The UCLA men’s water polo team had an ultimatum this
weekend: sweep or be swept.
Going against two of the top three teams in the nation, this
weekend was the team’s biggest test. And it passed, sort
of.
With a hat trick from sophomore driver Brett Orsmby, the No. 4
Bruins defeated No. 3 Cal 4-3 Saturday in a defense-driven
conference matchup.
The win was the first in conference play for the Bruins (9-5,
1-3) . Without this win, UCLA could have fallen out of championship
contention. Instead, the team put itself back in the race for the
Moutain Pacific Sports Federation title, a much-needed boost in
team confidence.
“It feels good to get the conference victory,” head
coach Adam Krikorian said. “I was worried about (the Bears)
coming back, but the key to the game was our defense, and we were
great.”
UCLA held Cal (9-4, 2-2) to two goals on 27 shots for the game,
and shut out the Bears on five power play attempts. The final Cal
score came as time expired.
The Bruins went ahead 2-0 in the first half, only to see the
Bears score two goals of their own in the opening stages of the
third quarter.
But UCLA was ultimately stronger, scoring two more in the fourth
quarter. It was a close game to the end, but that has been the
season story for UCLA.
“This year has been a roller coaster ride and we need to
be consistent with this type of play,” Krikorian said after
pulling off the upset.
The Bruins sealed the win not only with their defensive effort,
but with an offensive punch from Ormsby and his deadly shots.
“I did what I always do,” he said. “I got a
couple of good looks and I put them in the goal.”
He affirmed that the victory was “a huge win.” It
marked the first time in three opportunities that the Bruins beat
the Bears, dating back to last year’s MPSF tournament.
But after the win, the Bruins “were only halfway
there,” according to senior goalkeeper Brandon Brooks.
And halfway is where they would stay. The team fell to No. 1
Stanford 7-5 the following day.
“A loss is a loss and we don’t like it,”
Krikorian said.
“We have to give Stanford credit; both teams played well,
but we missed some opportunities on goal,” he added.
The Cardinal (16-2, 3-1) once again proved why it is the best
team in the nation. And despite losing to Stanford for the fifth
straight time, UCLA still disagrees.
“We didn’t lose because they are so good, but
because of our lack of conversions of goal opportunities,”
sophomore center Ted Peck said.
“We absolutely have to beat Stanford next week,” he
said.
“We need a huge win.”