NCAA Women’s Water Polo Semifinals: It’s UCLA vs. Southern Cal for a Chance to Play for the National Title
The teams have split the two matches they’ve played so far this season.
This morning, the UCLA women’s water polo team will be looking to advance to tomorrow’s national championship game when the Bruins take on their crosstown rival Southern Cal at 11 am in the second national semifinal at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The winner of today’s game will take on the winner of the first semifinal between the #1 seed Stanford Cardinal and the #4 seed Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine. Bruin fans may want to consider rooting for Hawai’i in that game since the Cardinal are the only team in this year’s tournament who has beaten UCLA more than once. Stanford has won all three meetings between the two teams.
Last Time Out
Yesterday, UCLA defeated the LMU Lions, 11-8. This game was over by the end of the third quarter.
The Lions came out hard out of the gate with Ruth Arino Ruiz scoring the first two goals of the game. UCLA’s Sienna Green and Emma Lineback tied the game up later in the first quarter, but Arino Ruiz put LMU back out in front as the quarter ended, giving Loyola Marymount a 3-2 lead after one.
In the second quarter, Carolina Magano tripled the Lions’ lead by adding two goals early in the second. The final four minutes of the half belonged to the Bruins with Bia Mantellato scoring a pair of goals and Anne Pearson scored the equalizer with 46 seconds left in the half. As a result, the game was tied 5-5 at the half.
After the break, Arino Ruiz put the Lions back in front 33 seconds into the second half, but Pearson scored her second goal and second equalizer of the game less than a minute later. With five minutes left in the third, Arino Ruiz gave LMU a 7-6 lead when she scored her fourth goal of the game.
At this point, Lineback took charge of the game for the Bruins with three consecutive goals which came with 4:46, 3:00, and 1:27 to go in the quarter. That not only tied the game again, it also gave UCLA their first lead of the game. Lineback’s third goal gave the Bruins a two-goal edge and it ultimately proved to be the game winner.
Magano closed the gap to 9-8 with ten seconds left in the third quarter, giving the Lions a better chance to come back.
But UCLA owned the fourth quarter.
UCLA goalkeeper Lauren Steele held the Lions scoreless in the frame while Mantellato completed her hat trick just 26 seconds into the fourth and Lineback added another insurance goal with 5:05 left, giving the Bruins an 11-8 win.
Southern Cal Trojans
Today’s game will be the third meeting of the season between the Bruins and the Trojans.
In the first meeting, the teams met in the Triton Invitational in San Diego back on February 2 with the Trojans taking this game, 14-11. That was UCLA’s first loss of the season.
In the regular season finale at the Spieker Aquatic Center in Westwood, the Bruins flipped the script and defeated their rivals, 13-9.
That makes today’s semifinal the rubber match between these squads with a berth in the national championship on the line.
This is your NCAA Women’s Water Polo UCLA vs. Southern Cal National Semifinals game thread
2025 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament Semifinals
Opponents: #2 UCLA Women’s Water Polo (20-5) vs. #3 Southern Cal Trojans (28-4)
When: 11:00 am PT, Saturday, May 10, 2025
Where: IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, IN
TV: None
Live Stream: NCAA.com
Live Stats: 6-8Sports.com
Go Bruins!!! Beat $c!!! Bring home NC #125!!!
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Ugh, lost 15-13
Losing to *Sc always sucks, and it's worse when we're the higher seed.
Good season, Bruins.
Hopefully Men's VB has better luck vs Hawai'i this evening.