Underneath the sweltering late-November Los Angeles sunshine,
the UCLA men’s water polo team closed regular-season play
with a 8-5 victory over the UC Irvine Anteaters. The game was
noteworthy for another reason, as it marked the final home game for
the seven Bruin seniors. As a tribute to the seniors, coach Adam
Krikorian started all seven players as a group, allowing them to
finish their at-home careers with almost a full quarter of playing
time together.
“These guys are a fun group,” Krikorian said.
“This program is going to miss them, and all of the things
they have taught us and brought to this program will live on for a
long time.”
Logan Powell, Michael March, Brad Greiner, Will Didinger, James
Palmer, Grant Zider and Tyler Krikorian have all been with the
program for five years, and as they were honored prior to the start
of the match, looks of nostalgia surfaced on their faces as they
listened to their individual accomplishments attained over the
years as Bruins.
March, who finished the weekend with a team-high five goals, had
a mix of feelings following the final home game of his career.
“It was a little emotional,” March said. “I
have seen Senior Day happen three or four times now, and it’s
finally happening to me. I thought I would be excited for this
game, but everything’s coming back to me and, not to be
sentimental or anything, but it’s coming to an end. It has
been a good time. It’s just time to move on to bigger and
better things after MPSFs and NCAAs.”
The Bruins started their weekend of play on Friday afternoon by
handily defeating Long Beach State, 17-4.
UCLA held control of the momentum from the start, with three
first-quarter goals from March. Powell added four goals in the
second quarter. Combined with three goals from three other players,
the Bruins went into halftime with a 10-1 advantage.
In the second half of play, seven different players contributed
offensively with single goals. In the match, all three of the Bruin
goalies were given playing time, resulting in a combined 12 saves
defensively.
In stark contrast to Friday’s play, the Bruins came out
slower on Sunday, lacking the spark that catapulted them over Long
Beach in the previous game. Although able to pull off a win, UCLA
suffered a bit of a scare in the fourth quarter as the Anteaters
closed a once four-goal gap, bringing Irvine within a goal of tying
the game.
Effectively curbing the three-goal comeback attempt, the Bruins
responded with three goals of their own. The fourth-quarter goals
were the second for Scott Davidson and Krsto Sbutega and the first
for Marco Santos.
“We did well on Friday and not today,” Tyler
Krikorian said. “We played pretty bad today. Our defense was
okay, but we can do much better. Will saved us on a few occasions.
He was on fire today, and that was good to see.”
Didinger notched 10 saves on the day in goal for the Bruins,
making up for lackluster play at times.
“I was very excited for this game,” Didinger said.
“It was the last one here at Sunset (Canyon Recreation
Center), and I was really ready for the game.”
The No. 3 Bruins resume play over Thanksgiving weekend, as they
travel to Irvine for the MPSF Tournament. The tournament marks the
most important weekend for the team to date, as the results will
determine whether or not UCLA will have an opportunity to move
forward and compete in the NCAA Tournament the following
weekend.