2024 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament: Quarterfinals are Today
On Wednesday Wagner opened up this year’s tournament at Cal’s Spieker Aquatic Complex with a 15-14 win over Biola. For a team with a 29-4 record that hadn’t lost to an unranked team all season, you might have thought the Seahawks would win by a bigger margin.
Wagner’s Mar Navarro
In fact, they were up 12-8 early in the third period when the Eagles stormed back, scoring four of the next five goals to cut their deficit to one. But it was not to be; Wagner goalie Francesca Sena assisted on Mar Navarro’s goal with 2:37 left and the Seahawks were able to withstand a late goal by Rachel Spadt and hold on.
The quarterfinals are now set; Wagner (30-4) will face top seed and undefeated UCLA (23-0) in one quarterfinal at 3pm (EST), Hawai'i (22-3) will face Princeton (23-6)— not a pushover for the Wahine—at 7pm. Fresno State (21-7) takes on. host Cal (17-6) at 9pm. All matches will be televised.
[2024 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament Central]
Then there’s Stanford (18-6) vs. USC (18-8)—the most interesting of today’s four matches—at 5pm. Coming off two straight losses at the MPSF Tournament, the second of which was by a goal to the Cardinal, the Trojans have not lost three straight in 25 years. But would anyone bet against JT (John Tanner) in NCAAs? BTW, these two teams met in the finals in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023—with the Cardinal coming out on top in the last three contests.
If Stanford gets hot can they sprint to a third straight title? UCLA, with five titles between 2005 – 09, is the only other program to win multiple titles back-to-back (the Cardinal also accomplished the feat in 2011-12 and 2014-15.
If Hawai'i advances, they should get Cal, who beat them in a compelling game in March. The Wahine are super fast BUT depth may be a problem. Cal's leading scorer in that earlier game was Elena Flynn (four goals). She also was second (41) in scoring for the Golden Bears this year after transferring from UCI.
A year after transferring from UC-Irvine, Elena Flynn has been outstanding for Cal
The other semifinal will be UCLA versus either USC or Stanford. Bruin Head Coach Adam Wright has an undefeated squad led by freshman and sophomores. Could they be vulnerable to the wily Tanner and his top assistant Susan Ortwein? They’ve certainly tormented UCLA before.
If Hawai'i makes the final, it will be the first time since Loyola Marymount in 2004—and only the second time ever that a non-Pac 12 school makes the women's final (in fact, LMU and Cal in 2011 are the only teams besides Stanford, UCLA or USC to play for a title).
I say we all need that change! No offense to Big Four fans but someone else should have a shot at the top spot.
If it's Hawai'i vs. UCLA then the Wahine have a shot. They have held big leads on UCLA twice this season - but fell apart both times. With Head Coach Maureen Cole coaching her last match, it seems that the time may be right for a Rainbow Wahine title.