The No. 1 ranked UCLA women’s water polo team raided the
bargain bin this weekend, defeating both the No. 5 California Bears
and University of the Pacific.
“It’s always great to add two conference wins in one
weekend,” said junior center forward Natalie Golda.
Not only did the Bruins get two for the price of one, but they
also continued an impressive winning streak that has now reached 13
games. The Bruins defeated Cal 6-1 and Pacific 18-3 to improve
their record to 18-3 overall, 7-2 in the MPSF.
UCLA was down 1-0 early in the first period against Cal before
senior driver Jessica Lopez tied the game, igniting the Bruin rally
against the Bears on Saturday. Senior goalkeeper Jaime Hipp made
six saves to preserve the road win, three of them in the final
period. Golda led all scorers with two goals.
On Sunday, the Bruins continued their winning ways against
University of the Pacific, building a 9-1 halftime lead and
continuing the domination in the second half, outscoring the Tigers
9-2. Golda and freshman driver Katherine Belden both registered hat
tricks, while sophomore driver Kristyn Pulver and freshman center
forward Kristina Kunkel each scored twice. Both Hipp and freshman
goalkeeper Tahlia Kerr played in the game. Hipp made two saves and
Kerr made three.
“This weekend was a team effort,” Golda said.
Everybody got a chance to play and the wins help in the positioning
and standings for the NCAA tournament.”
With No. 2 Stanford (14-2, 6-1 MPSF) losing to No. 4 Long Beach
State, the battle between the top teams is going down to the wire.
The Bruins have one conference game remaining at home against UC
Santa Barbara on April 19 at 1 pm.