at Foothill, tied up the game seconds later at 5-5. Hayes
would get the final say with a rocket before the half ended,
scoring with one second remaining for the 6-5 lead at half.

“It took something out of us. It was a
momentum-killer,” Krikorian said. “But for as many
ejections as they had and for us to stay even, (it was positive for
us) going into halftime.”

The Bruin defense tightened up in the third period, allowing
just one goal. UCLA goalkeeper Emily Feher had a tremendous
weekend, recording 18 saves, with four against the Trojans.

“This weekend was so amazing. All three games we played
were awesome,” Feher said. “The desire and fight we had
was amazing, even when no one expected us to win like last
year.”

As UCLA celebrated its fifth national championship in seven
years, the players couldn’t be more elated.

“It was the best feeling I’ve ever had,” said
senior Kristina Kunkel, whose voice was raspy from screaming.
“I couldn’t ask for anything else. I couldn’t
have gone out in a better way.”

As good as two championships in a row sounds, three has an even
more pleasing ring. The Bruins have accomplished that feat only
once before, from 1996 to 1998. And with this program, it’s
not that farfetched.

“We’re missing a lot of players next season,”
said Krikorian, who won his fifth national title as the
women’s water polo coach. “But I wouldn’t put it
past this team.”

VAVIC ANGRY: USC coach Jovan Vavic declined to comment after the
game and stormed off without addressing the media. However, before
leaving Vavic did complain to NCAA officials who happened to be
watching the awards ceremony.

“The referees should not determine the outcome of the
game,” Vavic said.