BERKELEY, Calif. - The No. 9 Fresno State water polo team fell to No. 1 UCLA 18-14 on Sunday at the Spieker Aquatics Complex. The Bulldogs finish play at the Cal Cup going 1-2 with losses to the nation's No. 1 and No. 4 ranked teams.
With 14 goals scored on Sunday, it was the most goals put up by the Bulldogs against a No. 1-ranked team. Fresno State moves to 2-4 all-time against the top-ranked team.
Senior Brooke Ochoa and junior Hailey Andress each led the team with a season-best five goals apiece. Ida Tully-Giles had six saves in the cage.
How it happened
Abbey Simshauser wasted no time scoring the game's first goal at the 7:42 mark. UCLA answered with two-straight goals within the next minute before Ochoa netted the equalizer with 6:38 remaining in the first. The Bulldogs were outscored 4-1 to end out the first quarter with an additional goal in that span from Ochoa. Fresno State trailed 6-3 at the end of the opening quarter.
UCLA opened the second quarter with three-straight. Ochoa herself hit for back-to-back goals to keep Fresno State in the competition, making it a 9-5 game in favor of the Bruins with 3:27 left before halftime. UCLA added another, then Megan Cranley found Kira Anderson for the response goal. With 2:38 left before the half, Andress scored on a penalty shot to cut the UCLA lead to three, 10-7. Andress later found Cranley for the score and the Bulldogs were within two in the final minute of the first half. UCLA scored once more to take an 11-8 lead into the break.
The Bulldogs' offensive efforts stalled in the third quarter, being held to just two goals while UCLA added four of its own. Fresno State was unable to score until the 3:38 mark of the third quarter as Andress scored on the 6-on-5 chance. Andress scored her second penalty of the game at the 21 second mark, and Fresno State trailed 15-10 going into the final quarter.
The teams traded goals to open up the fourth. Ochoa and Elisa Grim connected on scores for the Bulldogs making it a three-goal game with 1:55 left in regulation. UCLA scored quickly after Grim's goal, for its 17th goal of the game. Simshauser connected with Andress for another goal with 20 seconds remaining. The Bruins would score in the final second on a hail mary shot, bringing the final score to 18-14 at the buzzer.
Up Next
Fresno State will head to the Triton Invite next weekend. The Bulldogs are set to face UC Santa Barbara first in the bracketed event. The tournament runs from January 31 - February 2 in San Diego. Tickets and more information on the event can be found here.