UCLA men’s water polo has seen its last days, at least for
the 2002 campaign.
Entering this weekend’s Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
tournament at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, the Bruins
(15-8) were in a must-win situation. On Thursday, every Bruin felt
that UCLA would come out the victor, sweeping the tournament and
earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Final Four next week.
Yet on Saturday, the second day of the three-day event, those
hopes were dashed at the hands of No. 1 Pepperdine.
They fell short, losing 7-6, but not before leaving their mark.
The team went out fighting, playing the hardest it had all
year.
“UCLA went on some good runs, and we’re definitely
evenly matched,” Pepperdine head coach Terry Schroeder said
following the upset. “Each day of this tournament was a
championship game and we got the second victory.”
The match was close throughout. The Waves (16-9) jumped out to
an early 3-0 lead but it was not enough to stop the Bruins. UCLA
kept pace, and within three minutes the game was tied, with
freshman driver Brett Ormsby providing three of his four goals in
that stretch.
The game continued back and forth until the final minute, when
the Bruins had the final shot. But Pepperdine squeezed out the
victory and advanced to the championship game.
“I still think were a top team and we gave our best
effort,” Ormsby said afterward. “Yet, things
don’t always go the way they should.”
And it was tough to handle for the team. Some players were
speechless, some even in tears because it could have gone either
way.
Just a day before, UCLA played an extremely emotional game
against USC (20-8). The Bruins barely won, beating the Trojans 7-6
in sudden death overtime. Ormsby had another stellar day with five
goals, but none of it mattered after Saturday.
Lost in the Bruins’ turbulent weekend was a career
milestone for Brooks, who broke the school career saves record with
his 696th against Stanford. He finished with 13 in the game and 701
in his four-year career.
The Bruins were in prime form for both games, but it
wasn’t enough to get a win. So, the Bruins did the next best
thing.
With one game to play, for third place in the tournament, they
did not quit, and beat a Stanford team they had not defeated in six
attempts over two years.
The 8-6 win over the Cardinals (22-5), left the team with a
sense of pride.
UCLA’s close loss to Pepperdine was probably the most
important in the eyes of the NCAA. Nonetheless, wins over its
crosstown rivals and longtime nemesis Stanford are a huge monkey
off the Bruins’ backs.