UCLA’s men’s water polo team secured two decisive victories at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, California, on Saturday. The Bruins, ranked No. 1 nationally, defeated No. 14 UC Davis 16-6 in the morning and followed with an 18-2 win over No. 12 UC San Diego in the evening at UCSD’s Canyonview Aquatic Center.
These results extend UCLA’s season record to 3-0, with each win coming by double-digit margins. The victory against UC San Diego marked the third-largest margin of victory in their series history and was the most significant since a 24-1 result in 1976. UCLA now holds a perfect 22-0 all-time record against UC Davis and has won 64 out of 65 games against UC San Diego.
The Bruins have achieved double-digit scorers in every game this season: 13 players scored against Navy, while ten contributed versus UC Davis and eleven at UC San Diego.
Sophomore Ryder Dodd led scoring against UC Davis with five goals after missing the previous game due to illness. Redshirt senior Chase Dodd added four points (two goals, two assists), and sophomore Bode Brinkema recorded three points (two goals, one assist). In goal, redshirt sophomore Nate Tauscher started and made eight saves while allowing five goals before being relieved by redshirt freshman Joey Kent for the final minutes.
Against UC Davis, UCLA led after each quarter: they were ahead 3-2 after the first period and expanded their lead to 9-3 by halftime following a strong second quarter. The teams tied in the third period before UCLA closed out with a dominant fourth quarter.
In the match versus UC San Diego, both Chase Dodd and junior Ben Liechty notched their first hat tricks of the year. Several players finished with four points apiece, including Brinkema (one goal, three assists), Ryder Dodd (two goals, two assists), and redshirt junior Vinnie Merk (one goal, three assists). Tauscher again started in goal with eight saves across three periods; Kent played the fourth quarter without conceding a goal and blocked a penalty shot.
UCLA maintained control throughout both games and has yet to trail this season. They next travel to New York for an exhibition match against Pro Recco—an Italian professional team that recently signed USA National Team captain and former UCLA player Max Irving—on September 3 at Asphalt Green’s Upper East Side Campus. Following that exhibition game, UCLA will participate in four matches at the Princeton Invitational on September 5-6.
After these performances at the Triton Invitational, UCLA continues its strong start to the season as it prepares for upcoming challenges on the East Coast.
