No. 1 UCLA Opens MPSF Play at No. 2 Cal

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LOS ANGELES – No. 1 UCLA (20-0) travels to the Bay Area for a showdown against 2nd-ranked California (14-1) on Saturday, Oct. 22 at Spieker Aquatics Complex in Berkeley. The game marks the MPSF opener for both teams and will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks with the opening sprint slated for 3:30 p.m.

Series Records
The Bruins are 81-65-1 all-time against California. Last year, the Bruins defeated the Golden Bears four times: 8-6 at the NorCal Invitational (Sept. 20), 13-8 at the SoCal Tournament (Oct. 11), 8-7 in an MPSF home game (Oct. 24) and 12-11 in overtime for the MPSF Tournament title (Nov. 22). This season, the Bruins defeated California 10-7 in the championship game of the Mountain Pacific Invitational (Sept. 25).

Anatomy of a Winning Streak
UCLA is 20-0 in 2016, running its winning streak to 53 games, an all-time UCLA men's water polo record for consecutive victories (surpassing the previous mark of 50 wins set in 1964-68). The Bruins set a new all-time NCAA-record for consecutive wins this season after a 15-8 victory against UC Davis (Oct. 9). The previous NCAA record of 51 wins was set by Stanford from 1985-87. UCLA's 53-game win streak began Nov. 23, 2014 with a 10-5 victory over USC in the MPSF tournament. It has been 696 days since the Bruins last lost a game. During the winning streak, UCLA has won 30 games against top 10 teams and 16 games against top five teams, including six straight wins over crosstown rival USC. Three wins were decided by two goals and five wins were decided by just one goal. Only two wins were in overtime. Throughout the streak, UCLA has been dominant at home with a 12-0 record at Speiker Aquatics Center, but has proved to be competitive on the road and in neutral situations as well. The Bruins are 17-0 as vistors and 24-0 at neutral sites. UCLA has outscored its opponents 710-285 (13.4 gpg-5.4 gpg) in the 696-day span.

Goldenberg Named MPSF/Kap7 Newcomer of the Week
UCLA redshirt freshman Eric Goldenberg (Ft. Lauderdale, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas HS) was named the MPSF/Kap7 Newcomer of the Week on Oct. 3 as announced by the league. He scored four goals on four shots in two wins as the Bruins tied their school record of 50 consecutive victories (Oct. 1). Goldenberg opened with one goal in an 11-0 win over No. 13 UC Irvine, also adding two field blocks. Then in a 17-4 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, he tied his season-high with a game-high three goals while adding one steal. This was Goldenberg's first career MPSF honor and the first for UCLA in 2016.

Farmer Named UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week
UCLA junior center Matt Farmer (La Grange, Ill/Fenwick HS) was voted the UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week for Sept. 26-Oct. 1. Farmer helped UCLA tie its school record of 50 consecutive victories with three goals in two home games at the start of the month. He tied for the team lead in scoring with two goals in an 11-0 win over No. 13 UC Irvine on Saturday, Oct. 1. He also drew two exclusions against the Anteaters. Then later that day, in a 17-4 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, he scored once while recording one assist and drawing another exclusion. This was Farmer's first UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week honor of the season and of his career. He is currently tied for fifth on the team in scoring with 20 goals in 20 games and is second on the team in earned exclusions (24).

Freshmen Making Immediate Impact
Two UCLA true freshmen have earned caps and are making immediate impacts with the Bruins in 2016. Jake Simpson is currently tied for eighth on the team in scoring after 16 games with 13 goals. He already has three multiple-goal games and has scored in 10 of the 16 games he has played. He has tallied six assists, seven steals and has won three sprints so far this season. James Vlachonassios has scored nine goals (tied for 15th on the squad) in his first 18 games, including a hat trick in the win over Redlands (Sept. 4). He has registered 16 assists (fifth on the team) and nine steals on the year.

Fellner On Fire
Senior Patrick Fellner is currently leading the team in scoring with 27 goals (8th in the MPSF) and has played in 16 of 20 games with 11 starts. He is ninth on the team in assists (13) and is fourth on the squad in steals (15). Fellner ranks fifth in earned exclusions (12) and has won 10 sprints (3rd on the team). He scored at least one goal in 13 of the last 14 games he played, which was the longest streak on the team.

