| Women’s Water Polo |
|---|
| Arizona St. — 7 |
| UCLA — 10 |
Saturday afternoon, No. 2 UCLA (17-2, 3-1 MPSF) extended their win streak with a top five victory over No. 5 Arizona State (23-5, 1-4 MPSF), 10-7.
The Bruins set the tone early, opening the first quarter with a dominant performance. Goals from redshirt senior attacker Emma Lineback and sophomore attacker Jojo Walters gave UCLA a 2-0 lead. After a stretch of back-and-forth turnovers and missed opportunities from both sides, Lineback found the back of the cage again in the final minute, giving UCLA a score of 3-1 and some momentum heading into the second quarter.
Arizona State struck first in the second, but UCLA quickly responded with a goal from senior utility Anna Pearson to maintain a two-goal advantage at 4-2.
As halftime approached, the Sun Devils capitalized on a UCLA turnover to cut the lead to one. However, in the final 30 seconds, Lineback converted on an exclusion opportunity, helping UCLA carry a 6-4 lead into the break.
In the third quarter, UCLA was able to extend their lead with a strong defensive performance. Although Arizona State scored first to make it 6-5, Pearson answered with another exclusion goal. After a stretch of scoring drought on both sides, senior attacker Taylor Smith broke through with a key goal to extend the Bruins’ lead to 8-5.
In the final quarter, UCLA focused on maintaining its lead and controlling the pace of play. Arizona State opened the scoring, but the Bruins responded immediately with a goal from senior center Bia Mantellato to make it 9-6. Key saves from junior goalkeeper Lauren Steele helped UCLA stay in control down the stretch.
UCLA secured the 10-7 victory, with Steele posting an impressive 63.2% save percentage and several key stops during Arizona State’s late push. Lineback and Pearson had a combined five goals, making up half of UCLA’s total score.
The Bruins will return home to face No. 7 LMU on Sunday, March 29 at 1 p.m. PST.
