Seven Presidents lined up to face the Bruins in the first round of the MPSF tournament for the second straight year.

But this rematch remained firmly in the hands of the incumbents.

No. 1 seed UCLA men’s water polo (22-1, 5-1 MPSF) scored 10 goals in the first quarter and blanked No. 8 seed Washington & Jefferson (4-14, 2-6) through the first half en route to an 18-2 thrashing at Spieker Aquatics Center on Friday.

Washington & Jefferson shot 7.7% from the pool and notched a save percentage of zero, while UCLA scored on over 80% of its shots to go along with 16 blocks and saves.

“I thought we came out with good intensity,” said coach Adam Wright. “Even last week, we were pretty slow in the first quarter, and then as the game got going, we adjusted and asked the guys to do some different thing, work on passing all the way down to the end and put a ball into the center.”

Redshirt junior attacker Chase Dodd scored two of UCLA’s first-half goals and delivered an assist to freshman utility Peter Castillo that put the Bruins up 10-0 with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter.

“Usually games like this, you lose focus and you lose awareness,” Dodd said. “We’re able to hold our focus and stay really to the game plan. I think it showed through our game, and I’m pretty proud of our team for that.”

Wright, who recently earned his second consecutive MPSF Coach of the Year award, returned to the pool yesterday during Washington & Jefferson’s practices to help out the smaller program.

“They don’t have so many players, so they asked me to go on with them and do some six-on-five training,” Wright said. “For those guys to be out here and to be in the water with our program, or Cal or USC or Stanford, it’s so exciting for them being here yesterday and training. You should have seen the excitement on their faces.”

Despite the lopsided result, Wright emphasized the importance of hosting teams like Washington & Jefferson at the MPSF tournament for the future of collegiate water polo in the United States.

“Really, what they’re doing is helping the sport, too,” he added.

Most of the team’s starters left by the start of the second quarter, allowing a wide range of Bruins to contribute.

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Nate Tauscher earned eight saves and a steal during his extended stay in the cage.

On the offensive side, 12 Bruins scored during Friday’s affair, with redshirt junior center Eli Liechty securing a hat trick with the final goal of the game.

“Getting a feel for the ball, how they’re stepping into their position, shooting, passing, the combinations they’re working with the other guys – it’s really important to get those guys the minutes they got today,” Wright said. “They’ll be ready to go, but this served them well today.”

The Bruins now quickly turn their attention toward their next game, a matchup with the reigning national champions. After UCLA’s victory, No. 7 seed California advanced to the tournament’s second round with a 23-8 win over No. 2 seed Augustana.

“I mean, we played Cal so many times this year, so we know what they’re going to throw at us,” Dodd said. “It’ll be a good game to watch.”