Uninspired water polo falls to No. 1 Stanford
Stanford outscores UCLA 12-4 in the first three quarters
By Esther Hui
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
It became painfully obvious what is missing from the UCLA men’s
water polo team in its 13-7 loss to No. 1 Stanford Saturday. An
uninspired UCLA team (12-9 overall, 2-5 in the Mountain Pacific
Sports Confederation) scored four points in the first three
quarters to Stanford’s 12, and only began to catch up to the
Cardinal after the insertion of the second string in the fourth
quarter.
Quite simply, the Bruins lack spirit.
"The only thing I was disappointed with was our effort level,"
UCLA head coach Guy Baker said. "Our intensity level was
nonexistent up until the fourth quarter, and a team can’t operate
if it doesn’t play with intensity."
In contrast, Stanford (16-1, 8-1) dominated from the beginning,
scoring in the first minute and increasing its lead to 8-2 by
halftime. Offensively, Stanford was unbeatable. Led by national
team member Jeremy Laster, who made two two-point goals, and two
assists by hole man Brian Wallin, the Cardinal converted on five of
six man-up situations.
"We came out determined to win," Stanford head coach Dante
Dettamanti said. "A win here would have solidified first place in
the league as well as a first place seeding in our conference
tournament."
Highlights for the Bruins included a rare six-on-four conversion
by Mark Sutter in the second quarter and a two-point shot by Luther
Weidner in the third quarter that brought the score to 8-4.
But each of these goals was the only one in its respective
quarter for the Bruins. Just as the two-pointer allowed a brief
breath of air for the Bruins, Stanford responded with a string of
five points and effectively knocked the wind out of UCLA.
For the Bruins, the fourth quarter was perhaps the only
prolonged span of consistent play in the entire match. Led by Scott
Turner, the second team outscored the Cardinal 3-1, with goals by
Turner, Corbin Graham and Jeff Porter.
It was a huge show of heart by the Bruins, but the final score
of 13-7 reflected the spiritless play of the earlier quarters.
"In the fourth quarter, we were swimming and moving," Baker
said. "Our second string made the score look better than it was.
But overall our effort wasn’t there."