Neither team dares to call it domination.
Unfortunately for the UCLA women’s water polo team,
Stanford has been hot ““ beating the Bruins in eight of the
schools’ 10 meetings.
“Although recently we may have had more net wins, I think
the final score is more indicative of the level of competition
between the two teams,” Stanford senior goalkeeper Jackie
Frank said.
“Most games between us come down to a point or two and
could definitely go either way.”
In what may be the most pivotal match of the season for the No.
2 Bruins (5-2, 2-1 MPSF), UCLA will renew its rivalry with the No.
1 Cardinal (5-0, 0-0 MPSF) Friday in Palo Alto.Â
This year, the success of two of its star players will cost
UCLA, ensuring an uphill battle when the Bruins try to make it
three wins in 11 tries.
The loss of sophomore center defender Amber Stachowski and
junior driver Thalia Munro ““ both of whom are redshirting to
train with the U.S. National Team ““ has forced head coach
Adam Krikorian to use a less experienced lineup that includes seven
freshmen. Stachowski was third on last year’s squad in goals
scored with 29, and Munro ranked fifth with 26.
Meanwhile, national team head coach and former UCLA skipper Guy
Baker is allowing Stanford’s Brenda Villa and Frank, and
Bruin Robin Beauregard, to play their last year of collegiate
eligibility before joining the national team.
Villa leads the Cardinal with nine goals this season and was
named the country’s top collegiate player last season. She
also competed in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney with the U.S. National
Team, which won the silver medal, and led the team in scoring with
nine goals.
And on Friday, the Bruins’ inexperience will be put to the
test against Villa and the hostile Palo Alto environment.
“There is always a lot of emotion in the pool when you get
these two teams together,” Stanford junior defender Wendy
Watkins said. “The key is to not let it get to your head, and
instead play like we do every day in practice.”
Stanford is notorious for its large water polo crowds and
Krikorian’s coaching style is beneficial in those situations.
He allows his players the freedom to manage possessions on their
own and does not dictate plays during possessions.
“If I get ejected or the crowd is too noisy, there is no
way my players are going to be able to hear me. They have to learn
to make plays on their own,” Krikorian.
Players from the opposing teams know each other’s
abilities well, as many play with each other on national teams;
others grew up together or were opponents in high school.
Thus, an intense rivalry is understandable.
Stanford head coach John Tanner finds a certain parity in the
rivalry.
“We won last year and the year before they won (the
championship). Every game is exciting,” he said.
Both head coaches are alumni of their respective schools, an
enticing ingredient that makes this rivalry so interesting.
In 2002, Tanner led the Cardinal to a 23-2 record and its first
NCAA championship. The top team in the country had five
All-Americans, including Division I Player of the Year Frank.
Krikorian was team captain twice in ’94-’95 for the
UCLA men’s water polo team and is now both the women’s
and men’s water polo head coach. In his eight years of
coaching experience, the two teams have a combined seven national
championships.
“Since we have been so successful against everyone else,
it stands out when we lose to a talented Stanford team,”
Krikorian said.
In the first matchup between the two teams, the Bruins lost 4-3
after scoring first early in the opening period. It was a tight
game defensively, with both goaltenders on top of their games.
The rematch is especially important for the Bruins after
suffering a conference loss to USC Friday. The Trojans are
pressuring the Bruins for second place.
Bouncing back from the loss against USC last Friday is vital to
the team’s growth and confidence, and a win will factor into
the seeding for the final MPSF tournament.
“This past weekend was a blessing in disguise,”
junior center forward Natalie Golda said. “It makes us work
harder and really focus in practice to work out the kinks for a
victory at Stanford.”