The UCLA women’s water polo team hasn’t had a home game since it played Cal Baptist three weeks ago. The road trip will continue into this weekend, but fortunately it will only have to take a short bus ride to downtown where it will face the USC Trojans.
This will be the Bruins’ second meeting against the Trojans after they beat them 8-7 last weekend at the UC Irvine Invitational.
Just as it was an exciting and close match against the then-No. 2 Trojans last weekend, this weekend proves to bring even more intensity.
Not only is this a conference match for the Bruins, but it is also a rivalry game on the road.
The Bruins will head into the weekend with confidence and momentum after taking the title last weekend at the UCI Invitational and beating the top two teams in the country.
The Bruins have not let the fact that they have already beaten the Trojans get the best of them, as they have continued to practice diligently this week in preparation for playing the now-No. 3 ranked team in the nation.
“We definitely missed some opportunities last weekend when playing ‘SC, especially during the third period. We let our guard down, which allowed them to step up and make plays,” coach Brandon Brooks said.
“But this week we are able to plan just for this one game and focus on how we need to play against them.”
In the last meeting between the Bruins and the Trojans, the game was heavily defensive, especially in the second half as the Bruins went scoreless in the third period, but UCLA returned the favor by holding USC scoreless in the fourth period.
UCLA’s focus over this last week has been to continue to work on the offensive aspect of their game and not get into a low-energy slump during the second half.
“Six on fives are a huge part of our game, and each week we will continue to work on improving on this aspect of our offense,” said junior attacker Gisselle Naranjo.
“With the rival game coming up next weekend, the game will obviously be tough and aggressive; we just need to remember to keep our composure and stick to what we have practiced.”
As the Bruins make the short trip downtown on Saturday, they will be prepared for a difficult but potentially fruitful battle.
“We have been training to play games until the end, not let a team win in the first half,” freshman attacker Emily Donohoe said.
“This week we will continue to train that way so that on Saturday while we are playing it will be no question of who is going to win.”