March 13, 2009

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The No. 20 Santa Clara women's water polo team fell 14-6 to No. 3 UCLA Friday afternoon at the Sullivan Aquatic Center. After ending the first half down 10-2 to the third-ranked Bruins, SCU rallied back with four goals in the second half. Senior Amy Lamb led the Bronco attack with three assists and a goal versus the Bruins.

"We played a good game today versus a strong top-5 UCLA team," said head coach Keith Wilbur. "It is great to play a team of this caliber at our pool and have the right attitude: play hard and have fun."

In the first half, the Bruins went on a 6-0 run, but a focused SCU team battled back to minimize the point deficit. The Broncos put out an overall strong effort versus UCLA, especially goalie Wren White. In the cage she tallied 14 blocks, including several acrobatic reaches to tip the ball over the post.

Marina Allen stepped up for Santa Clara, scoring a goal, posting an assist and getting a steal. The SCU freshman has been a consistent force in the Bronco lineup all season. Junior Jenny Knutson, who has been battling back from illness and injury, tallied two goals, and Kendal Hildebrand and Claire Linney each had a goal apiece.

"The biggest thing we focused on today was playing good defense, which I think we did overall," said Wilbur. "We didn't give up too many counters to allow UCLA to benefit from."

SCU gets right back into action tomorrow afternoon versus conference rival Cal State Monterey Bay. Game time is set for noon. On Sunday, the Broncos will host Maryland at 4 p.m. to close out the weekend.