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Senior attacker John Blanchette and the UCLA men’s water polo team have lost three matches

The No. 4 UCLA men’s water polo team has one distinct blemish on their 2005 season, a year that has otherwise seen a young Bruin team bounce back quickly after losing the core of its championship team to graduation.

The one record that sticks out is UCLA’s 0-3 mark against No. 3 Stanford, its longtime rival and powerhouse counterpart. But what has stung the most about this season sweep is that the Bruins have not been undeniably dominated from the start to finish of every game.

In all three match-ups against Stanford, UCLA (15-5, 2-1 MPSF) has been unable to hold onto a late lead, and the fourth quarter letdowns may end up costing the defending national champions an NCAA bid at the close of conference play.

“I think once it happens a couple times it becomes more difficult to go through the situation again,” UCLA coach Adam Krikorian said. “I think it’s natural for doubts to creep into people’s heads, but we have to get through those times.”

Diametrically opposed to the Bruin football team, the Bruin men’s water polo team has let wins slip through their fingers consistently to the Cardinal all season – twice in tournaments and now once in conference play.

If the Bruins are to have a shot at making a stab at the national title, they will need to sweep the MPSF tournament in late November, where they will likely face Stanford again. And this means the Bruins must overcome the mental barrier that has taken a toll on the team late in play against top-ranked teams.

“We have to play harder, smarter and tougher,” Krikorian said. “We didn’t do those things against Stanford, but I still have a lot of confidence in the guys that are playing. I know we can be successful against any given team on any given day.”

Though the Bruins still have a window of opportunity to secure a bid to the national championships at Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa. in December, it is a small one and will require the team to break the pattern of unsuccessful play against the Cardinal.

“We put ourselves in a position that we will probably have to win the conference tournament now if we want a bid,” Krikorian said. “My confidence in the team hasn’t wavered and I still feel like we can do it.”

Although in Krikorian’s career he has never had a team with this record go on to win the national title, he’s optimistic due to the dynamics of his group and the lack of one overtly dominant team in the conference.

“There’s a lot to accomplish but with the challenge comes opportunity,” Krikorian said. “I think it’s a completely different situation than last year. Just by watching the teams and seeing the scores, anyone can beat anyone. There isn’t that one dominant team out there and that will make it much easier to win the conference tournament.”

The Bruins’ three losses to Stanford have all been on the road. The first loss was at the SoCal tournament, two weeks ago at the NorCal tournament and just this past weekend at Stanford. The Bruins have their first chance to redeem their latest loss to the Cardinal against conference foe Long Beach State on the road at noon on Sunday.