Men’s water polo looks to secure 20th-straight win over Pepperdine in home opener

The last time the Bruins played at Spieker Aquatics Center, the game marked the start to losing four of the season’s last five and missing the postseason for the first time in six seasons.

That was 447 days ago.

No. 2 UCLA men’s water polo (2-2) will host No. 5 Pepperdine (2-0) in its home opener and first home matchup in more than a year. The Waves are coming off back-to-back home wins over then-No.18 Air Force (0-2), averaging a six-goal margin of victory.

Junior attacker Jake Cavano – a two-time All-American and the Bruin’s leading scorer in 2019 – said the team puts Pepperdine in the same category as top MPSF opponents.

“They have good shooters, good centers, good goalies, and they’re a really good team, coached well,” Cavano said. “Obviously it’s going to be a very tough competition, and we’ve got to treat them with the same respect that we do with Cal, USC and Stanford. It’s going to be a tough battle.”

The Waves won their second Golden Coast Conference title in 2019, while also participating in the NCAA tournament for the first time since their 1997 national championship season.

The team returns three 30-point scorers from 2019, including juniors Curtis Jarvis, Sean Ferrari and two-time All-American Balazs Kosa – who led the GCC in goals, assists and points last season. Averaging more than 2.5 goals a game a year ago, Kosa scored 93 goals while adding 47 assists.

UCLA, however, has only five upperclassmen, with freshmen and sophomores making up more than 80% of the team. Senior attacker Chasen Travisano, who has appeared in 73 games, said the Bruins are learning to develop a mindset of consistency.

“For us, it’s about being consistent, and I think consistency is the best mentality, and preparation every week is the same no matter who we play,” Travisano said. “When you do that every single week, you bring it day in and day out. That’s the only way people are going to get better on your team, and that’s the only way we’re going to end up being successful in the end.”

UCLA holds an all-time 81-31-1 record against Pepperdine and has won the last 19 contests. The Bruins have won the last three over the Waves by multi-goal margins, including the team’s most recent shutout – a 10-0 victory in 2018.

Coach Adam Wright said the team is grateful to compete at home, albeit without fans, and is looking to improve from last weekend when the team got off to its worst start since 2002.

“We’re just really happy to have this opportunity to be out here and play,” Wright said. “To be straightforward, we want to maximize this opportunity. We can be better than we were (last weekend), and we know that.”

One of the few Bruins with multiple seasons under his cap, Travisano said this year has been much different than years past – as the games are no longer about who has the best talent, but rather who adapts best to the turbulent season.

“This season has been about being flexible,” Travisano said. “Being able to adjust on the go, and with that, I think it’s about who is the most mentally tough, the most resilient. I think that team is going to be the one that for sure gets it done in the end.”