The Women’s Water Polo Loses Triton An Unnatural USC Title at 1st Loss of 2023 – Daily Bruin

Discipline is one of the leading pillars of the success of coach Adam Wright.

And while last year’s discipline may have awarded the Bruins Unbeaten season, this year’s lack of discipline handed over the team this season her first loss of 2023.

“Our discipline in general this weekend and the standard of how we should play were quite disappointing,” Wright said. “We were something like everywhere with our performance and it was the reality that put us in a difficult place in the final.”

No. 1 UCLA WATER WATER POLO (6-1) failed to defend its Triton Invitational title after falling on # 3 USC (8-0) in the finals to break its 32 games. The team opened with the 29-4 route of Concordia Irvin University (1-5) and a win by 11-7 over No. 14 UC San Diego (4-6), before traveling past No. 6 UC Irvine (3-3) in the semi-finals.

Friday and Saturday caused a little challenge when Bruins faded past early opponents to secure his place in the final against his Crossstown rivals.

Until Sunday, Ucla was unbeaten for more than a year, with its last loss dating to Stanford’s 14-9 defeat in the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2023.

Ucla’s opening victory over Concordia has put the tone for the weekend, gathering 29 goals and the highest amount after a 30-5 victory over the Pacific in 2007, and most of all, in the Bruins rudder’s term.

But the cornerstone means a little to the coach.

“The reality is that we want to keep in mind our opponents and respectful, so no, it’s nothing,” Wright said.

Sixteen Bruins managed to cut the dashboard on Friday afternoon, pouring 18 goals in the first and third quarter. Among this staff was the striker of the sophomore Elektra Urbatsch, who scored five goals over the weekend and three against Concordia.

“It’s great to go back to the pool and get back with the team,” Urbatsh said. “It was a great opportunity for training for all of us and I am really excited to go out there and continue playing.”

Sunday on Sunday against USC was ready either to repeat the story or to rewrite it – and this time it was the last.

Less than a year after Bruins removed the Trojans 10-4 in the MPSF 2024 championship, Los Angeles rivals participated in a battle back with both teams struggling to gain a lasting advantage.

Every time a Bruin found the back of the net, the Trojans reacted in kind, keeping the game locked in a strict exchange.

“I was trying to do as many stops as possible,” said sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Steele. “We were off and could dictate much better, where we wanted the shot to come.”

Even before the first loss of the team, Steele continued to shine. The National Player of the Year in 2024 and the All-ACWPCs recorded the season with the highest season 14 saves against Irvin, only six saved away from their 20’s 2024 in 2024.

“This is not something I always think of,” Steel said. “My goal is to continue to try to see who I can get up and know how many blocks I can get and how well we can play and our defense can play.”

USC came out ruthlessly in the second half, growing to 10-7 leads. Despite Bruins’ efforts to close the abyss, the Trojans maintained their speed. From there, Bruins found themselves imprisoned in a catch -up game, struggling to break through their protective structure of their enemies.

A goal at the last moment by a sophomore striker Beca Melasso scored the last time Ucla will score into the match. After USC quickly responded with two goals in less than a minute, the Triton Invitational title returned to the other side of LA.

The effectiveness of Ucla’s evaluation was a key factor in its dominant performance leading to the final. Against Concordia Irvine, every Bruin who tried to shoot, found the back of the net – something that Wright’s team could not do against a stronger defense unit like USC.

“Everyone was involved,” Urbatsh said. “It’s just a great feeling to know that the whole team is contributing and it’s good to get, but first of all, it’s good to have such a team dynamics.”

The key difference on Sunday afternoon was USC’s effectiveness in front of the cell – although UCLA maintained the pace in offensive production, Bruins were not almost as united.

“We played as individuals and made individual decisions that were expensive and detrimental to the team,” Wright said. “It is disappointing that we are usually a disciplined team.”