Perhaps it was the chaos associated with the first day of
classes or maybe the malfunctioning game clock. Whatever it was, it
appears that there was something distracting the UCLA men’s
water polo team in Thursday’s game.
Despite beating No. 9 Loyola Marymount 10-5, the No. 4 UCLA
men’s water polo team lacked their typical intensity at the
Lions’ Burns Recreation and Aquatics Center Thursday
afternoon.
“They were very distracted,” coach Adam Krikorian
said. “I don’t think LMU played very well. I think that
is part of the reason why we were so comfortable out there, but we
were very slow and distracted.”
During the first quarter, the game clock froze for over a minute
before referees stopped the game. It created an obvious disruption
as the players were forced to hang out poolside as the officials
talked things over.
Regardless of the timing malfunctions and other distractions,
there was one player who maintained a high, consistent level of
competition: redshirt junior Christian Pulido.
“Pulido was one of the bright spots,” Krikorian
said. “He played aggressively on defense and had a lot of
patience on offense.”
Scoring a goal in the first quarter and two in the third,
Pulido’s patience produced positive results for the team.
“Patience is something I have groomed here at UCLA,”
Pulido said. “After being injured for a year, I gained
invaluable perspective.”
The play of Pulido’s teammates, however, didn’t have
the same positive result.
After scoring a goal in the first quarter, redshirt junior Grant
Zider was called on a brutality foul which got him kicked out of
the game and may keep him out of play on Saturday as well.
The implications of Zider’s ejection may prove detrimental
to the Bruins record come Saturday, but with the loss of a starter,
one of the younger, less heralded players will need to step into a
less familiar role.
The Bruins cannot afford distractions in any more of their
matches this season as their future opponents will likely
capitalize on slower play. Starting with a match against No. 7 UC
Irvine on Saturday, the Bruins will need to regain the focus
lacking in the game against LMU.
“If we come out flat like we did today, we’ll
definitely be beaten by Irvine,” junior goalie Will Didinger
said.
With a win against Irvine, UCLA hopes to gain confidence heading
into the match against UC Berkeley Oct. 8, who the Bruins fell to
earlier this season at the SoCal Tournament.
“We have to keep building up for our games against
Berkeley and Princeton,” Pulido said. “We have the rest
of a tough season to go.”
UCLA is looking to sharpen its play before the Berkeley game.
Krikorian highlights a renewed focus as a key to getting back on
track.
“We’ve got a big game ahead of us and the focus
needs to be brought back,” Krikorian said.
“I’m a little concerned. Distractions need to go and
our over-confidence from the win against Pepperdine needs to turn
into work ethic and intensity,” Krikorian said.