“Strength in numbers” has been the mantra of the Golden State Warriors under coach Steve Kerr.

But the Bruins may be the next blue and gold squad to make that statement their own.

And it was this kind of camaraderie that contributed to an undefeated opening trio of games for No. 1 UCLA men’s water polo (3-0). The squad began the run with a 20-8 victory against No. 20 Navy (1-4) at the Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Complex in Coronado, California, on Friday evening. UCLA followed that up with a 16-6 win against No. 14 UC Davis (3-1) and an 18-2 triumph against No. 12 UC San Diego (3-3) at Saturday’s Triton Invitational in La Jolla’s Canyonview Aquatic Center.

UCLA boasted thorough roster depth across its three affairs – the leading scorer of each game had fewer than a third of the team’s final scores, and over ten players hit nylon in each match.

“The benefit we have is balance,” said coach Adam Wright. “Especially in this day and age, it’s not always easy to have that, because all the players are great players at this level. So to buy into the goals, buy into what they want to be when they’re out there in the water is really important. It’s a credit to the guys.”

Despite the absence of sophomore attacker Ryder Dodd and sophomore utility Peter Castillo – UCLA’s two highest returning scorers from 2024 – the squad scored a weekend-high 20 goals against Navy.

Sophomore utility Bode Brinkema posted a career-high four goals in the match. Four other Bruins each had a pair of goals, while no Midshipmen netted more than a singular score, other than attacker Kiefer Black, who recorded a hat trick.

“It’s great to be with these guys and knowing we all work together for a common goal,” Brinkema said. “It’s not like one of us is any bigger than the group – so it’s all of us working together.”

Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Nate Tauscher fortified the Bruins’ defense all weekend after notching just three starts in 2024. He allowed only two goals across the first two quarters of the season, before redshirt freshman goalkeeper Joey Kent subbed in. Tauscher followed the season opener by surrendering only eight goals across two starts Saturday, which included a performance against the Tritons when he held them to just two points – the fewest allowed this season – on a 0.77 save percentage.

In Saturday’s latter match against UCSD, the Sunset Beach, California, local had just eight saves – despite UCSD’s 26 shot attempts – highlighting UCLA’s defensive effort. The Bruins’ 10 steals prevented the Tritons from generating goal line pressure.

“Having a good defensive game by the team makes it really easy to play goalie in there,” Tauscher said. “It’s really fun to play goalie when you know you can trust your defense in front of you.”

Dodd returned to the water after missing the opening contest due to illness. He combined for seven goals Saturday, including a game-high five against UC Davis. Brinkema continued his strong two-way outing with a pair of shots against UC Davis, before adding three assists and matching a career high with three steals against UCSD.

UCLA’s preliminary success is the product of a team-wide effort, hallmarked by its 12-1 assist advantage against UCSD. The team also scored at a 0.581 clip, with four other multi-goal performances, including redshirt senior attacker Chase Dodd’s hat trick against the Tritons.

But the Bruins struggled with ball security throughout the weekend.

“We have to do a better job taking care of the ball,” Wright said. “We’re still turning it over more than we’d like. …We know how important that is for our overall success.”

UCSD snagged nine steals, nearly matching UCLA’s 10. Although the scoring deficit indicated a substantial UCLA advantage, the team only logged five more shot attempts than UCSD.

The Bruins won’t have much time to rest, since the squad travels to New York on Monday for an exhibition game against the Italian water polo club Pro Recco, which features former Bruin Max Irving.

UCLA will then head to Princeton, New Jersey, for a four-game slate at the Princeton Invitational in the DeNunzio Pool. Wright’s squad will face California Baptist University and George Washington Sept. 5, before matching up with Fordham and Bucknell the next day.

“The reality is we’re well aware of how competitive this year is going to be,” Wright said. “There are so many good teams out there. We’re aware of the responsibility we have to bring each game. We’re aware that, as a team that won last year, you’re going to see everyone’s best shot. We want that.”