Picking Up Where He Left Off
Senior Ryder Roberts is currently third on the team in scoring with 24 goals (tied for 12th in the MPSF) and has played in 16 of 20 games with 13 starts. He is tied for third on the team in assists (20) and has won 12 sprints (2nd on the squad). Roberts has also been key on defense for the Bruins, leading the team in steals (29) and field blocks (13). Roberts led UCLA in scoring a year ago with 57 goals. He has 147 career goals and is currenlty tied for 8th on UCLA's all-time Top 10 list (Griffin White also has 147 goals).

The Irving Impact
Junior Max Irving is currently second on the team in scoring with 25 goals (10th in the MPSF) and has played in 16 of 20 games with 13 starts. Last week, he scored two goals in a 10-7 win over UC Santa Barbara (Oct. 13). He recently tallied five steals and five goals in wins against No. 4 Pacific and No. 11 UC Davis, including a hat trick in the 9-5 victory over the fourth-ranked Tigers. He also led the Bruins in scoring with a hat trick in the 10-7 win over No. 2 Cal in the championship game of the Mountain Pacific Invitational (Sept. 25). Irving has tallied 22 assists (2nd on the team), 18 steals (3rd on the team) and eight field blocks (tied for 2nd on the team). He has registered five hat tricks on the year.

Fuentes A Force
Senior Joey Fuentes is fourth on the squad in scoring with 21 goals and has played in all 20 games, making three starts. He registered a hat trick in the Bruins' win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Oct. 1) and led the Bruins in scoring with four goals in the 18-7 win over Pomona-Pitzer (Sept. 23). Fuentes leads the team in assists (29), is fifth on the team with 14 steals and has won eight sprints (4th on the squad). He has scored at least one goal in 12 of the 20 games he has played in.

Roelse on a Roll
Junior Alex Roelse is tied for 5th on the team in scoring with 20 goals (11th in the MPSF) and has played in 13 of 20 games, making three starts. Last week, he led the Bruins with a hat trick in their 10-7 win over UC Santa Barbara (Oct. 13). He recently scored five goals in two games when the Bruins traveled to play No. 4 Pacific and No. 11 UC Davis, leading the team with a hat trick against the Aggies on Sunday to seal the Bruins' NCAA-record 52nd consecutive victory. He has tallied 14 assists and nine steals on the year. Roelse represented the United States in men's water polo at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Bruins Solid In The Cage
The Bruins have used three different goalkeepers in 2016, including Cutino Award winner and last year's league (MPSF) and National Player of the Year, Garrett Danner. So far with just 32.1233 quarters (8.03 games) played, he is averaging 11.08 saves per game while holding a 5.23 goals against average. Junior Aleksandar Ruzic has spent the most time in the cage, playing 43.6267 quarters (10.91 games) while averaging 8.62 saves per game to go with a 4.95 goals against average. Redshirt freshman Jonathan Van De Velde played the second half of the Bruins' win over Chapman (Sept. 4) as well as the second half of the Bruins' victory against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Oct. 1) and has a saves average of 9.0 per game to go with his team-best 3.00 goals against average.

Adjustments Made
UCLA has only allowed 22 goals in the third period over the first 20 games, its best defensive period, outscoring its opposition 79-22 in that span. The Bruins have only allowed six goals in the third period in their last five games.

Hat Tricks Galore
UCLA has had at least one hat trick in 18 of 20 games and multiple hat tricks in six of the 20 contests. Additionally, the Bruins had four hat tricks in the 16-5 win over St. Francis Brooklyn (Sept. 11) as Ryder Roberts, Matt Farmer, Max Irving and Patrick Fellner each scored three goals against the Terriers. UCLA has had a hat trick in its last four games.

Wright on Deck
UCLA Head Coach Adam Wright, the 2014 and 2015 ACWPC Coach of the Year, is in his eighth season in 2016 at the helm of the Bruins' program, sporting an overall record of 201-30 (.870), including a 48-9 (.842) mark in MPSF action. He was won two NCAA titles as a coach (2014 and 2015) and two as a player (1999 & 2000).

Recapping 2015
The Bruins ended the year with a 30-0 record and went a perfect 9-0 in the MPSF for its second-consecutive undefeated league season. UCLA went 4-0 on the year against USC, including a 10-7 victory in the NCAA Championship game to win its second straight NCAA title, the program's 10th overall and the school's 113th. The undefeated season was the first for UCLA since the 1969 team went 19-0, marking the fourth undefeated season all-time in NCAA men's water polo history. The Bruins entered 2016 with a 33-game winning streak (second-longest in school history) and a 24-game winning streak in the MPSF, a school record. This season, UCLA set a new school record for consecutive overall wins with its 51st straight victory (surpassing the previous record set in 1964-68) and also set a new NCAA record for consecutive wins with its 52nd straight win (set on Oct. 9).

