Saturday, October 21
Los Angeles, CA
11:00 AM
UCLA
vs
California
Freshman Quinten Osborne is second on the team in drawn exclusions (24).
Photo by: Don Liebig, UCLA Photography
No. 2 UCLA Hosts No. 3 California on Saturday
October 18, 2017 | Men's Water Polo
The Bruins and the Golden Bears open the MPSF slate live on the Pac-12 Networks on Oct. 21 at 11:00 a.m. PT.
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ON DECK THIS WEEK
In the biggest game of the week in collegiate water polo, No. 2 UCLA (15-1, 0-0) hosts No. 3 California (15-1, 0-0) to open MPSF play for both teams on Saturday, Oct. 21. The game will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks with Greg Mescall calling all of the exciting action, which will begin at 11:05 a.m. PT.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 153rd meeting between UCLA and California with the Bruins leading the all-time series, 85-66-1. The last three meetings between UCLA and Cal have all gone into overtime, with the Bruins posting a 9-8 win in this year's only other meeting (Sept. 23). Last year the Bruins also defeated Cal in the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament, 11-10, on Nov. 18. The Golden Bears would avenge that loss with a 9-8 win in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 4, that snapped a 10-game losing skid to the Bruins. In the last 10 years (since 2007), the two teams have met a total of 30 times (UCLA 19-11 in those games) with 17 of those meetings decided by just one goal (UCLA 11-6 in those games) and eight of them going extra frames (UCLA 6-2 in those games).
LAST TIME OUT VS. CALIFORNIA
The young but talented Bruins, ranked No. 4 at the time, stunned No. 1 California, the defending NCAA Champions, with a 9-8 overtime victory in the semifinals of the Mountain Pacific Invitational at USC on Sept. 23. Odysseas Masmanidis tied the game at 5-5 (6:47) with a goal at two meters for California in the fourth quarter. But senior Max Irving put the Bruins up 6-5 (2:24) with a goal at full strength with 2;24 to go in regulation. Johnny Hooper converted a penalty shot (1:20) for Cal to tie the game at 6-6. Both teams would make a huge defensive stop down the stretch to send the game into extra frames. In the first overtime period, California regained the lead on a shot by Luca Cupido after an ordinary foul to give the Golden Bears a 7-6 lead (2:41). But like he did in quarterfinals against Pacific, senior Matt Farmer stepped up with a huge score from two meters (1:38) to tie the game at 7-7. Freshman Nicolas Saveljic completed his hat trick with a power play goal with 12 seconds remaining in the first overtime period that gave UCLA an 8-7 advantage. Senior Jack Grover scored on a counter that gave the Bruins a 9-7 lead with 2:32 to go. But Cupido netted his fourth of the game after another ordinary foul (1:02) that cut the lead to 9-8. The Bruins would make a final defensive stand to secure the victory. The Bruins would go on to win the title with an explosive 13-11 victory at No. 2 USC the following day.
REHASHING LAST WEEK
Second-ranked UCLA jumped out to a 4-1 lead and never trailed in an 8-6 victory on Saturday night (Oct. 14) against No. 7 Long Beach State at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center. The Bruins improved to 15-1 on the year and 100-21-1 all-time against the 49ers (9-8). UCLA was led by freshman Nicolas Saveljic's three goals. Senior Jesse Camou and freshman Chasen Travisano each scored twice for UCLA. Redshirt sophomore Alex Wolf played the entire game in the cage for the Bruins, making 13 saves while allowing six goals. The day before, the Bruins scored eight goals in the first quarter and never looked back, downing No. 17 Cal Baptist 20-9 on Oct. 13. The Bruins improved to 9-0 all-time against the Lancers (16-9). The Bruins were led by junior Austin Rone and junior Kent Inoue, who each had a career-high four goals on the night. Redshirt sophomore Raphael Raede also had the first hat trick of his career. Senior goalkeeper Aleksandar Ruzic started in the cage and played the first three quarters, recording seven saves while allowing seven goals. Redshirt sophomore Jonathan Van De Velde played the fourth quarter and was credited with three stops while surrendering two scores.
COACHING CHANGES
The UCLA men's water polo team has hired Bruin standout Ryder Roberts to the post of assistant coach and has promoted Jason Falitz to associate head coach, head coach Adam Wright announced on Aug. 16, 2017.
SUDDEN IMPACT
Two of UCLA's top three scorers are freshmen through the first 16 games of the 2017 season. True freshman Nicolas Saveljic (6-7, ATK, Kotor, Montenegro) leads UCLA in scoring with 31 goals (2.21 goals per game), which ranks 4th in the MPSF. He has scored at least one goal in 14 of the 15 games he has played (played only one quarter in last week's 20-9 win over No. 17 Cal Baptist (Oct. 13) and failed to score on only one shot). He also leads the team in steals (21) and in sprints won (14-of-20). True freshman Chasen Travisano (6-2, ATK, Glendora, Calif., Damien HS), is third on the team in scoring with 22 goals (1.38 goals per game), which ranks 14th in the MPSF. He is third on the team in assists (17) and is also third in sprints won (6-of-10).
THE WRIGHT STUFF
Adam Wright is in his ninth season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2017 with an overall record of 221-33 (.870) and an MPSF mark of 50-10 (.833). His teams earned perfect APR (Academic Progress Rate) scores of 1,000 in 2014 and 2015 while winning the school's 112th and 113th NCAA Championships. On July 20, 2017, UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wright will now guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams.
KEEPERS OF THE STREAK
During the 2016 season, UCLA set school, conference and national records for consecutive wins (57) in collegiate men's water polo. The 57-game winning streak was the second-longest streak among all sports at UCLA (men's basketball won 88 consecutive games from 1971-74). The Bruins finished the season 25-3 overall. The 57 straight victories dated back to the 2014 campaign, UCLA's first of two consecutive national titles. The Bruins also won an MPSF and UCLA record 26 straight league games dating back to the 2013 season.
Players Mentioned
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