The UCLA men’s water polo team will play at Loyola
Marymount today at 3 p.m. in a non-conference match.
While the No. 4 Bruins (14-5) have a better record than the No.
10 Lions (11-11), the two teams teams played a close match on Sept.
21, one that UCLA narrowly won 5-4.
“UCLA is definitely a game (LMU) can win, because we have
been so tight with them before,” LMU assistant coach Max
Miyahara told the Los Angeles Loyolan. “A big win would be
huge for the confidence of the team.”
LMU is led by sophomore Endre Rex-Kiss, who has 40 goals on the
season.
UCLA junior center Ted Peck has been hot lately for the Bruins,
scoring six goals in the last three games, including two in a 6-4
loss to Stanford.
Today’s battle against LMU is the fourth game on a
six-game road trip for the Bruins, with the last two coming this
weekend at UC Irvine on Saturday and at Long Beach State on
Sunday.
Both matches are MPSF matches and will have a huge impact on the
conference standings. No. 1 USC (3-1), UCLA (4-1) and No. 3
Stanford (6-1) are all tied in the loss column, and neither of the
schools play each other the rest of the season.
No. 7 Long Beach State is right behind them with a 3-2 record,
and is on the rise this season, trying to compete with the three
aforementioned water polo powers.
“We are kind of now on the same level as (the elite teams
in the MPSF), but we are still not as consistent,” Long Beach
State coach Rick Azevedo told the Long Beach State 49er, the school
newspaper. “We have what it takes (to win) and now we have to
execute.”
The Bruins have played Long Beach State twice this season and
split the series. UCLA beat UC Irvine in their only other meeting
this season.
No. 2 Cal is the other team still in the MPSF race with a 4-2
conference record.