Beating the No. 1 team in the nation can be perceived as a
fluke.
But to do it twice ““ that makes you legitimate.
Eight days after beating formerly top-ranked California, the
UCLA men’s water polo team did it again, this time to No. 1
USC. The Bruins outlasted the Trojans Sunday, 6-5 in overtime, and,
in the process, solidified themselves as one of the premiere teams
in the nation.
“It’s been huge playing and beating two teams that
were No. 1,” junior driver Brett Ormsby said.
“We’re legit competitors and everyone should know that
now.”
The Trojans, as well as the 2,500 fans on hand to witness
Sunday’s match at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center, certainly
know it.
Junior driver Peter Belden proved to be the deciding factor in
the waning seconds of the first overtime period when he scored what
would be the game-winning goal. On a Bruin counter, Belden found
himself alone on the left side of the pool. Seizing the
opportunity, he rifled a shot on the left side of the goal just
past the outstretched arms of USC senior goalie Bozidar
Damjanovic.
“As soon as I saw the advantage, I put my head down and
swam as hard as I could,” Belden said.
The Bruin captain credited teammate junior Josh Hewko with
setting up the goal.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Josh,” Belden
said. “He was swimming hard down the middle and my man (USC
junior James Shin) had to cover him. That allowed me to get a clear
shot.”
With the victory over USC (14-3, 4-1 Mountain Pacific Sports
Federation), the No. 5 Bruins (12-4, 4-0) maintain their perfect
5-0 record at home, and, most importantly, their undefeated
conference record.
“These guys have worked their butts off and it’s
paying off,” head coach Adam Krikorian said. “The way
we started and finished this game was amazing. It showed how much
emotion, energy and how willing they were to dig down
deep.”
UCLA’s defense was on display in the overtime periods as
it suffocated any type of offense USC tried to muster. Junior
goalie Joseph Axelrad, who finished with nine saves, was key to the
Bruins’ defense, swatting away any type of shot near the
goal.
“Everyone played tremendous defense,” Axelrad said.
“USC is a phenomenal team and they have some of the best
shooters in the NCAA, but all of our guys were making stops and it
made my job a lot easier.”
Not only did the defense hold up, but the Bruin offense
continued to attack.
“We had to keep USC on their heels and continue to apply
pressure on their defense,” junior driver Ted Peck said.
“In the past, our offense was complacent in the overtimes
when we went up early, but against USC we continued to ram it down
their throats.”
Starting off the first quarter with a 3-0 lead, UCLA saw its
lead diminish when senior driver Gadi Hadar scored USC’s
first goal of the game and sophomore defender Juraj Zatovic posted
two consecutive goals to tie the game 3-3.
Momentum swung toward the gold and cardinal side when Krikorian
was given a yellow card after disputing a controversial play during
his team’s offensive possession. Moments later, Shin
converted a six meter shot on a 6-on-5 advantage.
After the goal, Shin waved his index finger in the air and was
issued a warning by the referee for taunting.
“I was pointing at the fans because I promised them if I
scored I would point out at them,” Shin said. “I would
never taunt any of the Bruin players, especially not a great player
like Joe (Axelrad).”
Shin would later convert his second goal of the game, putting
the Trojans up 5-3.
“It was a great feeling being up two goals against a great
team like UCLA,” Shin said. “I didn’t think that
would be the game right there, but I thought our defense was good
enough to hold them. We just came up short.”
Though USC had scored five consecutive goals after UCLA led 3-0
in the first quarter, the Bruins kept their composure.
Hewko and Ormsby each scored late in the fourth to send the game
into overtime and allow Belden the chance to score the
game-winner.
“To bounce back and win a game like this just shows how
nothing can put us down,” Belden said. “I knew we had
this potential in us the whole time, and we’re finally
getting the respect that we deserve.”
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UCLA defeated UCSB, 12-6, on Saturday at home. The Bruins needed
nine second-half goals to overcome the Gauchos (11-9).
Ormsby led UCLA with three goals, while Axelrad finished with
nine saves.