Water polo cinches weekend victories
By Ian Kelly
March 8, 2009 11:13 p.m.
On a sun-drenched day at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center, the large contingent of hostile California women’s water polo supporters erupted in cheers after the Golden Bears scored only two minutes into their match against UCLA.
But by the end, they were virtually silent.
The No. 3 Bruins women’s water polo team (15-3, 4-0 MPSF) responded to the one-goal deficit by going on a 9-0 tear and quieting the visiting crowd in an 11-5 win over the No. 7 Golden Bears (17-4, 1-2) on Saturday. The following day, UCLA traveled to Thousand Oaks where they routed Cal Lutheran 22-3 and cruised past No. 12 Cal State Northridge 9-3 in a pair of nonconference matchups.
In Saturday’s home match, UCLA’s tremendous 9-0 run spanned almost 16 minutes, all but clinching the game for the Bruins.
“After Cal scored the first goal, we immediately responded,” UCLA coach Adam Krikorian said. “And when you go on a run like that, it takes the crowd out of the game pretty quickly.”
Sophomore defensive specialist Kelly Easterday, who Krikorian considers “an unsung hero” on the team, felt the team’s lockdown defense was particularly key to the victory.
“We focused on taking a couple of their key players out of their element,” Easterday said. “We just tried to play good team defense while winning the individual battles. Our 5-on-6 defense shut them down completely.”
Krikorian echoed his thoughts on the team’s suffocating defense, though he lamented not executing better in the offensive side earlier on.
“I’m really proud of the team,” he said. “We held them scoreless in 5-on-6 situations and that decided the game. But I still thought we could have put the game out of the way earlier.”
Senior Tanya Gandy led the Bruins with four scores, including two on penalty shots. Senior Katie Rulon added a hat trick, while senior Anne Belden and freshmen KK Clark, Sarah Orozco and Hannah Sebenaler had one apiece. Senior goalkeeper Brittany Fullen, who Krikorian praised after the game, made 10 saves on the day, a number of them crucial in limiting any chance at a Cal comeback.
In Sunday’s early morning game at Cal Lutheran, the Bruins quickly flexed their muscles, outscoring the Regals 10-1 in the first half and closing the second with a 12-2 margin.
The game, according to Krikorian, allowed him to dish out a lot of playing time and rest his usual starters.
For one, the coach made a change in the net. Sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Ronimous and freshman goalkeeper Caitlin Dement both played in place of the perennial standout Fullen. The two combined for eight saves.
Freshman Randi Bresee had a career-high four goals, sophomore Kelsey McGinley scored a hat trick, and freshman Nicole Barker, sophomores Katie Estrada and Camy Sullivan, and senior Tanya Gandy each had a pair in the win over the Regals. Among those high scorers, only Gandy is a regular in Krikorian’s rotation.
In Sunday’s afternoon game against the CSU Northridge Matadors, UCLA was up 7-3 at halftime, before posting a 2-0 score in the second half.
UCLA will play UC Irvine, Santa Clara and San Jose State on consecutive days next weekend in the last games of what Krikorian considers a crucial seven-game stretch.
“We are definitely getting better,” Krikorian said. “Following the Arizona State game a week ago, I told the girls there should be a big focus on this seven-game stretch right before finals week. We are hoping to get seven wins.”
