If the Bruins want to travel all the way to the national title,
all they have to do is look at the path they traveled a year ago
and take a few notes.
And just like a year ago, UCLA must maneuver around Stanford
Âto find its way to the championship.
At the end of 2004, the UCLA men’s water polo team
finished with a 3-2 record against their archrival Stanford,
enabling it to win the NCAA Championship. This year, the No. 4
Bruins (15-4, 2-0 MPSF) are heading into this Saturday’s
match in Palo Alto with a 0-2 record against the No. 3
Cardinal.
With only seven regular season games remaining, a victory
against the Cardinal would be a big boost for UCLA.
“We’re trying to go 8-0 in conference,” junior
goalie Will Didinger said. “We need to beat them so we can
get a confidence booster.”
But mental lapses have been the name of the game for the Bruins
against Stanford (13-3, 2-0) this year. In both losses, UCLA led
late in the game but ultimately was unable to finish the fourth
quarter with a win.
“Both of those games I thought we played well,” UCLA
coach Adam Krikorian said. “It’s the same thing
we’ve had a problem with all year: playing with toughness and
playing in the now.”
Though the game is in Northern California, the Bruins do not
feel that playing such an important game on the road will have a
detrimental effect on them. For some of them, it’s even a
homecoming of sorts.
“It’s going to be really exciting,” junior
center Grant Zider said. “It’s my hometown so I’m
going to have a bunch of my boys out to see the game.”
Stanford’s home, the Avery Aquatic Center, has a seating
capacity of 2,480 and is widely considered the premier water polo
facility in the United States. The Bruins will have to eliminate
the mental slips that have led to inconsistencies in the pool while
drowning out a loud, hostile crowd.
“I haven’t really played in a big game up
there,” Didinger said. “It’s going to be pretty
crazy, but … I talk a lot during the games and I can usually zone
out the noise.”
But the main story remains: If the Bruins are to beat the
Cardinal, they have to play well in the fourth quarter. And this
year, that has been much harder than in past seasons.
“We’ve just had a really hard time executing (in the
fourth quarter) and holding on to a lead,” Zider said.
“We really don’t want to lose three games to
them.”