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Bruins beat Golden Bears in come-from-behind men’s water polo win

Junior attacker Chasen Travisano scored his fifth and sixth goals of the year in No. 2 UCLA men’s water polo win over No. 8 California. Travisano’s back-to-back goals kicked off the Bruins 4-0 run in the fourth quarter to come back from three goals down. (Liz Ketcham/Photo editor)

Men's Water Polo


No. 8 California9
No. 2 UCLA10

By Kyle Boal

Nov. 3, 2019 4:58 p.m.

This post was updated Nov. 4 at 12:32 a.m.

The Bruins pulled out a comeback victory via a last-minute goal.

No. 2 UCLA men’s water polo (16-1, 1-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) defeated No. 8 California (11-8, 0-1) in its first MPSF conference game this season by a score of 10-9. The Bruins outscored the Golden Bears 4-0 in the fourth quarter to overcome a 9-6 deficit at the end of the third.

With the score tied at nine and 43 seconds remaining in the game, sophomore attacker Jake Cavano unfurled a top-shelf line drive shot to score the go-ahead goal.

“The play was designed for me to get the ball,“ Cavano said. “I didn’t get the foul, but I was still at point-blank range even with a player swimming down on me. I know (California’s) goalie, he was making some good saves all game, but I thought I had him on that one.”

On California’s final possession of the game, UCLA junior attacker Chasen Travisano stole the ball before the Golden Bears could convert a potential game-tying shot.

Before Cavano’s goal, UCLA hadn’t held a lead since a 2-1 advantage four minutes into the game.

California took its first multi-goal lead of the game in the first quarter when an exclusion was called on Cavano with just one second remaining, not without verbal protest from coach Adam Wright. The resulting penalty shot was taken by California attacker Miles O’Brien-Schridde to extend the lead to 4-2.

The Bruins would fight back to a one-goal deficit three times before the half, with sophomore attacker Ashworth Molthen tallying two of his five assists in the second quarter and his final of two goals with only a second left in the period.

UCLA’s five-goal first half was its lowest scoring total in the opening 16 minutes of a game since Sept. 29 when UCLA posted just three first-half goals during its loss to Stanford.

“Early on we put some balls into the post wide open and we just didn’t hit them,” Wright said. “Those are good balls, and the reality is you have to finish those. We had some guys shooting when they should have kept going, and if we would have kept attacking instead of shooting quick, I think a couple things could’ve opened up for us.”

After a 3-1 third-quarter advantage to California, UCLA’s comeback started with three goals in the first two minutes of the fourth. Travisano tallied back-to-back goals to start the fourth, the first on a 6-on-5 opportunity after junior utility Felix Brozyna-Vilim drew the last of his six exclusions in the game.

Down one goal on the next possession, Travisano attempted to notch his third straight score, but his shot hit the post. After the Bruins secured the rebound, Travisano found Brozyna-Vilim in front of the net to knot the score at nine.

Travisano said his positioning on the right side of the net with a fellow lefty – Molthen – and with Brozyna-Vilim posted up inside created the chances for his two fourth-quarter scores.

“(Brozyna-Vilim) held great position deep at the two-meter,” Travisano said. “That forces them to come back into a zone. With me and (Molthen) on the 4-5 side and they went back into zone, and luckily I was there at five meters able to put two down.”

Out of action

Junior attacker Nicolas Saveljic was in street clothes for the game, his fourth missed game of the season. Saveljic led the Bruins with 51 goals in the 2018 season and has scored 18 so far this season.

Wright did not confirm Saveljic’s absence was due to injury.

“For us, it’s important that we always put the team first,” Wright said. “We’ll see moving forward who of the group will be ready for next week.”

The tree falls

In other MPSF action, No. 1 Stanford (15-2, 0-1) lost to No. 7 USC (11-4, 1-0) by a score of 9-8 on Saturday.

The Cardinal are the only team to have beaten the Bruins this season, and have maintained the No. 1 ranking since Oct. 2 – three days after they had beaten the Bruins in the final of the SoCal Invitational.

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Kyle Boal | Sports senior staff
Boal is currently a Sports senior staff writer on the women's water polo beat. He was an assistant Sports editor on the gymnastics, rowing, swim and dive, men's water polo and women's water polo beats. Boal was previously a contributor on the men's water polo and women's water polo beats.
Boal is currently a Sports senior staff writer on the women's water polo beat. He was an assistant Sports editor on the gymnastics, rowing, swim and dive, men's water polo and women's water polo beats. Boal was previously a contributor on the men's water polo and women's water polo beats.
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