This post was updated April 27 at 11:25 p.m.

As the seconds counted down on the shot and game clocks, sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Steele blocked the ball three consecutive times to send the Bruins to overtime – an opportunity to defend their reigning conference title.

But even a career-high tying 21 saves from last year’s ACWPC National Player of the Year wasn’t enough for the team to notch back-to-back conference titles. 

No. 1 seed UCLA women’s water polo (19-5, 5-1 MPSF) fell 11-9 in an overtime loss to No. 3 seed Stanford (22-1, 5-1) at the MPSF championship final held at Spieker Aquatics Center on Sunday afternoon. 

“It’s nice that we put ourselves in a position to try to have a shot to win the game. It’s still just too many counter goals, too many free goals. We were swimming the whole time chasing them,” said coach Adam Wright. “That’s their game. They fast break all the time. So they’re good. They’re really good. But we can clean up a lot, and we have a lot of room to grow here in the next two weeks.”

After trailing the Cardinal 8-4 in the third quarter, the Bruins came back to tie the game at the end of the fourth quarter, sending the game to overtime. But two goals from the Cardinal in overtime were just enough to overcome the home team.

Steele held the defense down despite the Bruins’ loss, tallying 21 saves to tie her career-high. 

“It’s great but just makes me a little angry that I could have had just one more, and that would have been the difference in the game and breaking that record,” Steele said. “But it’s good to know that it’s a goal that hopefully I can reach one day and win the game.”

Junior utility Anna Pearson earned seven exclusions of the Bruins’ eight total, four of which the team capitalized off of. Comparably, the Cardinal only earned three exclusions for one goal.

While a goal from junior attacker Carly McMurray pushed the Bruins to an early lead, it wasn’t long before the Cardinal attacked, quickly setting off on a three-goal run.

After Stanford’s Juliette Dhalluin missed a 5-meter penalty shot high, Pearson earned one for UCLA. Redshirt junior attacker Emma Lineback stepped up and buried it in the bottom left corner, putting the teams even at three apiece on the scoreboard in the second.

But the stalemate lasted less than a minute before Stanford’s Jenna Flynn scored on the counterattack.

The penalty onslaught continued with a fourth penalty in the first half, but this time with a save from Steele, keeping the Bruins within one.

The Cardinal extended their lead at the end of the second half to 6-4. Steele stepped up to press the shooter, who chipped the ball over her head. 

On the other side, Steele’s shot on the 7-on-6 in the final seconds was blocked out front.

The Bruins fell further behind in the third quarter, falling down 8-4 less than three minutes in.

UCLA started to tighten things up again and made quick work of a power play, scoring as the excluded player was still swimming out for their fifth goal and tacked on another 2:40 later.

The Cardinal broke a 5:44 minute long scoring drought with a ball that slid past Steele’s outstretched fingertips to her right.

But another drought followed – this one even longer. Steele kept the ball out of her net for the last 7:30 of the fourth quarter, as the Bruins continued to score.

The Bruins pulled back within one for the first time since the second quarter on a goal by redshirt sophomore utility Sienna Green. Surging above the water, she received the ball from Lineback at center, redirecting it past the Cardinal’s Christine Carpenter.

And with 2:28 to go in the fourth quarter for her second goal of the day, Lineback brought the Bruins back even with the Cardinal.

“A lot is happening, and I think it’s easy to get kind of riled up,” Lineback said. “We’re all just trying to calm down. We know our game plan. We know what we need to do, and we work really hard all year, and we practice really hard for these situations. Just trusting our preparation and knowing that we can execute in those moments.”

An exclusion committed by junior utility Genoa Rossi put the Bruins on defense with nearly 30 seconds to go, but Steele made back-to-back-to-back saves as Stanford picked up two rebounds in a row.

“I was working as hard as I possibly could to stop the ball,” Steele said. “I’m like, ‘I’m not going to let up,’ letting my legs go. Just keep going, giving everything I got. When we finally got the ball, I was like, ‘Oof, I’m pretty tired after that.’”

In overtime, the teams traded fouls, turnovers and blocks until Stanford sent one past Steele with 22 seconds left in the first overtime period.

And with the net empty at the end of the second overtime period, Stanford slotted another one in, sealing the deal.

“Credit to them, and credit to our team for fighting their way back in,” Wright said. “We had a chance with 17 seconds, or 11 at the end of the fourth, and that’s a moment that we practice a lot, and we got to be better.”

UCLA is the reigning champion no more.