TEMPE, Ariz.—Six different CSU Bakersfield players scored, but No. 2 UCLA defeated the Roadrunners 17-6 in the first round of the MPSF Water Polo Championships Friday morning.
India Forster, Rachel Fattal, and Danielle Ferraro each scored twice as the Bruins led 7-0 after the first quarter. CSUB steadied themselves in the second quarter. Katie Benson (So., La Crescenta, Calif., Crescenta Valley HS) and Kristen Jensen (So., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Los Osos HS) scored a pair of goals in the final two minutes as the Roadrunners played the Bruins to a 2-2 tie. UCLA led by seven at halftime.
Nicola Barrett (R-So., Cape Town, South Africa, Rustenburg HS) scored the first goal of the third quarter for CSUB to cut the Bruins' advantage to 9-3. UCLA took advantage of a 6-on-5 opportunity on the ensuing possession. The Bruins got a stop and scored again to push the lead to 11-3 midway through the third. Tancy Aldridge (So. Lompoc, Calif., Cabrillo HS) scored with just under two to go in the third. UCLA took a 12-4 lead into the final stanza.
Janelle Shelby (Sr., San Diego, Calif., Grossmont HS) and Bridgette Souza (R-Sr., La Jolla, Calif., Sonoma State) scored in the fourth quarter. Ferraro would score a game high five times as the Bruins (22-2) tallied four goals in the fourth period.
"I'm really happy with our last three quarters," said CSUB head coach Jason Gall. "Once we made our first-quarter adjustments we were able to manage the game much better. By the end of the game I thought we were able to get some good offensive and defensive chemistry going, hopefully that will carry into our game tomorrow."
The Roadrunners (12-16) will play the loser of the match between the third seed USC and the sixth seed San Jose State Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m.
UCLA 7 2 4 4 17
CSUB 0 2 2 2 6
UCLA goals-Ferraro 5, Fattal 3, Angermund 3, Zwirner 2, Forster 2, Barr 1, Donohue 1.
CSUB goals-Jensen 1, Barrett 1, Souza 1, Shelby 1, Aldridge 1, Benson 1.
UCLA saves-Hill 9, Musselman 4
CSUB saves-Wahlstrom 7, Tyra 3
~www.GoRunners.com~
