This post was updated Oct. 21 at 10:20 p.m.

Second-half surges proved the Bruins’ difference-maker this past weekend. 

No. 2 UCLA men’s water polo (18-1, 2-1 MPSF) overcame No. 3 USC (15-3, 1-2) on the road Saturday before returning home to face No. 12 UC Davis (10-10 2-0 Big Ten West), recovering from a halftime deficit to secure a 16-13 overtime win Sunday at Spieker Aquatics Center.

UCLA’s Saturday victory over USC came on the Trojans’ Senior Day, with eight different Bruins finding the back of the net. Freshman attacker Ryder Dodd paced UCLA with a hat trick, his first goal keeping the Bruins close after the Trojans took an early 2-1 lead. 

Despite falling behind 7-6 at halftime, Dodd said the team was prepared to adjust in the second half.

“We were still in a good position,” Dodd said. “We just needed to sharpen up a bit and focus on getting our offense going.”

And the team did just that, with Dodd scoring twice more in the third quarter to give UCLA a lead it wouldn’t surrender. Graduate student center Aaron Voggenthaler netted another to pull the Bruins ahead 11-8 entering the final quarter. 

USC managed to trim the deficit to two, but late goals from UCLA pushed its lead to secure a 13-9 victory.  

Graduate student goalkeeper Garrett Griggs, who tallied 10 saves, said the team’s ability to handle pressure was key to the victory.

“We stayed calm when things got tight,” Griggs said. “That’s what you need in a rivalry game.”

In the Bruins’ Sunday matchup, the team struggled with their offense in the first half, scoring three goals against the Aggies.

“I felt like we were pretty stagnant in the first half,” Dodd said. “We just weren’t really committing to our offensive standards.”

Back-and-forth scoring characterized the beginning of the game as Davis took an early lead, while UCLA responded with goals from freshman attacker Peter Castillo and redshirt junior center Eli Liechty. Davis managed to pull ahead, ending the first quarter with a 4-2 lead over UCLA.

In the second quarter, the Aggies outscored the Bruins 2-1, with the Bruins notching only three total points by halftime.

Griggs, who made 11 saves across the game, said the team’s energy was doubled going into the second half.

“I think we just woke up,” Griggs said.”We came out slow. Davis is a really good team, and they wanted it really bad … Our game fell into place.”

Toward the end of the third quarter, the Bruins showcased a complete energy shift. Dodd went on to score three goals in the final three minutes of the quarter, while goals from Castillo and redshirt sophomore attacker Frederico Jucá Carsalade aided to the team’s comeback. The game was tied at 7-7 before UCLA took the lead 9-7 in the fourth quarter.

The lead the Aggies had built in the first half was a hump the Bruins needed more time to overcome.

The fourth quarter consisted of more back-and-forth scoring and Davis ultimately outscoring UCLA 4-2 in that period.

Davis tied the game 11-11 with five seconds left of the fourth quarter, sending the game into overtime. Castillo heavily contributed to the comeback with a season-high four goals, including a crucial point late in overtime.

“The biggest thing was us just being able to finish,” Dodd said. “Finish our possessions, finish our counter attack, just finish everything.”

UCLA outscored UC Davis 5-2 in the overtime periods, leading to their eventual 16-13 victory.

With this win, UCLA maintained its ranking with only one defeat this season thus far. However, the close call against Davis exposed areas for improvement as the Bruins look ahead in the coming weeks.

“It’s beyond disappointing, to be honest,” Wright said. “You can’t have a second half like we had yesterday and then come back and do what we did today. If you want to try to be the best in the country, you got to put three good days together.”

The Bruins now have over a week off before their next competition, providing an opportunity for reflection and recovery.

“We got to get a whole lot better and we got to get more consistent,” Wright said. “Otherwise, we will for sure be on the wrong side of the game at some point.”