No. 4 seed UCLA men’s water polo ran through three opponents at the 2021 NCAA tournament at USC’s Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The team defeated No. 5 seed California Baptist in the opening round, narrowly upset No. 1 seed Stanford in the semifinals and held off rival No. 3 seed USC to bring trophy No. 119 for UCLA back to Westwood.

NCAA Opening Round – No. 4 seed UCLA men’s water polo celebrated a 19-14 win over No. 5 seed California Baptist on Thursday to advance to the semifinals.

Sophomore goalkeeper Bernardo Maurizi extends his hand to block a shot. Maurizi recorded five saves before being subbed out at the half.

Senior attacker Nicolas Saveljic takes a shot against California Baptist attacker Zach Lowery. The first team All-NCAA Tournament selection earned a hat trick.

Redshirt junior utility Evan Rosenfeld shoots for a goal past California Baptist 2-meter Joseph Griffin. Rosenfeld netted two goals and added a steal against the Lancers.

Sophomore attacker Andy Rodgers attempts a shot against the Lancers’ defense. Rodgers finished with one point.

Coach Adam Wright huddles with his team during a timeout.

Firing a goal past California Baptist goalie Gabe Thorne, freshman attacker Mo Kenney obtains one of the two goals he scored Thursday.

Rodgers tosses the ball as California Baptist attacker Caleb Teraoka makes an unsuccessful attempt to intercept the pass.

NCAA Semifinals – UCLA upset defending national champion and No. 1 seed Stanford on Saturday, securing its place in the finals off a last-minute goal in the final quarter.

Junior attacker/utility Jake Cavano shoots against top-seeded Stanford. Cavano was responsible for three points in the win.

Senior attacker Chasen Travisano jumps after the sprint, claiming possession for UCLA. Travisano scored one goal and added an assist for the Bruins.

Sophomore attacker Tommy Gruwell gets ready to shoot against Stanford. Gruwell netted a hat trick for UCLA, the highest for the team in the game.

Maurizi narrowly misses a shot from Stanford’s center forward. The conference leader in saves was named to the All-NCAA Tournament first team.

Gruwell lets a shot go against the Cardinal. The sophomore scored the game-winning goal for the Bruins with just over a minute in regulation.

NCAA Finals – Men’s water polo defeated crosstown rival No. 3 seed USC, bringing UCLA’s 119th national title trophy back to Westwood.

Kenney takes a shot in the championship game against the Trojans. The MPSF Newcomer of the Year scored the first and only goal of the first period to give the Bruins a lead they would never relinquish.

Faking a shot, Cavano passes to Saveljic. The junior was the only multi-goal scorer for UCLA, including the Bruins’ final point of the match.

Saveljic shoots against the Trojans’ defense during a power play. The team’s leading scorer, the senior took the most shots of any Bruin in the match.

Cavano prepares to shoot. Named to the All-NCAA Tournament first team, he drew two exclusions for UCLA and added a steal.

Maurizi celebrates after one of his nine saves. The sophomore also had three steals in the match.

Teammates embrace after winning the championship. Players and coaches jumped in the pool to celebrate moments after they were declared champions. With the win, Wright tied Guy Baker for the most national championships by a coach in program history.

Members of the team all try to put a hand on the championship trophy. The Bruins have won four of the last seven national championships.

Players and coaches pose with the NCAA trophy.