Before the UCLA football team even sets foot on the field
against UC Berkeley, the No. 5 UCLA men’s water polo team
(8-4) will clash with No. 1 Cal Golden Bears (12-3) in the
pool.
Opening up its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation schedule this
Saturday at 10 a.m., the Bruins will look to upset the top-ranked
Cal Golden Bears in front of a hostile Rose Bowl Aquatic
Center.
The Bruins have been on a hiatus this past week, but prior to
that, they had an impressive showing at the NorCal Tournament,
where the team finished fifth.
With junior driver Brett Ormsby leading the team with 25 goals
in 12 games, and captain Peter Belden who has tallied 14 steals,
the Bruins hope to extend their three-game winning streak.
However, UC Berkeley, who won the NorCal Tournament, is
currently on a seven-game winning streak. The run includes an
overtime victory against former No. 1 USC.
Senior Attila Banhidy has notched a team-high 34 goals for the
Cal Golden Bears thus far, and sophomore goalie Nate Bennett has
recorded an impressive 6.38 goals allowed per contest. Bennett has
71 saves.
UCLA leads the all time head-to-head battle with Cal Bears
53-45.
On Sunday, UCLA will host its second home game against unranked
Pacific (5-9). After finishing a disappointing 14th in the NorCal
Tournament, Pacific has bounced back with repeated victories.
Senior Eddie Wisniewski leads the Tigers with 45 goals in only
14 appearances.
UCLA sophomore Joseph Axelrad, who has allowed 6.78 goals per
game, will have the duty of protecting UCLA’s cage.