STANFORD, Calif. – Aria Fischer scored five times and No. 2 Stanford advanced to its 10th consecutive NCAA final with an 8-7 overtime victory over No. 3 UCLA on Saturday night.
Stanford (22-2), which has appeared in every championship match since 2010, will play No. 1 USC (28-1) for the national title on Sunday at 3 p.m. PT. The Trojans outlasted Cal in overtime, 10-8, in the tournament's earlier semifinal. The Cardinal has won six NCAA Championships (2002, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017) and five of the last eight.
The Cardinal looked as if it would waltz into Sunday's final after it raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter and a half. Fischer converted on the power play (6:43), Kat Klass fired from five meters (5:42), Fischer scored again in transition (4:54) and Makenzie Fischer buried a penalty (3:19) to put Stanford up 4-0 after one.
Aria Fischer pushed it to 5-0 when she converted a power play with 3:35 on the clock in the second quarter, but then Stanford went cold. UCLA scored the next six unanswered and the Cardinal went through an extended drought that lasted nearly 17 minutes.
The Bruins crept back into the game with a couple of late goals in the second quarter from Rachel Whitelegge (3:14) and Roxy Wheaton (0:14) and thoroughly grabbed control of momentum with three additional scores in the third, capped by Lexi Liebowitz in the 6-on-5 at 3:55.
Neither side would score for the next eight minutes despite a couple of power play opportunities for Stanford and five for UCLA until Maddie Musselman gave the Bruins their first lead, 6-5, with 4:11 remaining in regulation.
Aria Fischer forced overtime when she went top shelf with a shot from six meters at 2:49. The teams traded chances in the final seconds without either breaking through.
Fischer put in her fifth from set off an entry pass from Madison Berggren 50 seconds into the first overtime period and then Ryann Neushul hammered home the eventual game winner off a feed from Kat Klass with just over a minute on the clock to make it 8-6.
Liebowitz pulled UCLA within a goal with less than a minute left in the second overtime period, but Neushul put a shot on target with the shot clock winding down on Stanford's ensuing possession. Her attempt forced Carlee Kapana to tip the ball up and over the crossbar and the Cardinal was able to maintain control and run out the clock.
Stanford extended its own NCAA record by booking its 10th straight trip to the women's water polo championship and will be looking to win the department's fourth NCAA title of the year (women's volleyball, women's swimming and diving, men's gymnastics).
Stanford has won 120 NCAA team championships, a total which is three ahead of UCLA for the most all-time.. The Cardinal has won at least one NCAA team title for 43 consecutive academic years, an ongoing record.
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 3 UCLA
May 11, 2019 • Stanford, Calif.
UCLA 0 – 2 – 3 – 1 – 0 – 1 = 7
STAN 4 – 1 – 0 – 1 – 2 – 0 = 8
Stanford Goals: Aria Fischer 5, Makenzie Fischer 1, Kat Klass 1, Ryann Neushul 1
Stanford Saves: Emalia Eichelberger 7
