For the first time since 2021, the Bruins are on a regular-season losing streak.
No. 3 UCLA men’s water polo (17-3, 2-3 MPSF) – fresh off back-to-back away losses against then-No. 3 California and No. 2 Stanford – will look to get back into the win column by hosting No. 7 UC San Diego (16-7, 3-1 Big West) at Spieker Aquatics Center on Saturday afternoon in its penultimate game of the regular season. With the pair of losses, the Bruins will fail to achieve a winning conference record prior to postseason play for the first time in five years.
“We have San Diego next weekend, so just understanding the things that we need to do to fix from this weekend, and then take that into next weekend and leave what happened this weekend behind us,” said fifth-year utility Ben Larsen.
In UCLA’s Halloween loss to Cal, the Westwood side opened the scoring in the first minute before being kept silent until three minutes into the second quarter. Despite a five-goal fourth frame that allowed junior attacker Ryder Dodd to complete a hat trick, the blue and gold were unable to pull ahead and dropped the match 14-12.
Sunday’s outing marked UCLA’s second loss to Stanford this season. The Bruins were limited to a 24% shooting clip and recorded eight turnovers to the Cardinal’s three. Dodd finished the game scoreless on four attempts – his first time not finding the back of the net since Sept. 5.
Fifth-year goalkeeper Griffen Price recorded 11 saves in both matches – his second-highest tally of the season behind a 12-denial performance in UCLA’s 15-9 win over then-No. 3 USC on Oct. 17 – but his defensive performance was not enough to overcome the conference rivals.
“Definitely a lot to learn from this weekend,” said senior defender Max Matthews. “There are moments when we’re connected and we’re playing with great energy, when we’re able to get teams where we want them.”
The Bruins will look to show that ability again when they return home to face the Tritons.
UCSD has not won a game against UCLA since 2006. The two squads faced off earlier this season in the Overnght MPSF Invitational on Sept. 19, where UCLA walked away with a decisive eight-point margin en route to its fourth consecutive invite title.
The Bruins shot out to a 6-2 lead in the first quarter and never relented, finishing the game with 16 goals on 29 attempts for a 55% clip. Dodd notched a perfect three-for-three hat trick, and freshman utility Luka Gladović tied his season high of four goals.
The Tritons’ scoring leaders are attacker Christian Hammonds and utility Jackson Boettner, with 53 goals apiece. Boettner was one of two Tritons to score more than once against the Bruins, recording an assist as well.
UCSD has won four of its last five matches, defeating two top 10 teams but falling to Stanford at home by seven points. It will face UCLA fresh off a Friday evening matchup against Big West opponent No. 14 California Baptist.
After facing the Tritons, the Bruins will head into a rematch against the Trojans on Nov. 14 to close out the regular season. The reigning back-to-back national champions will seek a tied conference play record instead of a losing one before the MPSF Tournament begins.
“The hard part is us understanding that the past, those experiences are really important for today, but at the same time, they don’t guarantee success,” said coach Adam Wright. “That’s been something that we’ve been struggling with.”
Comments are closed.