After finishing the conference season undefeated on Sunday, the
Bruins didn’t celebrate.
But they weren’t dejected, like they would be after a
loss, either.
The UCLA men’s water polo team just didn’t know what
to think.
The team had just won two physical, grueling matches, beating
both cross-town rival USC 6-4 on Saturday and UC Irvine 7-6 on
Sunday.
“After a game like that, it’s hard to feel anything
about going undefeated right now,” said UCLA coach Adam
Krikorian after the Bruins’ match with UCI.
But what the No. 1 Bruins (21-2, 8-0 MPSF) do feel is ready for
the MPSF Tournament. Not only did they finish undefeated in the
most competitive conference in the nation and extend their winning
streak to 16 games, the longest UCLA has had in 16 years, the
Bruins virtually clinched a bid to the NCAA Tournament. And
they’re definitely battle tested.
For the past couple of months, teams have given UCLA their best
attempt in dethroning the No. 1 Bruins, and USC followed that
pattern this weekend.
In front of a raucous McDonalds Swim Stadium, the Bruins found
themselves down 3-2 heading into the second half. But the Bruins
never wavered.
“We kept our composure,” senior attacker Brett
Ormsby said. “We knew we’d be alright by the end of the
game.”
In the second half, the Bruins offense and defense surged past
the Trojans.
Ormsby, who finished with four goals, kept UCLA in the game in
the first half with two goals.
He tied the game in the third quarter on a 6-on-5 situation and
gave the Bruins a key insurance goal in the fourth when he scored
after grabbing a rebound off the goalpost on a shot by Albert
Garcia.
“He knows what’s on the line,” Krikorian said.
“When you have the opportunity to close out the season
undefeated and with the winning streak on the line, he wanted to
make sure that happened. He carried us. It was awesome to see. Of
course, we’ve come to expect that from Brett.”
With a 6-3 lead in middle of the fourth period and USC pressing
to score, UCLA’s defense clamped down on the Trojans. The
Bruins didn’t let USC score in the second half until there
were less than two minutes to play.
It seemed every time a Trojan got the ball, there was a UCLA
defender directly on him, and two or three more in the way between
him and the net.
“I can’t ask any more from my defense,” said
senior goalie Joseph Axelrad, who made eight saves on Saturday and
10 on Sunday. “My guys played great.”
UCLA’s defense has consistently subdued USC this season,
holding the Trojans to season-low goal totals in both their
games.
“We played great team defense,” Krikorian said.
“We’re not just a team of great individual defenders
““ as a team we play much better. It won us the
game.”
Ormsby also scored three goals on Sunday against the Anteaters,
including a goal with 0.5 seconds left in the first quarter to pull
UCLA within one.
The Bruins found themselves down 4-3 at halftime before scoring
three in the third quarter. Ormsby’s goal in the fourth
quarter put UCLA up 7-5, giving the Bruins an insurance goal they
would need.
After what was an exhausting weekend for UCLA in which it won
its first outright MPSF title since 1999 ““ which was also the
last time the team went undefeated in conference play ““ only
one thing mattered.
“A win’s a win,” senior center Ted Peck said.
“That’s all we care about.”