The No. 4 UCLA men’s water polo team has one distinct
blemish on their 2005 season, a year that has otherwise seen a
young Bruin team bounce back quickly after losing the core of its
championship team to graduation.
The one record that sticks out is UCLA’s 0-3 mark against
No. 3 Stanford, its longtime rival and powerhouse counterpart. But
what has stung the most about this season sweep is that the Bruins
have not been undeniably dominated from the start to finish of
every game.
In all three match-ups against Stanford, UCLA (15-5, 2-1 MPSF)
has been unable to hold onto a late lead, and the fourth quarter
letdowns may end up costing the defending national champions an
NCAA bid at the close of conference play.
“I think once it happens a couple times it becomes more
difficult to go through the situation again,” UCLA coach Adam
Krikorian said. “I think it’s natural for doubts to
creep into people’s heads, but we have to get through those
times.”
Diametrically opposed to the Bruin football team, the Bruin
men’s water polo team has let wins slip through their fingers
consistently to the Cardinal all season ““ twice in
tournaments and now once in conference play.
If the Bruins are to have a shot at making a stab at the
national title, they will need to sweep the MPSF tournament in late
November, where they will likely face Stanford again. And this
means the Bruins must overcome the mental barrier that has taken a
toll on the team late in play against top-ranked teams.
“We have to play harder, smarter and tougher,”
Krikorian said. “We didn’t do those things against
Stanford, but I still have a lot of confidence in the guys that are
playing. I know we can be successful against any given team on any
given day.”
Though the Bruins still have a window of opportunity to secure a
bid to the national championships at Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa. in
December, it is a small one and will require the team to break the
pattern of unsuccessful play against the Cardinal.
“We put ourselves in a position that we will probably have
to win the conference tournament now if we want a bid,”
Krikorian said. “My confidence in the team hasn’t
wavered and I still feel like we can do it.”
Although in Krikorian’s career he has never had a team
with this record go on to win the national title, he’s
optimistic due to the dynamics of his group and the lack of one
overtly dominant team in the conference.
“There’s a lot to accomplish but with the challenge
comes opportunity,” Krikorian said. “I think it’s
a completely different situation than last year. Just by watching
the teams and seeing the scores, anyone can beat anyone. There
isn’t that one dominant team out there and that will make it
much easier to win the conference tournament.”
The Bruins’ three losses to Stanford have all been on the
road. The first loss was at the SoCal tournament, two weeks ago at
the NorCal tournament and just this past weekend at Stanford. The
Bruins have their first chance to redeem their latest loss to the
Cardinal against conference foe Long Beach State on the road at
noon on Sunday.