For most of the season so far, the No. 1 UCLA men’s water polo team has started most games explosively and jumped to an early lead that the team continued to build on throughout the match.
On Saturday, things started a little differently.
No. 9 UC Irvine knocked in two goals in the first two minutes of the game while the UCLA (13-0, 1-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) offense stagnated. It looked, for a moment, like UCLA’s 12-game win streak, and it’s so-far perfect season, were in danger.
Then sophomore center Gordon Marshall knocked in a goal. And 45 seconds later, sophomore defender Chancellor Ramirez put another one in the net. The Bruins took the lead just over a minute later when junior utility Danny McClintick scored the first of his four goals. UCLA would not trail again after that in a 17-9 win.
Within two minutes, the Bruins had shifted the momentum of the game against the Anteaters, and carried it into the fourth period. UCI scored once in the second period and twice in the third, while UCLA scored four and five times, respectively.
With his team holding a 13-5 lead with only one period remaining, coach Adam Wright pulled his starting goalkeeper, sophomore Garrett Danner, and the Bruins allowed four goals in the fourth quarter.
A late offensive push from the Bruins, capped by a last-minute goal from senior attacker Christopher Meinhold, ensured that the Bruins finished the game with a comfortable eight-point lead.
The game was the start of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference play for the Bruins, who finished 7-1 last year when a poor performance in the MPSF tournament knocked them into fourth place.
The next game for UCLA will be another conference matchup against No. 11 Pepperdine Friday. The two meetings between the schools last year were decided by a combined three goals, with a late comeback from the then-No. 9 Waves almost sinking the then-No. 1 Bruins in their September 2013 matchup.
Compiled by Erik Rehnberg, Bruin Sports contributor.