UCSB marks end for water polo
No. 4 Bruins hope
to end three-game
slide with Gauchos
By Esther Hui
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The end is in sight for the fourth-ranked UCLA men’s water polo
team. Not the end of the season, but the end of four weeks and nine
straight matches played on the road.
The Bruins (10-7 overall, 1-3 in the Mountain Pacific Sports
Federation) will meet No. 8 UC Santa Barbara today in their last
road match before returning to Westwood to begin a three-game
homestand.
But with a losing record in the conference, the Bruins are far
from looking past today’s match. Led by driver Doug Wierenga, the
Gauchos have twice beaten No. 5 Pacific, a team UCLA lost to 6-5
last Sunday.
"The way this season is going, anyone can beat anyone," UCSB
head coach Joe Brian said. "I don’t think scores between us and UOP
and UCLA and UOP are any indication of what’s going to happen.
"That was a tough weekend for UCLA (three losses to three ranked
teams on the road), and I’d imagine they will be much more
rested."
Foremost on the minds of the Bruins is the immediate need to end
their three-game losing streak. A loss today would mean possible
elimination from the NCAA tournament.
Added adversity will come from the size of the expected Gaucho
crowd and from a unique feature to UCSB’s pool.
UCSB is one of the few schools to use a pool with a shallow end,
an attribute which can be used to a team’s advantage only if
players are used to playing on it.
"You shouldn’t be touching," Baker said of the 5 1/2-foot depth
at the shallow end of the pool. "But the goalie can use it to his
advantage. If you’re visiting it takes a bit of an adjustment. We
have a better team. If we play well we’ll win, but our biggest
obstacle is adversity."
Adding to the Bruins’ strength is the fact that goalkeeper Matt
Swanson has had a week of full conditioning for the first time
since suffering a groin injury three weeks ago.
"I’ve always been impressed with UCLA," Brian said. "I’ve
noticed that they are a great group of guys that support each other
and work together."