Los Alamitos – Courtney Mathewson did it again.
The junior from Anaheim Hills scored with 1:04 left in the NCAA semifinal to give the UCLA women’s water polo team a victory over USC. It was Mathewson who scored the game winner against the Trojans in last year’s title game, and she stepped up in the clutch once again to give the Bruins a 7-6 victory.
UCLA beat USC (21-6) for a fourth time this season, securing a spot in Sunday’s NCAA championship game against Stanford (27-2) and putting UCLA (27-2) just one game away from a 100th NCAA team title.
It was an intense atmosphere in Los Alamitos, and the packed stadium of fans went wild after the fantastic finish.
Mathewson’s goal came 21 seconds after USC tied the game 6-6 with a brilliant trick play. The maneuver dubbed "Little Mermaid" had Trojan senior Patty Cardenas hold her breath under water for almost 15 seconds. When she emerged she had a wide-open shot to give her a third goal on the day.
The game was close throughout; head coach Adam Krikorian called it a fight. The loose officiating allowed for an incredibly physical game, a style the Bruins were not so familiar with.
"We were caught off guard by how physical they played," Krikorian said. "That was as tough as they have come out all year."
The Trojans went ahead early with a 3-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bruins then tied it up in the second period, but Cardenas answered back to give USC a 4-3 lead entering halftime.
"I told the girls that the team that wanted it more was going to win," Krikorian said.
The veteran Bruin team didn’t flinch. Senior Kacy Kunkel dominated the third quarter with two goals. The Bruins were able to work the ball down low to the senior, who wrestled off her defender and netted the two quick goals to give the Bruins a 5-4 lead with 2:39 left in the period.
"Kacy was the player of the game today," Krikorian said. "She plays with so much fire and emotion."
The Bruins were able to hold off the Trojans on the final possession of the game, as Kelly Rulon stole the ball to seal the win. Rulon scored once in the game after setting the all-time UCLA scoring record on Friday against Pomona Pitzer as UCLA cruised to a 22-0 victory.
UCLA will meet Stanford tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. for the National Championship game. Stanford topped San Diego State 13-4 in the other semifinal.
It will be the fourth meeting for the two top squads of the season. The Bruins won the last contest at the MPSF conference tournament, but the Cardinal won both regular season matchups. The game will be broadcast nationally on CSTV.
UCLA will have to prepare for a much different Stanford team. The Cardinal use a quick attack unlike the Trojan’s patient offense.
The Bruins will be aiming for a third straight national title, the 100th in school history.