With a dent in the side of a perfect record, the Bruins have successfully reclaimed their place on top.

No. 1 UCLA men’s water polo (20-1, 4-1 MPSF) reclaimed its second game of the year to No. 2 Stanford (16-3, 3-2) by a score of 13-6 in a defensive comeback at Avery Aquatic Center on Sunday afternoon. The contest followed a 20-14 victory over No. 7 California (11-10, 1-4) at Spieker Aquatics Complex on Saturday afternoon to finish a clean sweep for UCLA over the weekend.

“This time around, we were able to keep them in front of us and really make them work and throw them off from a defensive standpoint,” said graduate student attacker Jack Larsen. “We were communicating better all around, and our energy was much higher.”

The Bruins closed out their victory over the Golden Bears all while marking history as the most goals scored against California – last year’s national champions – in their 174-game history.

Freshman attacker Ryder Dodd led the charge for the Bruins, scoring six goals and two assists, marking his 13th hat trick of the year. Five other Bruins contributed at least two goals, with a total of 10 different players finding the back of the net.

“This team is really deep and has a lot of talented shooters … it doesn’t need to come from anyone specific every time,” Larsen said. “If some guys aren’t getting into the offense early, then the guys will pick it up and vice versa, so it is a truly versatile team.”

After conceding 13 goals, graduate student goalkeeper Garret Griggs was relieved by redshirt freshman goalkeeper Nate Tauscher midway through the third period. The younger goalkeeper conceded just one goal, which came in the final minutes of the match after logging five saves and four steals.

After UCLA’s offense ignited late in the first period, finishing the period with a 7-5 advantage, California fought back to win the second period 5-4, narrowing UCLA’s lead to 11-10 at halftime. The Bruins surged forward in the third, outscoring the Golden Bears 5-3 and bringing a 16-13 lead into the final period.

The following day, UCLA faced the sole team to have beaten them this season. In the widest margin of victory against Stanford in 24 years, the Bruins got their redemption just one month after their first loss of the season.

Larsen led the offense with his second hat trick of the season, while six other Bruins helped contribute to the scoreboard. UCLA held a slim 6-5 edge at halftime, however, the Bruins’ defense maintained strong, blanking Stanford in the third quarter.

“Our first game, we let them go up five in the first quarter, which is just not a story you want with a team like and to have to come from that kind of deficit,” Larsen said. “But this time around, we were able to keep them in front of us and really make them work for it, and throw them off from a defensive standpoint.”

In the final quarter, UCLA pulled away, scoring five goals, including one from Larsen to complete his hat trick securing the final score at 13-6.

The Bruins were propelled to victory by the defensive efforts from Tauscher, who recorded a career-high 13 saves, holding Stanford to a season-low six goals.

In the second half, Tauscher allowed just one goal while also making four saves in both the third and fourth quarters, including two critical penalty stops.

“It was great to finally get the opportunity to start a game like it,” Tauscher said. “It’s definitely different from what I’m used to this season … so being able to start is like a totally new feeling, and feels like I’m leading the team for once.”

Following the back-to-back wins, the Bruins will continue their MPSF journey with just one home game remaining of their conference slate.

“We’re just scratching the surface of the team we can ultimately be and taking steps forward,” Larsen said. “We’re going to keep working on sharpening all of our different skills and abilities and get better and better as a season goes on, pushing not to be complacent.”