In this week’s Game of the Week, I took a more fan-centric approach to my favorite game of all time. It’s always interesting to hear the inside scoop from a game, but this one was too much fun not to feature. It is none other than the 2013 NCAA Championship!
2013 NCAA championship – Pacific vs USC
click here for a link to the game: Pacific vs USC
AllAccess Breakdown:
- USC won 5 straight championships coming into that game
- Somewhat unprecedented year for UOP (after talking with Sean on the Podcast, maybe not necessarily unprecedented)
- UOP came out in 2013 to surge to the #2 seed in NCAA tournament, and first ever share of MPSF regular season title
- Both fan bases were incredible with their presence, they certainly made the trip out
- Such a fast paced game, 1st quarter only had a few possessions that got within 5 seconds of shot clock
- Physical game, kick in the face nearly 2 minutes in, plenty of ejections only in the first
- The fast start was interesting to see, considering the length of the game and how it seemed to affect both teams down the stretch
- Even game at half, both in scoring and other stats.
- Neither team lead by more than 2 goals
- Goalie play was unreal, really the main attraction of the game for me, considering the firepower on both teams
- Double overtime game to decide the winner. There’s nothing better than some overtime Water Polo
- Penalty shots could’ve been cool, but I understand the reasoning behind not implementing that rule
- The wear and tear of the game is evident during overtime, overall pace of play slows
- Let the boys play for sure, extremely physical game overall made for an interesting contest
- Like how it wasn’t golden goal, experiencing that in club, I always hated how a lucky goal or a single mistake decided your fate
- Even after seeing this game for probably the 6th time all the way through, you still find yourself at the edge of your seat nearing the end of the 4th quarter and all the way though overtime
All Access Water Polo 