Relegated to the bench after fouling out in
Saturday’s game against Stanford, Kelly Rulon
could have easily just sat idly by and watched from the side.
Instead, she cheered. She coached, shouting out instructions and
advice for her players. She was Rulon the supporter that day.
But in a conference bout at Long Beach State on Thursday, the
redshirt junior was a 49er-crusher, scoring a game-high four goals
as the UCLA women’s water polo team coasted to
an 11-4 victory.
“Kelly played well,†UCLA coach
Adam Krikorian said.
“At times she plays unselfish to a fault.
You’d much rather have it that way than the
other way. The tough thing is that I, as well as she, expect a lot
from her. We hold her to high standards.â€
Rulon, who is the Bruins’ leading scorer this
season, has lived up to those expectations.
After receiving MPSF Co-Player of the Year honors for netting 70
goals last season, which was an all-time second in the
women’s single-season scoring record, the junior
driver has followed up with 53 goals this year.
She has also led or shared game-high honors in goals scored in
13 of UCLA’s 27 games.
Rulon has been a large reason why the Bruins (24-3, 11-1 MPSF)
are ranked second in the nation and have won 14 of their last 15
games.
The Bruins jumped on No. 10 Long Beach State (15-12, 4-8) early.
In the first period, UCLA rattled off three goals in three and a
half minutes of play.
But in the second period, the 49ers held the Bruins, the second
highest-scoring team in the conference, to just one goal. At half,
the Bruins led 6-3.
“We played well in the first quarter, but then
we relaxed,†Krikorian said. “The
girls felt after the first quarter, the game was won. Some of the
games we can’t do that — we
have to play well the entire game. We let our guard down in the
second and third (quarters).â€
The Bruins’ defense kicked in at the end of
the third quarter with UCLA leading 9-4.
In the final period, the Bruins held the 49ers scoreless.
The Bruins will be off until Friday of next week, when they head
to the conference tournament in Irvine.
The Bruins may very well see the 49ers as their first opponent.
However, Long Beach State, who is seeded 10th, will need to defeat
the seventh seed, which will either be UC Irvine or Arizona State,
on Thursday to advance to the next round and face UCLA.
Krikorian feels good about whoever the first-round opponent will
be.
“We’re comfortable playing
any one of those teams, as long as we play the way
we’re capable of playing,†he
said.
“But whether we play Long Beach State, ASU or
UCI, it’s do-or-die for them. Whenever you play
a team with that sense of urgency, it becomes much more
difficult.â€