Men’s water polo falls to USC with automatic NCAA berth on the line

Storm clouds loomed over Spieker Aquatics Center at the end of the first quarter – then the rain started to pour.

Even before the weather matched the tone on the pool deck, the dark and stormy day for UCLA had already begun.

No. 1 USC was up 3-0 after eight minutes, and it proved to be the difference as No. 2 UCLA (25-2, 3-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) fell to USC for the second time in as many weeks, this time in the MPSF championship game.

[Related: NCAA record run ends as UCLA men’s water polo falls 8-7 to USC.]

“That three-goal deficit really hurt us,” said sophomore defender Warren Snyder. “In the first quarter, I would have to give our centers a lot of credit. They were holding really good deep position, however from the perimeter, we weren’t stepping up and taking shots that we needed to take.”

Still, the Bruins did not score a single goal in the first quarter for the first time this season.

As a result, the Bruins came out firing in the second quarter. Senior attacker Patrick Fellner scored UCLA’s first goal on a power-play opportunity, but as soon as the Bruins scored, the Trojans would counter back with a goal of their own.

Senior attacker Ryder Roberts cut the lead to 5-2 with sheer force as he powered a goal past USC goalkeeper McQuin Baron with only seven seconds left in the second quarter.

By the end of the third, the Trojans had scored seven goals, the most the Bruins have allowed in just three quarters of play all year. UCLA was down 7-4, posed for a comeback reminiscent of Friday night’s game against No. 3 California, but Baron was a wall.

The 2016 Olympian had seven saves at the end of the first quarter alone, blocked a 5-meter penalty shot from Fellner in the third and ended the day with 16 saves – the highest total for him against UCLA in his three-year career.

“The reality is he’s a good goalie,” said coach Adam Wright. “Today he had an excellent game. I think we were put in a tough situation because of the way he was playing in the goal and the way they were blocking the ball with their field players out in front.”

Senior goalkeeper Garrett Danner had 14 saves, including a blocked 5-meter penalty shot from USC’s Blake Edwards.

“It makes it a really hard game if we give them the early counter chances that leave Garrett to try and make up for our mistakes,” said junior utility Alex Roelse. “Our team lost sight of our routines and style of play, which led to a scared and passive style of play, which doesn’t suit us well at all.”

Both teams seemed to struggle on the offensive end when it came to 6-on-5 opportunities. UCLA went 4 for 12 on power plays and USC went 3 for 8.

“A couple of them we just rushed it and tried to throw the ball directly to the center or right off the ejection, and both those times, we didn’t get a shot off and it was a turnover,” Synder said. “We weren’t really patient on our 6-on-5 attack and we rushed it.”

The win today will give USC an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The selection committee will determine in the coming week the at-large bids, with No. 2 UCLA likely to get one of them.

[Related: UCLA loss to USC sends ripples through water polo world.]

“We need to reset ourselves and build off of our qualities leading up to NCAA’s and ask ourselves what kind of team we are,” Roelse said. “We certainly don’t want to be the team we showed today.”