This post was updated Nov. 14 at 7:50 p.m.
Regular season down to one.
Conference race down to two.
And the final hurdle is the same one that tripped them last time.
No. 2 UCLA men’s water polo (21-1, 4-1 MPSF West) will conclude the regular season Saturday against No. 1 USC (18-2, 4-1) in a de facto fight for the MPSF regular-season title and the top seed in next week’s conference tournament.
The Bruins’ lone loss this season came at the hands of the Trojans in their Oct. 18 meeting, a 13-12 defeat that snapped UCLA’s 21-game winning streak. Now, their rematch looms with higher stakes on the line.
Coach Adam Wright said the team has focused on creating efficient offensive opportunities while maintaining its defensive standard.
“We want to have a balance,” Wright said. “Our six-on-five is better lately. It’s not just the goals, it’s the opportunities we’ve created. When you put yourself in those positions, you know you have a high chance.”
UCLA has been dominant offensively, averaging double-digit points across every conference game this season – including a 14-7 staple victory over No. 4 Berkeley in early October. Defensively, it has limited opponents’ high-percentage opportunities and tightened play under pressure.
Meanwhile, USC brings an elite offensive profile. The Trojans have scored 307 goals across 20 games, averaging over 15 per contest.
Among their top contributors are drivers Robert López Duart, who has 52 goals and 19 assists across the season, and Mihailo Vukazic, who has 24 assists and a .554 shooting percentage. The Trojans feature a deep roster with scoring prowess – something the Bruins will have to both contain defensively and match themselves.
Junior utility Ben Liechty said the team’s offensive goal is clear.
“One day at a time,” Liechty said. “We want to focus on this week of practice, going into USC one day at a time.”
Redshirt senior attacker Chase Dodd said executing that focus each week prepares the group for tight games – like the 13-12 loss to USC.
“Every game, we’re just trying to bring the same energy,” Dodd said. “The more times you can do that, … the more likely it is you’re going to do that in a big game.”
The previous matchup against the Trojans featured 18 combined exclusions, with shot conversion ultimately determining the one-goal margin. The Bruins generated ten goals across the first three frames but were held to just two in the fourth quarter. Improving late-game finishes is a primary goal for the team entering Saturday.
Dodd said the group’s championship experience has shaped preparation throughout a season that started immediately after they won the 2024 NCAA title.
“What we want to do is we want to repeat it, but he (Wright) wants to repeat it in a different way,” Dodd said. “We want to do it better than we did last year.”
UCLA has not dropped consecutive games since the 2022 season. A win Saturday would clinch the MPSF regular season title and the No. 1 seed at the conference tournament next weekend at Stanford.
A loss would award the advantage to USC entering postseason play.
Wright said that team defense combined with improved six-on-five execution will be crucial to advancing both this weekend and in the postseason.
“We just want to get ourselves in position for high-percentage shots,” Wright said.
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