USC is never a threat for UCLA ““ at least in men’s
water polo.
The numbers cannot prove otherwise, and in their fourth match of
the year, the No. 4 Bruins again sank No. 3 USC in the pool
Saturday, 12-10.
The latest victory for the Bruins (13-7, 4-4 Mountain Pacific
Sports Federation) was a playoff preview, a typically hard-fought
match between two of the biggest rivals in water polo.
“We never get sick of playing ‘SC, especially when
we are beating them,” senior goalkeeper Brandon Brooks said.
“The game went well, we played fast, tough, and we came out
on top.”
Brooks recorded nine saves, but gave up 10 goals. For one of the
best goalies in the nation, it was a disappointing performance.
“It’s always possible to play better,” he
said.
Regardless of that possibility, the Bruins won because they were
producing more than the Trojans (18-7. 5-3). UCLA has worked on its
attacking game and offensive execution, and it showed on
Saturday.
Head coach Adam Krikorian felt the team did its share in order
to seal the the victory.
“A win is a win,” he said. “We’ve stuck
by our game plan all year, and we play our best when we’re
communicating and helping each other.”
It was evident early.
After the Trojans scored in the first 28 seconds of play, the
match was over. UCLA tied it two minutes later and responded with
two more goals to lead 3-1 after the first quarter.
USC could only play catch-up for the remainder of the game,
coming within one goal on three separate occasions. But the Bruins
would pull away with two more goals, leading to a couple of hat
tricks for their underclassmen.
True freshman Michael March recorded a career-high four goals.
March is a child in the collegiate water polo world, but after
facing USC so many times this season, he understands what it means
to be a true rival.
“Every time we play ‘SC, we’re more aggressive
and we’re pretty pumped,” he said. “It’s
hard to describe the rivalry, but it’s a lot different than
playing other teams. I’m just happy we beat the
Trojans.”
The Bruins are now 3-1 on the season against USC. And
they’ll start their quest for a conference championship by
having to play USC for a fifth and final time.
“It’s the best college rivalry in water polo,”
Krikorian said. “It’s always fun to play before the
UCLA-USC football game, but we’re familiar with each other
because we play each other so many times in a year.”