BERKELEY – Rain and shine usually do not go hand-in-hand.
But fortunately for the Bruins they did Friday, and thunderstorms did not stop the team from outshining their opponent.
Following an hour game delay due to a lightning warning and constant heavy rainfall, No. 3 seed UCLA women’s water polo (19-3, 4-2 MPSF) downed No. 6 seed Indiana (15-10, 1-5) 20-10 in the quarterfinals of the MPSF tournament at Spieker Aquatics Complex in Berkeley on Friday afternoon. The Bruins victory earned them a spot in Saturday’s semifinal match, where they will face No. 2 seed Stanford.
UCLA Athletics did not provide the Daily Bruin interview availability for Falitz, though Falitz did give an interview to Overnght Sports, whose video content sits behind a paywall.
Following their loss to the Trojans to end the regular season, the Bruins stated they would leave it in the past and move forward come this weekend. And they did exactly that to open their postseason run with the offense and defense seemingly united once again.
“We’re locked in,” said sophomore attacker Jojo Walters. “Just comes back to us, executing our details and digging in.”
UCLA came out firing in the first quarter, scoring five goals on Indiana, exceeding its entire goal tally in the first half versus USC. The early lead was made possible by two goals off three shots in the frame from senior utility Anna Pearson – who received her third All-MPSF First Team selection Tuesday.
Ten different Bruins finished with a goal scored, a feat that has become the norm for the team.
“The way we train we always talk about how we want to tap into our fitness,” said junior attacker Elektra Urbatsch. “We have a deep bench and when we have the opportunity to play into that, we’re able to get pretty much everyone … in the pool today.”
On the defensive side, the Bruins limited the Hoosiers to a .380 goal percentage in the first half, holding them to just five scores off 13 total attempts. Junior goalkeeper Lauren Steele logged five saves across the half but she was not alone in the defensive efforts.
Falitz’s voice echoed through the noise of the downpour hitting the pool as he emphasized to his squad to use their press. A week after the defense allowed the second highest goal total of 13 this season, they returned to their usual form.
Even though there was an hour between the first and second half, a delay did not even make the Bruins flinch.
“One thing we harp on here a lot is routines, emotional regulation, mental toughness and competitive grit,” Walters said. “At the end of the day that’s something we can fall back on every time, especially when little hiccups occur like that (lightning delay).”
With the sun shining and rain gone, UCLA was able to come out aggressively on offense. The blue and gold outscored the crimson and cream going on a 5-1 scoring run, capitalizing on getting around Indiana’s defense.
And the Bruins scoring came from all around the pool. Five different players found the back of the net mixing in different angles including both close and far shots. While it is known that Falitz – much like former head coach Adam Wright – likes to sub in his entire lineup throughout the game, Urbatsch had herself an opening round.
The Brooklyn, New York, local finished the match with three goals – breaking her season-high total – on a .429 shooting percentage and recording two steals.
“I get set up very well by my teammates,” Urbatsch said. “We play a very team oriented game and everyone is sprinting their asses off and that is what keeps us open on the perimeter. I credit everything to them, and their setup.”
But Urbatsch was not the only one breaking records.
Walters recorded her first hat trick of the season producing a perfect shooting percentage and grabbing a steal.
However, it is just the beginning for UCLA and the real test begins Saturday as it takes on the one team it has yet to beat – Stanford. A spot in the championship game is on the line with no opportunity for second chances and the team is ready to continue forward.
“Step one for the weekend and we’re ready to go,” Walters said.
