USC
UCLA (Championship)
No. 2 Trojans Finish Second At Stanford Invitational
February 10, 2008 | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 10, 2008
PALO ALTO, CALIF. - The No. 2 USC women's water polo made a run to the championship game at the Stanford Invitational this weekend, coming up against top-ranked UCLA in the title match where the Bruins beat the Trojans 8-4. The Women of Troy had worked their way into the final with wins on Saturday over No. 5 Cal and No. 3 Stanford. An 8-5 loss to Arizona State on Sunday morning rounded out bracket play for USC, which had already secured its spot in the championship as the top team out of its bracket. USC is now 4-2 overall this season.
In Sunday's morning match against No. 11 Arizona State, USC fell behind early, stuck in a 4-1 deficit at halftime. The teams matched each other goal for goal down the stretch, as the Sun Devils held on to get the 8-5 win. USC's scoring came from a pair of strikes from Kally Lucas and a goal apiece from Veronika Bartunkova, Kristen Dronberger and Michelle Stein, while goalies Whitney Morgan and Tumua Anae shared time in the cage for the Trojans.
That loss meant nothing as far as the Trojans' placement in the championship game, as the win was ASU's first in bracket play, while USC boasted head-to-head wins over Cal and Stanford during bracket competition. But the Trojans' slow scoring start from the morning stuck with them in the title match. Again the Women of Troy were unable to strike in the first period of play, while UCLA moved ahead 4-0 after one frame. The Women of Troy made a run in the second period with three goals to UCLA's one, as the Bruins held a two-goal lead at halftime, up 5-3.
The Trojans and the Bruins each pinned up a goal in the third to keep that two-goal UCLA edge for the fourth. The Bruin defense managed to keep the Trojans off the board in the fourth, however, while UCLA scored twice to streak out of reach and grab the tournament crown with an 8-4 decision. Lucas knocked in her second straight multiple-goal outing for USC in the match with a pair of goals, while Bartunkova and Forel Davies had one each to round out USC's offense. Tumua Anae played in the cage for the Trojans, racking up a career-high 13 saves for the Trojans.
USC's next competition takes the Trojans on the road next weekend in a 12 p.m. game at UC Irvine on Saturday (Feb. 16) and a 12 p.m. rematch at Arizona State on Sunday (Feb. 17).
STANFORD INVITATIONAL
Day 2 - Feb. 10
Avery Aquatic Center
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
#1 UCLA 8, #2 USC 4
USC 0 - 3 - 1 - 0 = 4
UCLA 4 - 1 - 1 - 2 = 8
SCORING:
USC - Kally Lucas 2, Veronika Bartunkova, Forel Davies.
UCLA - Gandy 2, Rowe 2, Rulon 2, Belden, Kraus.
SAVES: Tumua Anae (USC) 13, Fullen (UCLA) 7.
GAME 3:
#11 Arizona State 8, #2 USC 5
ASU 3 - 1 - 3 - 1 = 8
USC 0 - 1 - 2 - 2 = 5
SCORING:
USC - Kally Lucas 2, Veronika Bartunkova, Kristen Dronberger, Michelle Stein.
ASU - McGrath 3, Lawlor 2, Hayes, Phelps, Stepp.
SAVES: Whitney Morgan (USC) 3, Tumua Anae (1), Wallace (ASU) 9.
Day One - Feb. 9
Avery Aquatic Center
GAME ONE:
#2 USC 9, #5 Cal 3
Cal 1 - 0 - 1 - 1 = 3
USC 4 - 2 - 1 - 2 = 9
SCORING:
USC - Veronika Bartunkova 3, Miranda Nichols 3, Jordan Anae, Alexandra Kiss, Michelle Stein.
CAL - Corso, Lorenz, Reynolds
SAVES: Tumua Anae (USC) 10, Heather Stuart (CAL) 5.
GAME TWO:
#2 USC 5, #3 Stanford 4
USC 0 - 3 - 1 - 1 = 5
STAN 0 - 1 - 0 - 3 = 4
SCORING:
USC - Veronika Bartunkova 2, Jordan Anae, Kally Lucas, Michelle Stein.
STAN - Eaton 2, Silver, West.
SAVES: Whitney Morgan (USC) 8, Oland (STAN) 9.
