Freshman Ryder Dodd scored six goals and seven points to pace the Bruins' offense against the Cardinal.
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
No. 1 UCLA Headed to NCAA Title Game with 17-14 Win at Stanford
LOS ANGELES -- Top-ranked UCLA (25-2) rallied to a 17-14 win at No. 4 Stanford (22-5) on Saturday to advance to tomorrow's NCAA Championship at Avery Aquatic Center. With the win, the Bruins improved to 84-92 in the series history against the Cardinal.
A total of eight Bruins scored in the game, paced by six goals and seven total points from freshman Ryder Dodd. Redshirt sophomore Frederico Jucá Carsalade also had a hat trick against the Cardinal, his second of the season. Two other Bruins scored multiple goals, which included redshirt junior Chase Dodd, and graduate transfer Nico Tierney.
Redshirt freshman Nate Tauscher got just the second start of his collegiate career and he went the distance, tallying five saves and one steal while surrendering 14 goals. But he had a huge stop and a momentum changer to end the third period with a penalty stop of a shot by Ethan Parrish to keep the Bruins in front at 11-10 heading into the fourth.
Stanford jumped out to a 5-2 lead at the end of the first period. But all season long, the Bruins' best quarter in goal differential has been the second period (119-67 entering today), and this game was no different as UCLA would win the quarter, 5-2, to tie it up at 7-7 at the break.
The Bruins won the third period, 4-3, to take the 11-10 lead into the final stanza. UCLA would continue to pour it on in the fourth period, outscoring Stanford 6-4, to provide the 17-14 final.
Up Next: The Bruins will face No. 2 USC tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. PST on ESPNU for the 2024 NCAA Championship. The Trojans advanced with an 18-16 overtime win over No. 3 Fordham.
No. 1 UCLA at No. 4 Stanford (NCAA Championship Semifinal - Avery Aquatic Center - Game 27)
| SCOREBOARD | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
| No. 1 UCLA | 2 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 17 |
| No. 2 Stanford | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 14 |
6x5 - UCLA - 1/7 - STAN - 0/6
Penalties - UCLA - 1/1 - STAN - 0/1
UCLA Goals: Ryder Dodd 6, Frederico Jucá Carsalade 3, Chase Dodd 2, Nico Tierney 2, Marcell Szécsi 1, Jack Larsen 1, Ben Liechty 1, Makoto Kenney 1
UCLA Saves: Nate Tauscher 5
STAN Goals: Soren Jensen 4, Riley Pittman 3, Botond Balogh 3, Dash McFarland 1, Grant Watson 1, Chase McFarland 1, Alex Gheorghe 1
STAN Saves: West Temkin 7
