Monday, January 6, 1997
WATER POLO:
Bruins crush the Trojans’ hopes of achieving the 1996 titleBy
Greg Calvert
Daily Bruin Contributor
Ladies and Gentlemen, this ride has come to an end. Thank you
for riding UCLA’s water polo express, and please remember that the
Bruins will be defending the NCAA title again next year.
In a season crafted solely by dreamers, UCLA water polo fans
experienced extremes that only come with defending a national
championship.
Memorable moments came early with tournament titles in Newport
and Colorado Springs, and the Bruins entered the Northern
California Tournament’s final match against USC as the top-ranked
team in the country. However, the Trojans took a hold of the No. 1
ranking with a 13-8 victory, and would not relinquish it for the
remainder of the season  the regular season, that is.
USC would prove to be the most effective team against the
defending champion Bruins. UCLA’s weaknesses were exposed by the
cross-town rivals, as the Trojans dominated the Bruins in their
next two meetings.
Bruin head coach Guy Baker struggled throughout the season to
get his team to play together. The potential of this talented squad
was finally realized during a road trip to the Bay Area after the
loss to ‘SC, punctuated by a sweep of California and Stanford for
the second consecutive year. Baker pulled his players together
after the narrow 9-8 overtime victory against the Bears and said,
"We’re back. Today’s match showed the most heart I’ve seen all
season."
That confidence in their ability to play well together seemed to
disappear after that weekend, and Stanford took advantage of what
turned out to be a Bruin late-season breakdown with an upset of
UCLA at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center that advanced the Cardinal to
the No. 2 ranking.
The slump continued as the Bruins headed north for the Mountain
Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) tournament, where Pacific and UC
Irvine both handed the Bruins terrible defeats. A disappointed head
coach Baker blamed himself for the embarrassing sixth-place finish
in the MPSF tournament in Berkeley, and the season, they believed,
was over.
The team meeting at the close of the MPSF tournament included
words of comfort and closure. Baker reminded his visibly defeated
team that they "have the heart of champions and will always be
champions. Nobody can take that away from you."
But then the Bruins were given a second life. UCLA was selected
for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
UCLA earned the at-large berth over Stanford because the Bruins
had fewer losses, the head-to-head advantage (2-1), and a better
record against ranked opponents. The Bruins were granted an
opportunity to defend their title, but a repeat seemed unlikely
with the enormous momentum that the USC squad had generated.
This was to be USC’s year, and the team from downtown Los
Angeles was confident of finally winning a NCAA title. USC won
their semifinal match to reach the finals, and they found the
defending champion Bruins as the last team they would have to
beat.
The Bruins came out on fire. Their team play magically returned
to heights that surpassed all early-season successes.
The UCLA offense netted six points in the first quarter, but
only two the rest of the game. And so the defense hung on to the
lead for dear life. Their 8-7 victory was only ensured when USC’s
Hrvoje Cizmic just missed an attempt at a tying shot in the game’s
final minute.
For the seven seniors, the memories will last forever. Their
final collegiate match earned them a second national title and
bragging rights for eternity.
Goalkeeper Matt Swanson stepped up in the final game with an
unbelievable performance  tallying 14 saves and earning the
tournament MVP for the second year in a row. "He played out of his
head today," teammate Eric Helfer said.
This late surge of inspiration seemed to come from nowhere, but
Swanson reminded reporters that he dedicated this season, just as
the last, to the late Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia.
"Jerry has always been with us, and his presence was definitely
felt today," Swanson said with a smile from ear to ear and a Garcia
T-shirt on his chest.
Swanson, along with Randy Wright, Jeremy Braxton-Brown, Jim
Toring, Corbin Graham, Jeff Porter and Terry Baker, came up with
performances on which their college careers are worthy of
ending.
UCLA water polo fans experienced extremes that only come with
defending a national championship.S. McLean/Scott Photo
UCLA goalkeeper Matt Swanson shuts down USC’s top-rated offense
in
Dec. 8 national championship game at UC San Diego in La
Jolla.