Picked to Win MPSF
For the second-straight year, UCLA has finished on top of the MPSF Men's Water Polo Preseason Coaches' poll, collecting the maximum possible 16 points and four first-place votes. Taking second in this year's poll is USC with 13 points and one first-place vote. National runners-up the last two years, the Trojans have reached the NCAA Championship game the last 11 seasons, winning seven titles in that span. They return their top seven scorers from last year, including All-Americans Blake Edwards (68 goals; No. 3 MPSF), Grant Stein, Lachlan Edwards, and Matteo Morelli. Olympians Thomas Dunstan (newcomer) and goalkeeper McQuin Baron are also on the roster. Finishing in the middle of the poll was California with 10 points, coming off a third-place finish at the NCAA Championship in 2015. U.S. Olympian Luca Cupido returns for the Bears, named first-team All-American and NCAA All-Tournament last year. Also back is the reigning MPSF Newcomer of the Year Johnny Hooper (74 goals; No. 2 MPSF), as well as all-conference performers Odysseas Masmanidis (66 goals) and goalkeeper Lazar Andric. Stanford placed fourth in the poll with seven points. Back is All-American Goalkeeper Drew Holland. He enters 2016 with 742 career saves, two away from the school record and 12 away from breaking into the MPSF's all-time top-10. While three of its top-four scorers have graduated (including MPSF all-time leading scorer Bret Bonanni), the Cardinal welcome back Reid Chase (38 goals), Cody Smith, and Connor Stapleton, along with U.S. Olympian Ben Hallock as part of a six-member incoming class. Rounding out the poll of the five-team conference is first-year member Penn State Behrend. The Lions will solely compete in the MPSF Championship Tournament, not in the MPSF's regular season conference schedule. They return All-American Grant Garcia along with Troy Valkusky, and bring in top newcomers Andre Sardaryzadeh, Isaak Hatopp, and Greg Levet. Located in Erie, Pa., NCAA Division III Penn State Behrend comes to the MPSF from the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA).

UCLA Hosting 2016 MPSF Championship
UCLA is this year's site of the 2016 MPSF Championship Tournament, November 18-20, where all five teams will compete for entry to the NCAA Tournament. California will host NCAA's December 3-4. Since its inaugural season of 1992, the MPSF has captured all 24 NCAA titles in men's water polo.

Polling UCLA
The UCLA Bruins, which have been ranked at No. 1 for 24 consecutive weeks, dating back to week 13 of the 2014 poll (Dec. 3, 2014), were tabbed as the top-ranked team entering the 2016 season in the Collegiate Water Polo Association's (CWPA) Preseason Poll. The Bruins retained top billing this week (Oct. 12) and have owned that spot in 30 of the last 36 weekly polls.

2016 Men's Varsity Top 20 (Week 6/Oct. 12)
Rank	Team	Last Week	Points
1	UCLA	1	100
2	California	2	95
3	USC	3	90
4	Pacific	4	85
5	Stanford	5	80
6	Long Beach State	6	75
7	UC Santa Barbara	7	63
8	Pepperdine	8	58
9	Princeton	13	54
10	UC Davis	11	53
11	Brown	14	52
12	Harvard	9	48
13	Bucknell	9	42
14	George Washington	16	33
15	Cal Baptist	15	31
16	UC San Diego	12	28
17	Pomona-Pitzer	19	24
18	UC Irvine	17	12
19	St. Francis Brooklyn	18	10
20	Air Force Academy	19	8

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No. 1 UCLA Opens MPSF Play at No. 2 Cal

2016 Men's Varsity Top 20 (Week 6/Oct. 12)

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Players Mentioned

Garrett Danner

Matt Farmer

Patrick Fellner

Joey Fuentes

Eric Goldenberg

Max Irving

Ryder Roberts

Alex Roelse

Aleksandar Ruzic

Jake Simpson

Jonathan Van De Velde

James Vlachonassios

University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics

No. 1 UCLA Opens MPSF Play at No. 2 Cal

2016 Men's Varsity Top 20 (Week 6/Oct. 12)

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Garrett Danner

Matt Farmer

Patrick Fellner

Joey Fuentes

Eric Goldenberg

Max Irving

Ryder Roberts

Alex Roelse

Aleksandar Ruzic

Jake Simpson

Jonathan Van De Velde

James Vlachonassios

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