LOS ANGELES (AP) Top-ranked Stanford beat No. 4 California 12-8 on Saturday to advance to the NCAA women's water polo championship game at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
Stanford (33-1) will face No. 2 UCLA (27-4) in the championship game Sunday. UCLA, a 5-3 winner over No. 3 Southern California, handed the Cardinal their only loss of the season.
Cal (20-9) scored the first two goals, then the Cardinal outscored the Golden Bears 10-3 over three periods. Cal was unable to close the 10-5 deficit in the final period, getting only as close as four twice in the final period. It was the fourth time this season Stanford has beaten Cal.
Maggie Steffens had three goals for Stanford, and Annika Dries and Kaley Dodson had two each. Roser Tarrago scored four times for Cal, and Dora Antal added two goals.
UCLA scored the first two goals en route to a 4-2 halftime lead. The Trojans (25-4) could only muster one more goal in the second half. Mackenzie Barr has two goals for UCLA. Monica Vavic led USC with two goals.
