If last weekend’s SoCal Tournament is any indication, the
No. 5 UCLA men’s water polo team (3-3) has a long way to go
if it wants to contend for an NCAA championship.
In a tournament that showcased nine of the nation’s top 10
teams, UCLA stumbled to a disappointing 2-2 record and seventh
place showing.
“We definitely weren’t satisfied with our 2-2
performance,” head coach Adam Krikorian said. “Our play
was inconsistent, and we showed at times we could play very intense
and fundamentally sound water polo. But, at other times we lacked
intensity, concentration and the ability to play water polo.
We’re learning, and the quicker we learn our mistakes, the
better off we’ll be.”
UCLA faced Loyola Marymount in the tournament’s seventh
place game.
In the game, the Bruins took an early one-goal lead and never
looked back.
LMU was able to tie up the score with 2:48 to go in the third
quarter behind senior driver Tamas Szego’s goal.
But UCLA’s defense held LMU scoreless in the fourth
quarter, and sophomore driver David Pietsch put the Bruins up for
good, rifling a shot past LMU freshman goalie Ian Elliot. UCLA held
on for the remaining 3:49 to edge LMU 5-4.
“We were really focused for the LMU game,” junior
goalie Joseph Axelrad said. “The fourth quarter was key, but
we had our concentration the entire game.”
Junior driver Brett Ormsby finished with two goals, 11 for the
tournament. Freshman driver Thomas Foley and junior driver Peter
Belden also notched a goal apiece for the Bruins’ cause.
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UCLA opened the tournament on Saturday against Cal Baptist, a
team it had defeated the previous week. Once again, balanced
scoring was the Bruins’ forte, as 10 players scored in the
match. Cal Baptist had no answer for UCLA’s offensive
onslaught, and the Bruins won 13-6.
Later that evening, No. 4 Pepperdine edged the Bruins 9-6. UCLA
set the tempo the entire game and led by one goal heading into the
fourth quarter. But the Waves were able to outscore the Bruins in
the final quarter, 4-1. Axelrad finished with 11 saves and Ormsby
recorded a hat trick.
UCLA’s second loss came Sunday to No. 8 Long Beach State,
9-5.
“The big reason for our inconsistency and lack of success
this past tournament was our 6-on-5 power plays (3-15), and
that’s just not going to cut it,” Krikorian said.
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UCLA will travel to La Jolla this Friday to face No. 6 UC San
Diego. The annual traditional Beer Garden will be held outside the
pool, which will house 10-12 kegs for an expected 2,000 fans.
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Sunset Recreation Center will be the site of UCLA’s very
first home game this Sunday, as the Bruins face No. 7 UC Irvine at
12 p.m.