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Scott Gould/isiphotos.com
Women's Water Polo

Finished The Job

IRVINE, Calif. - Fueled by a dominant second half, No. 4 Stanford rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat No. 1 UCLA 12-9 on Sunday in the championship game of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational.

Capturing its first Barbara Kalbus Invitational title since 2018 and fifth overall, Stanford (11-1) won its seventh straight game thanks to another impressive performance from Makenzie Fischer and a lock-down defensive effort over the final 16 minutes.

Makenzie Fischer produced four goals and three assists while attempting 14 shots, Ryann Neushul added three goals and Maya Avital came up clutch in goal with 11 saves.

Stanford also snapped UCLA's nation-leading 18-match winning streak, handing the Bruins their first loss since the 2021 NCAA final. More importantly, the Cardinal collected a second consecutive signature victory in tournament play, following up Saturday's 16-10 win over No. 2 USC.

Makenzie Fischer reinforced her reputation as one of the country's best players, closing out tournament play with a combined 17 goals, seven assists, 24 points and 38 shots over four games. In Stanford's victory against USC, Fischer became the program's all-time leading scorer, producing her 240th career goal to overtake previous leaders Melissa Seidemann (239) and Lauren Silver (239).

The Bruins (18-1) owned a 34-32 shot advantage but the Cardinal was superior in executing on the power play, converting 7-13 while limiting UCLA to 2-13.

UCLA led 4-3 after the first period, built a 6-5 halftime edge and carried an 8-6 advantage midway through the third period.

However, back-to-back goals from Neushul and Sophie Wallace knotted the match at 8-8 before Skyler Jones put the Cardinal in front for good at 9-8 with 6:44 remaining.

Makenzie Fischer's fourth goal was Stanford's 10th of the game while Katie Lyons and Hannah Constandse added insurance scores over the final 70 seconds.

Stanford Goals: Makenzie Fischer (4), Ryann Neushul (3), Hannah Constandse (1), Aria Fischer (1), Skyler Jones (1), Katie Lyons (1), Sophie Wallace (1)