Sweeping both games this weekend, the No. 2 UCLA women’s
water polo team rebounded from an upset by No. 1 USC at the
championship game of the Stanford Invitational from the previous
week.
The Bruins (8-1, 4-0 MPSF) defeated No. 10 San Jose State 15-2
at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center pool on Saturday and No. 13
UC Irvine 15-5 at the Anteater Aquatics Complex on Sunday.
“We played well this weekend,” UCLA coach Adam
Krikorian said. “It wasn’t the toughest competition we
have seen but it’s always good to gain the experience and get
games played under our belt.”
The Bruins exerted their superior offensive skills by
overwhelming the competition. The defensive line was a deciding
factor, giving up only 7 combined goals over the course of the
weekend.
Redshirt junior driver Kelly Rulon notched four goals against
both the Spartans and the Anteaters, leading the Bruins in scoring
on both days.
“Kelly played great,” Krikorian said. “On both
offense and defense she did a good job for us.”
Saturday, the Bruins held the Spartans scoreless until the
fourth quarter of play with goals coming from eight players and
junior goalkeeper Emily Feher clocking five saves.
Similarly, on Sunday against Irvine, eight players scored for
UCLA and collectively kept the Anteaters from scoring until the
second half of play, when the Bruins noticeably let up on defense
as Irvine was able to slip a few goals in.
“Defensively, everyone had a hand in keeping them
scoreless in the first half,” Krikorian said. “I
don’t think we had the same sharpness in the second half
whereas Irvine came back and played with more intensity and
aggressiveness than before.”
A modest Krikorian admitted that although game experience is
essential and beneficial for his team, a lot can be learned during
the down time between games.
“We can learn a lot more from practice than a majority of
the games we play,” Krikorian said. “We certainly
aren’t as good as we are capable of yet so no matter what the
score is we need to play as perfect as we possibly can and practice
is a great way to work towards that and build our
confidence.”
With two more wins behind their back, the Bruins are poised to
take a second stab at claiming a tournament title in Santa Barbara
next weekend at the Gaucho Invitational. Although the Bruins won
the Gaucho Invitational last season, they expect a tough weekend of
play.
“It will be very challenging,” Krikorian said.
“We’re going to have to rely on our depth and
conditioning level to be successful.”