NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Junior two-meter defender
Dan Yeilding rises for a pass as the Bruins rose
to a 8-6 win over Cal Saturday at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center.
UCLA 8 Cal 6
By Adam Titcher
Daily Bruin Contributor
Before UCLA’s undefeated football team crushed a winless
California club in front of 65,366 fans at the Rose Bowl Saturday
night, the UCLA men’s water polo team outlasted a pretty good
Cal squad at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center in front of 750, the
largest home crowd for the Bruins this season.
The Bruins (9-2 overall, 4-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation)
defeated the Bears (8-3, 2-2) in overtime 8-6.
Yet, while UCLA held the lead the whole game, the Bruins could
not put the impressive Bears away. UCLA head coach Adam Krikorian
did not feel it was his team’s best performance.
“We came out good for a couple of minutes but we ran out
of gas,” he said. “The only positive was we got the win
and in overtime.”
The No. 2 Bruins came out on fire as they scored the first three
goals of the game while the defense held the No. 5 Bears without a
goal until three seconds remained in the first quarter.
But after scoring in the first minute of the second quarter,
UCLA cooled off quickly. The Bruins were held without a goal until
late in the third quarter.
“We did not necessarily play that great,” UCLA
junior two-meter defenseman Matt Flesher said. “We leveled
out a little, but I am happy with the win.”
Amidst multiple missed scoring opportunities by both teams, Cal
scored twice to make the score 5-3 at the end of third quarter.
Cal then used a 4-meter goal to their advantage. The penalty
shot in the first half minute of the fourth quarter fired up the
Bears. They would score twice more on power play goals ““
including one with seven seconds remaining in the game.
UCLA junior goal keeper Brandon Brooks was ejected for roughing
an attacker over the back, and Cal scored the tying goal.
“The call was fair I guess,” he said. “We need
to get a little more determined and tough on our five-on-six
defense.”
For now that may be a part of the Bruin game that needs
improvement. But UCLA still managed to hold Cal scoreless in
overtime taking the win. Flesher sealed the win with the
Bruins’ second overtime goal.
Cal head coach Peter Asch felt his team had a great run to get
to overtime, but it was not enough to win.
“It’s terrible,” he said. “We really
wanted to win this game.”