This weekend the UCLA men’s water polo team will head
North for a pair of Mountain Pacific Sports Federation road games
that could go a long way toward determining the Bruins’
seeding in the conference’s postseason tournament.
The Bruins will visit No. 2 Cal on Saturday afternoon for a 1:30
game, then head to Stockton to play No. 6 Pacific at noon on
Sunday.
The scheduling of the two games finds the Bruins at something of
a crossroads in their season.
While they are the No. 3 team in the country, the Bruins have
only played two conference games so far, and their 1-1 record in
those games leaves them fourth in the nine-team MPSF. Additionally,
this weekend represents the third and fourth games of a series of
six consecutive road games for the Bruins.
Suffice it to say, these games are important.
“This is probably our toughest road trip of the
year,” coach Adam Krikorian said Wednesday.
“We’re playing two great teams, two very physical
teams, in their home pools.”
Saturday, however, will not mark the Bruins’ first run-in
with the Golden Bears. Cal won an 8-6 decision when the two teams
met at the MPSF’s SoCal Tournament in mid-October. It was a
game the Bruins felt they could have won, as well as one that
taught them what to expect from the Golden Bears.
“We know them pretty well,” Krikorian said.
“They have two very good centers. The whole team is strong,
physical, and they’re fast. They’re very deep. I think
they’re probably the most talented team in the
country.”
That said, the Bruins are by no means scared of the Golden
Bears. UCLA is coming off of a 7-3 win over Loyola Marymount
University last weekend in which the Bruins’ defense
dominated. Tough road games earlier in the season against USC and
UC San Diego have also made the Bruins more comfortable playing in
a hostile environment.
“Personally, I’m excited because I like playing on
the road,” senior defender Michael March said. “I like
playing against a bunch of fans that are yelling in your face. My
goal is to shut them up, make them be quiet. It’s a good
feeling when you win and it’s a quiet stadium.
“We’ve definitely matured a little more as a team.
We’ve been in a lot of those circumstances this year when
we’re playing in someone else’s home pool, and I think
we’ve finally gotten used to it and gained the confidence to
be able to play at a higher level.”
The Bruins will look to avoid a let-down in the Pacific game.
While their focus right now is on Cal, they understand that the
Tigers are waiting for them the next day.
“It’s more difficult mentally than anything
else,” Krikorian said. “We’ll spend most of this
week preparing for Cal, and then no matter how the game goes
Saturday, we have to throw it away and get ready for Sunday’s
game. It’s a tough turnaround. It should be our toughest test
of the year.”
FAMILIAR FACES: One interesting subplot during
the Cal game will take place at the two-meter position. Both March
and John Mann, a senior center for Cal, attended Corona Del Mar
High School in Newport Beach.
Mann was awarded MPSF Player of the Week honors for his eight
goals in conference wins over UCSB and Pepperdine last weekend.
Stopping him will be one of March’s primary defensive
responsibilities.
“We were buddies in high school, so it’s always fun
to play him,” March said. “There’s still that
kind of respect between us. He plays two-meter and I guard
two-meter, so that means me and him going head to head.
“Last time we met, the first time he went in we both kind
of smiled at each other, you know, said “˜What’s
up.’ We’re definitely both going out there to win, but
it’s always funny to see him.”