A pair of Dos Pueblos High alums led Stanford into the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship on Saturday.
Jamie Neushul scored three goals and Shannon Cleary had an assist and a key block to help lead third-ranked Stanford over No. 2 UCLA.
Stanford scored the first goal of the game and never trailed, although the Bruins pulled within two on two separate occasions. Neushul scored a counterattack goal in the first quarter to put Stanford up by one, a bar in on an extra player advantage in the third quarter to open up a two-goal lead, and a lob shot from six meters in the fourth quarter to seal the game with a 7-4 lead.
Cleary assisted Gurpreet Sohi for Stanford’s third goal of the game and slammed the door with a key block on UCLA’s ninth power play opportunity late in the fourth quarter. Longtime Santa Barbara club teammates Kelsey O’Brien and Neushul battled each other throughout much of the punishing semifinal match.
With the win, defending champion Stanford advances to their seventh consecutive NCAA championship game where they will face 805 Santa Barbara Water Polo’s Amanda Longan who had nine blocks in undefeated USC’s 9-6 victory over Michigan.
In their last NCAA Championship meeting, in 2013, the Trojans defeated Stanford in the longest championship match in the history of NCAA women’s water polo. The epic overtime, three sudden-death, game ended with a 10-9 USC victory and the Trojan’s third NCAA Division I title. First-ranked USC are a perfect 25-0 going in to Sunday’s championship game.
In the consolation bracket, SBWPC’s Maud Koopman scored a goal and the 6th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils defeated San Diego State 7-5 to advance to the fifth place game against 10th ranked UCSD. The Triton’s Laurel Kistler and Riley Heiduk opened up a wide lead over 7th ranked UCSB Gauchos Betsey Hendrix and Sophie Trabucco. Kistler scored a goal as UCSD cruised to a 10-5 victory. Trabucco and the Gauchos will seek their first ever NCAA victory in the 7th place match against San Diego State.
Sunday’s games begin at noon and are all streamed live at http://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule