Combining the efforts of the entire lineup, the No. 3 UCLA
men’s water polo team dominated both of their conference
games this weekend.
The Bruins took on the No. 1-ranked California team Saturday,
winning 7-4, and followed suit Sunday with a 14-6 victory over the
No. 12 Princeton Tigers.
Not only did the Bruins kick off their conference play with an
undefeated weekend, they also received key contributions from 11
different players in offense, illustrating the deep talent of the
team.
“The goal scoring from so many different players really
shows our depth,” UCLA coach Adam Krikorian said. “It
didn’t surprise me at all because we don’t rely on one
or two key players. It makes us very tough to prepare
for.”
The weekend brought the Bruins’ winning streak at home to
17 games, starting the conference season off in an undefeated
position.
“Our play this weekend was really good; it was
great,” Krikorian said. “Exactly what we
wanted.”
On Saturday, the matchup against Cal preceded the football game
at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center and with 611 fans present, the
Bruins dominated the Golden Bears from their first goal.
After a close first half, the Bruins extended their one-point
lead. With seven goals all coming from different players, the
Bruins proved to have too much depth on offense for the Bears to
handle.
“I am proud of this team,” redshirt senior and
captain John Blanchette said. “Being able to rely on a bunch
of guys to step it up is great.”
Combining with effective offense, the defense, headed by
redshirt junior Will Didinger in goal, held the Bears to four
goals.
Didinger proved crucial in the defeat of Cal as he snagged seven
saves.
“Will came up huge today,” Krikorian said. “It
was his biggest game of the season and he showed up big.”
After a night of rest, the Bruins easily defeated Princeton at
Sunset Recreation Center on Sunday afternoon in front of a
surprisingly divided crowd.
After the Tigers scored the opening goal, the Bruins took the
lead and further distanced themselves from their opponent. With a
sizable lead in hand, UCLA used a handful of players who normally
do not see much playing time.
Similar to Saturday’s contest, 11 different players scored
14 of the goals, with Blanchette, redshirt junior Logan Powell and
sophomore Marco Santos scoring two apiece. Likewise, Didinger
played solid defense in the goal with a repeat seven saves against
the Tiger offense.
With consistent playing in goal, Didinger has gained the
confidence of his teammates. Not an easy feat as he was left to
fill the role of the defensive core of last year’s national
championship team, goalie Joe Axlerad.
“I have complete confidence with Will in goal,”
Blanchette said. “He has been playing great.”
With the success of this past weekend, the Bruins have won their
last five matches. With the Northern California tournament looming
this coming weekend in Berkeley, UCLA will look to extend its
winning streak and move closer to securing a spot atop the national
rankings.