They say the third time’s the charm, but the Bruins have never needed much luck before.

With two unanswered wins up their sleeve, the Bruins prepare for a final conference match against their crosstown rivals.

No. 1 UCLA men’s water polo (20-1, 4-1 MPSF) will face No. 4 USC (18-4, 2-3) at Spieker Aquatics Center on Saturday. The rivalry matchup marks the Bruins’ third contest against the Trojans this season and their final game before heading into the MPSF tournament.

With the fate of the upcoming match still undecided, coach Adam Wright said there are crucial areas for the Bruins to conquer.

“Our hope is (that) we can build off of where we left off defensively the last time we played,” Wright said. “We know they’ve got a lot of dangerous weapons, but at the end of the day, consistency on our defensive side of the ball has been what we’ve really been striving for and working for.”

Eight different Bruins lit up the stat sheet in their latest affair with the Trojans, ultimately framing their 13-10 victory. Freshman attacker Ryder Dodd led the attack with a hat trick, accompanied by two goals each from sophomore utility Ben Liechty and graduate student center defender Aaron Voggenthaler.

Graduate student attacker Jack Larsen said the team is constantly streamlining its progress.

“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.”

With the same three-point lead margin, the Bruins bested the Trojans 12-9 during their first match at the Overnght/MPSF Invitational championship. The match cemented the Bruins’ second consecutive title win.

Wright said the Trojans have given the Bruins tightly contested matches across their competitive season.

“They’ve all been close. I think the first time we played them we got off to a good start. The second time the back half of the game was better,” Wright said. “So if we could put all four quarters together, it would be really great. But, again, we’re up for a real test.”

The upcoming crosstown match will be the last regular season fixture before the commencement of the MPSF tournament quarterfinals. Last season, the Bruins were upset in the semifinals by the Trojans, marking their first loss of the 2023 season.

“It’s a quick turnaround. But also, you could turnaround and see a team like USC in less than a week. It’s important for us to continue to grow. It’s important to recognize our efforts from training are paying off,” Wright said.