Heating up the water: squads take crosstown battle aquatic
By Daily Bruin Staff
Nov. 15, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Sophomore driver Albert
Garcia passes the ball against USC earlier this season.
This is the first time the Bruins face the Trojans in their
pool.
By Eric Perez
Daily Bruin Contributor
It’s the final game of the season for the No. 2 UCLA
men’s water polo team, and they finish it off against hated
rival No. 4 USC at McDonald’s swim stadium this Saturday.
“In a game (against USC), I just think
“˜kill.'” UCLA sophomore driver Albert Garcia
said. “You can feel the intensity out in the water, all the
pressure, the intensity of being in the middle of the game. The
craziest things happen against USC.”
It will be the final home game for the Trojans (11-5, 6-2
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation). This, combined with the
rivalry aspect and the fact that the winner strengthens its
position for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, is enough to
make the Bruins (12-3, 7-1) see red.
It’s the third round of the season for this rivalry, and
the first time UCLA faces USC in their home pool. The Trojans are
desperate for an important season victory to keep themselves alive
for the at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s the biggest game right now,” senior
two-meter Alfonso Tucay said. “We’ve beat them twice
before, we’ve just got to prove our dominance and take it to
them.”
Indeed, the Bruins have taken it to the Trojans twice this year,
beating them in a league match 7-5 in Westwood and 9-8 in the
semi-finals of the NorCal tournament in Palo Alto.
To take this game in hostile territory, the Bruin defense will
have to clamp down on the Trojans 1-2 punch of senior utility
Daniel Lontay and sophomore Predrag Damjanov.
Lontay leads the Trojans in scoring with 29 goals and scored six
in USC’s 9-8 overtime win against Cal in Berkeley last
Saturday.
“He’s a very good outside shooter and pretty quick
on the counter attack,” UCLA head coach Adam Krikorian
said.
Damjanov is second in Trojan scoring with 24 goals, four of
which have been crucial game tying or winning goals.
“He’s their big two-meter guy; he’s got an
incredible amount of size and strength,” Krikorian said.
“Matt Flesher and Jon Puffer are going to need to do a good
job on him.”
It will be a playoff atmosphere at USC, with UCLA facing a
desperate Trojan squad.
“It’s what we’re all here for. It’s fun
to go blow teams away, but when there’s something at stake,
it’s a lot more interesting,” Tucay said.
