Nov. 12, 2013
Courtesy CWPA
LA JOLLA, Calif. -- Alex Fortis (Jr., Manhattan Beach, Calif.) scored eight goals, including four in the fourth quarter, to earn Player of the Game laurels as No. 2 University of California-Los Angeles built a lead and needed to hang on against No. 8 Lindenwood University for a 20-15 victory in the title game of the 2013 Men's National Collegiate Club Championship at the University of California-San Diego's Canyonview Aquatic Complex.
In the highest scoring title game in the history of men's and women's National Collegiate Club Championship competition, the now three-time National Champion (2009, 2010, 2013) and five-time Pacific Coast Division champion (2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) Bruins finally receive the satisfaction delayed from a year ago. In 2012, UCLA claimed the Pacific Coast Division title, entered the championship as the No.1-ranked team in the nation and held the No. 1 seed, only to see division runner-up the University of Southern California return home to Los Angeles with the championship plaque after UCLA fell to California 15-13 OT in the second round.
This year, USC's championship helped the Bruins join five-time champion California Polytechnic State University (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007) and three-time titleists Michigan State University (2000, 2006, 2008) and the University of Michigan (1996, 1998, 2003) as the only program's with three of more National Collegiate Club Championships since 1993. Due to USC winning the 2012 title at the Osborn Aquatic Center in Corvallis, Ore., the Bruins garnered the No. 1 spot in the 16-team field and were able to down host UC-San Diego (10-7 W), Big Ten Division champion/No. 17-ranked Indiana University (10-7 W) and New England Division champion/No. 13 Dartmouth College (10-8 W) in a series of narrow victories to reach the program's third title game in the past five champions.
Against the Lions, UCLA needed to build an early lead, carry a 10-5 advantage into halftime and hold on against Lindenwood's electric offense for the duration of the second half to claim the champioship plaque and the title of "National Collegiate Club Champion."
In a game that featured 35 goals, 17 saves, 20 exclusions and nine man-up goals, a back-and-forth style of play that saw neither team able to deliver a back-breaking scoring blow until the final two minutes of the fourth quarter was the hallmark of the first half and the majority of the second half.
Lindenwood jumped on the scoreboard first as Tournament Most Valuable Player Diego Aldea Lopera (So., Madrid, Spain) beat UCLA goalie Mike Scott (Gr., LaCanada, Calif.) at the 5:43 mark of the first quarter to jump out to a quick 1-0 lea. The advantage lasted for only 20 seconds until Greg Senning (Jr., Ventura, Calif.) broke loose for a laser shot past Lions' goalie Guillem Borras Gali (So., Badalona, Spain) with 5:23 on the clock. The Bruins gained the lead for good over the next two and a half minutes as Brandon D'Sa (Jr., Seal Beach, Calif.) and Dominic Lucido (So., Martinez, Calif.) rifled in tallies at even-strength with 3:17 and 2:53 to go in the quarter to make it 3-2, but Javier Platero Garcia (Fr., Madrid, Spain) chipped one score off the margin at 1:24 to move the Lions back to within 3-2.
However, Fortis fired in his first goal of the game at 1:01 and Brian Robinson (Jr., Palos Verdes, Calif.) floated in an advantage score with 10 seconds on the clock to hand the Pacific Coast Division champions a 5-2 lead and elicit the issuance of a yellow card to Aldea Lopera with a second left in the opening quarter.
The lead grew to 6-2 26 seconds into the second quarter as Robinson registered his second goal on as many shots, but Lindenwood pulled to within 6-3 at the 4:57 mark courtesy a man-up strike by Alvaro Castro de Ondarza (So., Madrid, Spain).
Jed Springer (Sr., Menlo Park, Calif.) of UCLA and Aldea Lopera exchanged scores at 3:18 and 2:47 with the Bruin putting away a chance at even-strength and the Lion converting on a six-on-five chance to make it 8-4, but back-to-back markers by Alex Johnson (Sr., Coronado, Calif.) and James Altmann (Sr., Agoura Hills, Calif.) with 2:42 and 39 seconds remaining in the first half staggered Lindenwood and made it 9-4 in favor UCLA.
Alex Beltrol-Navarro (Jr., Barcelona, Spain) attempted to cut into the lead with his only score of the afternoon with 27 seconds until the horn, but Fortis found a way through the Lindenwood defense to thread a man-up shot past Borras Gali with two ticks on the clock to make it 10-5 at intermission.
UCLA went for the finisher to start the third quarter as Lucido (6:11) and Senning (4:40) struck for natural goals to make it 12-5 and put Lindenwood on its heels.
