The shot clock had expired, the pool was quiet and UCLA digested the 10-7 loss to crosstown rival USC at the UC Irvine Invitational.
It was the second loss of the season and the same story for the Bruins – an all too familiar loss to an all too familiar opponent.
“Throughout the game in general, I thought that we created a lot of good chances,” said coach Brandon Brooks after the game back in late February. “Defensively we didn’t stick to our fundamentals, and we didn’t put in the necessary work to have a chance to win the game.”
The team, which has an entirely new dynamic compared to the previous year, was still learning how to work with one another – adjusting and adapting to the strengths and weaknesses among the team.
“I feel like we weren’t as enthusiastic as we could have been (against USC at the invitational),” said freshman goalkeeper Carlee Kapana. “If we did something, we were just like, ‘Okay let’s get back to the line and go to the next play.’ We were low on energy and didn’t have much enthusiasm – there was no will to win.”
Now after a little over a month of improving on communication and team dynamics, No. 2 UCLA (20-2, 3-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) will have its third chance of the season to break No. 1 USC’s (17-0, 3-0) perfect record.
“I think that we all have more of an understanding of what we need to do,” said redshirt junior center Alexa Tielmann. “We’ve been communicating a lot more in the pool which was one of the biggest things we needed to work on this year.”
The Bruins have found their rhythm now and is riding a nine-game winning streak. UCLA’s 6-on-5 counterattack has improved over the last stretch of games, and they are 58 for 107 on the year so far. The Bruins are converting 12 out of the 20 shots on a drive attempt and are 79 for 110 on the counterattack.
The Bruin’s stout defense has been the team’s strength. UCLA has 205 steals and 57 field blocks on the defensive end – its press being an unwavering component to that defensive structure.
On the offensive end, UCLA is outscoring its opponents 272-110 goals, a staggering average of 12.36 goals per game. The Bruins held all teams to single-digit scoring , aside from the Feb. 28 game against the Trojans.
However, the question still remains on how to approach a team like USC.
“Really good defense,” Kapana said. “Shot blocks, goalie blocks, really good press defense and then breaking their press on the other end. Executing on all our shots and all our plays, not slowing down and keeping up the energy.”
The Trojans are boasting an unblemished record of 17-0, and to add salt to the wound, USC is outscoring its opponents 214-77 goals and averaging 12.6 goals a game. The Trojans have held the opposing team to a mere average of 4.5 goals per game, defensively shutting down those they face.
“I think that the team that has fewer turnovers and wins the 6-on-5 and 5-on-6 battle will probably win,” Brooks said. “Within that, if one of the teams can get some penalties of counterattack goals, then that’s a big swing going their way.”
USC is led by the dynamic twin duo Stephania Haralabidis and Ioanna Haralabidis from Athens. The sisters, combined, have 77 goals this season, the same number of goals that the Trojans’ defense has given up.
“I think that we really need to play as a team and not get ahead of ourselves,” Tielmann said. “We need to keep our energy really high because that’s another issue we’ve had the last game. With the first game that we played against ‘SC, that was definitely an issue, but it definitely improved in our second game.”
UCLA and USC have been constantly dueling it out for the top standing in Collegiate Water Polo Association polls. The Trojans have held onto the No. 1 spot since Feb. 17.
“The big games, the rivalry games, the championship games – all those games are, in my opinion, what you train for,” Brooks said. “You train to be ready in the big moment. You train to be confident that you can perform when you need to perform. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the thrill.”
UCLA will travel across the city Saturday after competing at home for the first time this season last weekend.
“Honestly the best feeling that we could feel going to their home pool is silencing the crowd,” Tielmann said. “If we can quiet their fans, that’s one of the best feelings.”