With the crosstown rivals attacking each other early and often, it was sophomore attacker Ryder Roberts’ three-goal performance that led the No. 1 Bruins to a 10-8victory over the No. 3 Trojans on Sunday.
The offenses were firing on all cylinders right out of the gate as UCLA sophomore center Gordon Marshall found the back of the net just 18 seconds into the game. The Trojans (18-4, 3-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) quickly responded with an equalizer 43 seconds later. Overall, the Bruins (22-2, 6-0) featured goals from six different players, punctuated by Roberts’ hat trick.
The Bruin barrage came amid a raucous crowd consisting of a band and fans from both schools at USC’s Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better atmosphere,” Roberts said. “The crowd was crazy and it was more than I expected, but it was so much fun. … (There is) no better feeling.”
In the water, the teams traded goals for three quarters until senior attacker Paul Reynolds zipped a penalty shot into the net with just four seconds left in the third quarter to break an 8-8 tie. The Bruins wouldn’t lose the lead again.
“The thing that I love about this team (is that) we’re finding ways to win,” said coach Adam Wright. “Fourth quarter, we gave them no goals. That’s tough, especially when you’re up.”
The lone fourth-quarter goal came from senior utility Cristiano Mirarchi, extending UCLA’s lead beyond a one-goal margin for the first time in the match. The final quarter was a defensive showcase against multiple power-play opportunities by the Trojans. With the clock on their side, the Bruins slowed the pace down while maintaining the intensity of the first three quarters.
Out to prove that their losses three weeks ago to Stanford and USC were flukes, the UCLA team has now been able to hand each of those teams a loss since Oct. 24. The Bruins remain an undefeated 6-0 in the MPSF with just weeks left in the regular season.
Revenge, however, was not at the forefront of the team’s mind, said Reynolds, who stressed a more centered approach to each game.
“We try to take every game one game at a time,” Reynolds said. “We started thinking about this game on Monday of this past week and came in hard.”