Following a full timeout, Castro de Ondarza answered the flurry of scoring shots by the Bruins with one for Lindenwood at 4:28 to return the gap to six at 12-6. Once again, the Bruins stuck a dagger in the Lions as Springer swept a ball into the cage 18 seconds after Castro De Ondarza's strike to expand the margin to 13-6.
The score appeared to elicit a response from the Lions' bench and the field players in the water as Toni Storic (Sr., Betina, Croatia)rocked the cage at 3:55 prior to Castro de Ondarza notching back-to-back markers at 3:41 and 2:50 to pull Lindenwood within 13-9.
UCLA was able to keep the lead at five to conclude the third quarter as Fortis took advantage of man-up (2:29) and even-strength (48 seconds) opportunities to sandwich a five-meter penalty shot by Castro de Ondarza (2:12) to make it 15-10 through 21 minutes of action.
Facing a significant deficit and with the clock geared for the final seven minutes of competition, the Lions roared back to start the fourth quarter as Castro de Ondarza (6:45) finished a man-up chance prior to Aldea Lopera (6:30) notching a natural tally to shrink UCLA's lead to 15-12. Castro de Ondarza and Maulana Herfianto (So., Jakarta, Indonesia) further terminated the Bruins' comfortable margin with consecutive bombs with 5:24 and 4:28 remaining on the clock to put the heat on UCLA and make it 15-14.
Thrashing for an answer to Lindenwood's run, the Bruins went into the Lions' den and came out National Champions as Robinson netted an even-strength strike (3:25) before Fortis converted on a man-up chance (2:47), drilled a penalty shot following a flagrant misconduct on Aldea Lopera (2:06) and twirled in another score (1:40) to expand the lead to 19-14 and turn the lights out on Lindenwood's title hopes.
The Lions attempted one final charge as Platero Garcia dented the twine behind Scott with a blast at the 1:31 mark, but Fortis completed UCLA's championship run by depositing his four goal of the quarter and eighth of the game to put a plaque in the hands of his team captain and possibly future National Championship rings on his teammates hands at the buzzer sounded.
For the Bruins, Robinson joined Fortis in posting hat-tricks, while Senning, Springer and Lucido each tacked on pairs of goals to round out the multi-goal scorers for the National Champions.
Across the tank, Castro de Ondarza finished one off Fortis' game high output with seven goals, while Aldea Lopera and Platero Garcia registered three and two goals, respectively.
However, the true story of the game occurred between the pipes as Scott turned away 12 Lindenwood shots, including five in the second quarter and six in the decisive second half, to keep the Lions in check long enough to allow his teammates to post a record 20-goals to claim the National Championship.
In the other cage, Borras Gali blocked down five shots to take the hard-luck loss in a game that pitted two of the best offensive units in the nation.
UCLA's victory continues a string of success for the Pacific Coast Division unmatched in the annals of collegiate club athletics as a Pacific Coast team has finished as either the champion (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) or runner-up (2002, 2003, 2008) 13 times since 1999, including the past seven seasons.
For seven-time Missouri Valley Division title-holder (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) Lindenwood, which stopped Great Lakes Division champion The Ohio State University (16-9 W), Texas Division champion/No. 3 the University of Texas (17-8 W) and Sierra Pacific Division champion/No. 1 California (16-14 W), the loss prevents the Lions from becoming the first team to claim the Division III National Collegiate Club and National Collegiate Club titles. The 2006, 2007 and 2008 Division III Club National Champions, Lindenwood did make history in becoming the first Division III institution to make the National Collegiate Club title tilt and the first squad from the Midwest to appear in the championship game since Michigan State University in 2008.
| Teams |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
-- |
Final |
No. 8 Lindenwood University
|
2 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
-- |
15
|
| No. 2 University of California-Los Angeles |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
-- |
20 |
UCLA Goals: Alex Fortis (8); Brian Robinson (3); Greg Senning (2); Jed Spinger (2); Dominic Lucido (2); Alex Johnson; Brandon D'Sa; James Altmann
Lindenwood Goals: Alvaro Castro De Ondarza (7); Diego Aldea Lopera (3); Javier Platero Garcia (2); Alex Beltrol-Navarro; Maulana Herfianto; Toni Storic
Saves: UCLA - Mike Scott (12) ; Lindenwood - Guillem Borras Gali (5)
Exclusions: UCLA - 9 ; Lindenwood - 11
Advantage Opportunities: UCLA - 5-for-11 ; Lindenwood - 4-for-9
Sprints: UCLA - 2-for-4 (1st, 2nd) ; Lindenwood - 2-for-4 (3rd, 4th)
Cards: - Lindenwood (YC - Diego Aldea Lopera, 1 second left in 1st; FM - Diego Aldea Lopera, 2:06 left in 4th)
Officials: Bruce Morehouse, Don Lewis
