Women’s water polo outlasts USC to take Stanford Invitational championship
By Lauren Hartwick
Feb. 10, 2008 9:00 p.m.
Women’s water polo outlasts USC to take Stanford Invitational championship
It was a familiar scene Sunday evening in Palo Alto as the final match of the 2008 Stanford Invitational ended.
Once again, the Bruins would be leaving as the undefeated champions.
The Bruins return to Westwood with what they hope will be the first of two championships they take home from Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center, as it will also be the host of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
In a showdown between the two great Los Angeles rivals, the No. 1 Bruins defeated the No. 2 Trojans 8-4. It was the Bruins’ seventh consecutive win against the Trojans, including when the two teams met in last year’s NCAA semi-final round match.
This would not be the first time the Bruins have upset the USC’s hopes for a tournament win. In the final of the 2007 Stanford Invitational, the Bruins battled the then-top-ranked Trojans, eventually winning the match by a single point.
On Sunday, UCLA took control of the game immediately in the first quarter, firing four rapid goals into the Trojan net. By the end of the first half, USC had tallied three goals, but the Bruins still led going into the second half, with five.
The third and fourth quarters saw a slowdown in the Bruins’ offense, but the Trojans failed to make the best of the opportunity, as they were locked out of the goal by UCLA’s tight defense. USC was just able to score one goal before the end of the game.
The Bruins again saw standout performances from their upperclassmen as seniors Tanya Gandy and Brittany Rowe and junior Katie Rulon stepped up once again to lead the Bruins on the scoreboard with three goals apiece.
The defeat of USC was the climax of a hectic weekend in Palo Alto.
Earlier Sunday afternoon, UCLA slid past the No. 7 San Jose State Spartans 12-7. Although the Spartans held a strong defensive front, the Bruins were still able to outscore them all four quarters.
The Bruins began the tournament Saturday morning, easily defeating No. 13 Michigan with a shutout at 16-0. The Wolverines had little hope at the half, when the Bruins went to the locker room with a 9-0 lead. The second half continued with an absence of any points on the board for Michigan and the emergence of seven more points for the Bruins.
Saturday afternoon brought the toughest competition the Bruins had faced so far in their season as they took on No. 4 Hawaii. UCLA managed to stay just ahead of the Rainbow Wahine the whole game, ending the fourth quarter 15-10. Senior Jillian Kraus led the team scoring with four goals.
