This post was updated April 11 at 6:58 p.m.

BERKELEY – After two overtime periods, the next goal would decide the match. 

And the Bruins were on the wrong end of the call. 

Stanford center Ella Woodhead earned a penalty with just 38 seconds left in golden goal overtime. And when the ball left Cardinal driver Juliette Dhalluin’s hand, the Bruins’ fate was sealed.

With the 23rd goal of the game, No. 3 seed UCLA women’s water polos’ (19-4, 4-2 MPSF) chances of a championship match faded, falling to No. 2 seed Stanford (13-1, 5-1) 12-11 in the third overtime of the MPSF tournament semifinal at Spieker Aquatics Complex in Berkeley on Saturday afternoon. The Westwood squad will play in the third place match Sunday against No. 4 seed California.

“It is beyond tough to lose a game like that,” said interim co-head coach Jason Falitz. “The players are hurting too, but as far as I’m concerned, this team took a massive step forward today. … They really played with confidence. They went to the goal with confidence.”

The cheers of Bruin fans echoed throughout the concourse as the game kicked off – but so did those of the Cardinal. However, neither fanbase matched the intensity of the teams’ coaches, whose voices boomed across the water and each received a yellow/red card.

The Bruins’ defense defined the match, with junior goalkeeper Lauren Steele putting up 20 saves and posting a .625 save percentage. Steele earned her third-straight All-MPSF First Team selection Tuesday. 

“She (Steele) was pretty amazing today to be honest,” Falitz said. “We played good defense in front of her, but there’s always breakdowns. … She makes saves that, quite frankly, a lot of people do not. She really bailed us out of some critical moments.”

Both UCLA and Stanford were aggressive in the water, with the Bruins pressing the Cardinal during their possessions. 

That defensive tenacity was critical for Steele in the net. 

“When we get them in a front court and we have our blocks up, I’m able to predict where they’re going to shoot well and just make them come through us,” Steele said.

In the 80th meeting in program history between the squads, the Bruins limited the Cardinal’s attack in the back-and-forth brawl.

UCLA held Stanford to a .308 shooting percentage – the second-lowest tally for the Cardinal against the Bruins this season. The squads were brought to a stalemate nine times, but only two lead changes were in favor of the Westwood squad. 

“We have good defenders,” Falitz said “If you can put pressure on the ball and press, it has a tendency as the game goes on to wear other teams down. … They have good centers and good post up players, but the longer we’re able to press, the better.”

The Cardinal struggled to record shots on goal late in the match, a product of the Bruins’ storied defense. 

But the Westwood offense also showed why it is one of the best in the nation.

“When we get into the front court and then immediately come back into zones we just attack with confidence,” said senior center Bia Mantellato. “We did a much better job of that today.”

UCLA attacked from multiple angles, with many shots coming from the left side angle and through the center. Six different Bruins found the back of the net, with Mantellato recording a hat trick, and junior attacker Elektra Urbatsch surpassed her season high scores total with four goals. 

Although the match did not end in the Bruins’ favor, their mindset will be tested once more in Sunday’s clash with the Golden Bears – less than 24 hours after the Bruins’ third straight loss to the Cardinal.

“It’s a tough one, but we’re really close together and we just keep going,” Mantellato said. “We got to learn from our mistakes from this game, but move on because we have a really good team to play tomorrow and it’s an important game. Our season is not over.”

The NCAA tournament sits just two weeks away, giving UCLA the opportunity to rest following Sunday’s match and reset before the final whistle becomes season-ending.