Women’s water polo honors seniors before recording overtime win against Sun Devils

A clash of heads cut Val Ayala’s upper lip.

With blood gushing from her mouth, the senior attacker was forced to leave the game three minutes into the third quarter to stitch up the gash.

Able to return once the bleeding stopped, Ayala converted a power-play goal in the second overtime period to give the Bruins their only multigoal lead of the game.

“Val is the most resilient and hardworking girl I have ever met in my entire life,” said sophomore attacker Malia Allen. “She’s a big part of this team, … and she took it like a champ.”

No. 2 UCLA women’s water polo (22-2, 4-1 MPSF) used all of regulation and more to overcome No. 9 Arizona State (13-10, 1-3) at Spieker Aquatics Center 11-9 on Saturday. On the Bruins’ Senior Day, a senior scored or assisted on over 70% of the blue and gold’s goals – including Ayala’s goal in the second overtime period.

Just more than two minutes before halftime, the Bruins trailed 5-2 – the first time an opponent other than Stanford held a three-goal lead over UCLA this season. Coach Adam Wright said his team let Senior Day and the alumni game that followed affect how his team performed during the contest.

“When your head is focused on so many different things except what you need to be focused on, it’s very distracting and will put you in a tough place,” Wright said. “In order to be successful, you need to have good presence and focus.”

Redshirt sophomore attacker Alex Peros – one of seven graduating players honored pregame – registered a steal in the final moments of the second frame, allowing senior center Ava Johnson to draw an exclusion and give UCLA a power-play opportunity. Seconds after, senior defender Bella Wentzel drew a penalty shot.

Ayala converted the five-meter, igniting a 4-0 run for the Bruins. Johnson successfully deposited a no-look, turnaround power-play shot with help from senior utility Katrina Drake as the shot clock expired to give UCLA its first lead at 6-5 in the third quarter.

The Bruins allowed three consecutive power-play goals in the following six minutes, trailing 8-7 with two minutes to play. Registering her only goal of the game with a little more than a minute remaining, redshirt senior attacker Maddie Musselman tied the contest at eight apiece to send the game into overtime.

Twenty seconds into the first overtime period, Allen scored off the left post to give UCLA an early advantage. But Arizona State responded with a goal of its own two possessions later.

After redshirt junior goalkeeper Georgia Phillips hauled in a takeaway, the MPSF leader in saves sent a pass long down the right side of the pool toward Allen. The sophomore attacker converted to give the Bruins a lead heading into the final overtime.

“We all know the potential and ability that Malia has,” Ayala said. “I’m really happy to see her stepping up in those big moments. Those are great learning experiences.”

Led by interim head coach Petra Pardi in her debut, Arizona State finished 5-of-7 six-on-five opportunities and scored on 9-of-25 overall shots – both marks better than UCLA’s 5-of-12 and 11-of-33, respectively.

Wright said he was unhappy with how his team performed despite finding a way to win.

“The story of the game is on the mental side,” Wright said. “We’re 5-of-12 on six-on-five, but the other seven we didn’t get a shot off. That’s not physical. We’re still struggling, letting external things affect who we are.”

Before the game began, Ayala, Musselman, Johnson, Peros, Drake, Wentzel and senior attacker Bella Baia were each celebrated with flowers as their accomplishments were listed off.

After her final game at Spieker Aquatics Center, Ayala reflected on what UCLA women’s water polo and the senior class has meant to her.

“We’ve tried our very, very best to make a change for the good, change the culture and put this program in a good position,” Ayala said. “These girls, the seniors, everyone just means the world to me.”

The Bruins have a week off before returning for the regular-season finale against No. 3 USC on April 16.