ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The fourth-seeded Hawai`i women's water polo team took No. 1 UCLA down to the wire before falling 7-6 in the semifinals of the 2005 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship today at the University of Michigan's Canham Natatorium.
The loss sends Hawai`i (21-10) to the third place game Sunday at 9 a.m. HST (3 p.m. EST) against USC who lost 5-4 to Stanford.
The Bruins (32-0) scored 65 seconds into the game as Gabrielle Domanic whipped in a shot from the right wing on a power play opportunity. UCLA's Kelly Rulon made it 2-0 as she converted on a fast break lob shot over the out-stretched arms of UH goalie Meike De Nooy. UH then cut the deficit to one as Monika Kruszona took a rebound off the cross bar and rifled it through the left corner. Kruszona then found Iefke Van Belkum cross pool who found the left corner converted of the net on a pass from Kruszona. UH then took he lead at the 1:26 mark as Kruszona was left all along at the 2-meter mark and she pivoted and fired in the back on the net. The Bruins tied it with 37 seconds remaining as UCLA's Emily Feher goalie hit Rulon with a full-pool pass and she converted. Kruszona gave UH a 4-3 first quarter lead netting a power play chance.
That lead held through a scoreless second quarter as the UH defense was stifling. It was the first time all season that UCLA trailed at halftime, and the sixth scoreless quarter for the Bruins all season long.
"I told our ladies that we had to do something no one else had done this year," head coach Michel Roy said. "Our game plan was to check them from the very first whistle and not let up."
UCLA tied it with 3:30 in the third on a 4-meter penalty shot by Natalia Golda. Van Belkum untied it 2:29 left in the third on a spectacular shot from around the 8-meter mark. The ball caromed of the upper left corner and in the bottom on the net. UCLA's Rulon tied in on another power play with 56 seconds left in the third. UCLA took its first lead with 25 seconds left on a fast break score by Thalia Munro.
Anna Sieprath knotted the score with 4:11 left in the fourth on a lob shot from the right wing that just made it through the upper left corner. UCLA took a 7-6 lead with 1:43 remaining on a power play goal as Kristina Kunkel scored on a turn around in the 2-meter zone. UH had three more shots to tie but mustered two missed shots and a turnover.
UH goalie De Nooy came up with another masterful game at the net stopping 11 shots on goal.
"I'm so proud of our ladies," Roy said. "They played their hearts out and that's all you can ask as a coach."
Scoring by Quarters
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Hawai`i 4 0 1 2 - 7
UCLA 3 0 3 0 - 6
Goals by UCLA: Kelly Rulon (3), Thalia Munro, Natalie Golda, Gabrielle Domanic, Kristina Kunkel.
UCLA Goalie Saves: Emily Feher (7).
Goals by UH: Monika Kruszona (2), Iefke Van Belkum (2), Anna Sieprath (2).
UH Goalie Saves: Meike De Nooy (11).
Power Play Opportunities: UCLA 3-11: Hawai`i: 2-6.
