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  NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Senior Coralie Simmons lunges for the ball in the Bruins' match against UCSB earlier this month. Simmons and the Bruins demolished UCSB this weekend, 17-3. MPSF Championships UCLA d. UCSB, 17-3 UCLA d. USC, 9-8 Stanford d. UCLA, 8-5

By Emily Whichard

Daily Bruin Contributor

The No. 2 UCLA women’s water polo team got exactly what they came for at the MPSF league championships in Honolulu this weekend.

They may have lost the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title, but they won a chance to compete for the ultimate trophy – the first NCAA women’s water polo championship.

UCLA (16-4) held nothing back in its first matchup against No. 7 UC Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Bruins came out firing, scoring four goals in the first quarter. They maintained the momentum throughout the game, handing the Gauchos a 17-3 loss.

Their next match was not so easily conquered. After a season filled with low-pressure games where they averaged a nine-goal advantage, the Bruins met a new level of play against No. 3 USC on Saturday.

The semifinal was a ticket to much more than the final game of the MPSF tournament. With No. 1 Stanford’s triumph over No. 4 California in the other semifinal, the single at-large bid for the NCAA tournament was on the line.

In their last match against USC on March 9, the Bruins handed the Trojans a solid defeat with a final score of 13-6. After a week of preparing for USC’s style of play, UCLA’s confidence was riding high.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Head Coach Adam Krikorian. “It’s a whole different story when everything is on the line like that.”

It certainly was a different story. The Trojans refused a repeat of the earlier season matchup, taking the game into sudden death overtime.

“Everyone there insisted it was the most exciting game they’d ever been a part of,” Krikorian said.

Freshman Thalia Munro recalled the critical moment when sophomore Robin Beauregard scored in overtime on a pass from senior Kristin Guerin. The goal took the game into sudden death play, where the Bruins triumphed with a final score of 9-8.

“Once Robin’s unbelievable shot spiraled in, I knew we were gonna win,” Munro said.

Munro viewed the pressure-filled game as a new kind of practice after a season of landslide victories.

“We needed a close game,” Munro said. “It’s that kind of pressure that will prepare us for Stanford at NCAAs.”

Stanford overcame its own set of challenges to beat California 6-4 on Saturday. After a day full of nerve-racking excitement on both sides, the Cardinal and Bruins entered their rehearsal for the NCAA matchup in two weeks with a sigh of relief.

“Both teams realized that the game was less important than it may be two weeks from now,” Krikorian said. “Neither of us played up to par.”

In the MPSF title game, their fourth game against Stanford this season, the Bruins were unable to break their losing habit. Stanford handed UCLA its fourth defeat of the season by a score of 8-5.

Krikorian cited stellar performance from Stanford’s goalie, Jackie Frank, and deficiency on UCLA’s six-on-five play as the major problems.

“The pressure was less because we knew we’d qualified. We just didn’t execute very well,” Guerin said.

The Bruins may have returned home without the MPSF title, but they are not giving up on the prospect of bringing home the inaugural NCAA trophy in two weeks. In their fifth matchup against Stanford, UCLA will look to break its losing streak.

“We’re gonna put up a fight,” Krikorian said. “It’s just one game, anything can happen.”

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