The Bruins came up just short of beating their crosstown rivals for the first time since 2017.
No. 3 UCLA women’s water polo (21-5, 4-2 MPSF) lost to No. 2 USC (23-1, 5-1) 9-8 in its regular season finale at Spieker Aquatics Center. This is the Bruins’ sixth straight loss to the Trojans under coach Adam Wright.
USC scored both of its power play opportunities in the first quarter, while UCLA went just 1-of-3 on its man-ups. Junior attacker Maddie Musselman also had a penalty shot saved at the end of the period, leaving the Trojans ahead 4-2.
“We’re really struggling early on to believe in ourselves,” Wright said. “That was the same thing up north (at Stanford). We caught ourselves a little earlier today, but if we continue to make our lives difficult early on, the situation could be different.”
The Bruins’ power plays fared worse in the second frame. The Trojans converted their one 6-on-5 opportunity, while the Bruins did not even get a shot off on either of their two chances.
Senior attacker Lizette Rozeboom scored with 3:57 left in the half to bring the score to 6-3 at the break.
UCLA scored the first two goals in the second half to bring the deficit to one. Freshman attacker Val Ayala scored on a power play and junior attacker Bronte Halligan converted a penalty, but the Trojans answered with two of their own to go ahead 8-5 heading into the final period.
Halligan said the coaches gave the team words of encouragement heading into the last part of the game to try and take the momentum back.
“We looked around the girls in the circle,” Halligan said. “And we (knew) that we can do this and we can actually put up a fight.”
The Bruins clawed back and cut the deficit to one after Halligan and Rozeboom each scored their second and Musselman added one more on a counterattack. However, a last second shot by Halligan was blocked, and the Bruins fell to their crosstown rivals.
This was the final home game for the Bruin seniors. UCLA will have to replace seniors such as goalie Carlee Kapana, who had 13 saves against the Trojans, and Rozeboom, who is fifth on the team in scoring.
“What I’m going to miss most is the feeling of family in this team,” Rozeboom said. “(I’ll miss) waking up every morning, walking on the pool deck and seeing my best friends. Going to battle everyday, having the hardest practices and the best games with a group of people that feels like family.”
This was the Bruins’ first game against the Trojans in program history in which Jovan Vavic was not USC’s head coach.
Vavic was fired by USC after being named in the college admissions bribery scandal. Wright said Vavic’s absence did not have a major impact on the outcome, as the Trojans put the Bruins in an early hole.
[Related: Jack’s Facts: USC water polo coach indicted, but successful team should still keep titles]
“They’re an incredible program,” Wright said. “Both (coaches Casey Moon and Marko Pintaric) have been there for so long. They’re the defending (national) champions. They’re well-prepared and well-coached, and they did a good job today.”
