W. water polo: Goalkeepers play crucial role in MPSF matchup

LOS ALAMITOS “”mdash; Over the course of Saturday’s
defensive MPSF Tournament match, two standout freshman goalies,
UCLA’s Emily Feher and Stanford’s Meridth McColl,
blocked and slapped virtually all incoming objects. For Feher, who
finished with a game-high seven saves, it was the game of a
lifetime. Her adept hands and explosiveness out of the water
provided the Bruins with an opportunity to stay in the match, but
her effort wasn’t enough. “Sometimes you play your
heart out and you lose. That’s life in anything you
do,” Feher said. “You give it your all, you make
sacrifices, you devote your entire life to one thing, and sometimes
it just doesn’t go your way, and there’s nothing you
can do about it.” On the other end of the pool, McColl
exhibited that same intensity. “We kept our focus and no
matter what happened during the game,” McColl said. “We
put (the past) behind us and we just looked ahead. That’s all
you can control.”

CURSE OF STANFORD?: This year’s match
resembled that of last season, when Stanford outlasted the Bruins
3-2 in five overtime periods in the MPSF championship game. But two
weeks later, UCLA returned the favor, overpowering Stanford in the
NCAA championship. Despite all the battles these two rivals have
experienced, Stanford coach John Tanner insisted that the team did
not seek revenge, it sought survival. “It’s good to
beat UCLA,” Tanner said. “But it wasn’t even a
question of let’s try to knock UCLA out. It’s we need
to get ourselves into the NCAA, and this is the team that’s
in our way.” The Bruins’ loss to the Cardinal marks the
third straight this season and 15th total over the previous six
years. “They got us again; there’s nothing I can
say,” coach Adam Krikorian said. “It’s
frustrating because I’m such a competitor. I got a lot of
respect for (Stanford’s) program, there’s no
ill-will.”

GRAY HAIRS: Even before the first whistle blew,
many had the Bruins failing to make an impact on the regular
season, let alone be in contention for the postseason. But through
trials and tribulations, Krikorian and the Bruins shaped themselves
into championship-contending form by the end of the season. For
Krikorian, the entire year coaching the men’s and
women’s team has definitely taken a toll, but it has been
worthwhile. “I’ve got a lot of gray hair on my head,
and I’m getting a little bald spot on the top,”
Krikorian said jokingly. “But as tough as it is and as
difficult as it was, it’s so rewarding. “To see these
young players mature and develop into incredible water polo players
with a tremendous amount of character and toughness, that’s
just as rewarding as winning a championship.”

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