Uninspired water polo falls to No. 1 Stanford

Monday, October 31, 1994

Uninspired water polo falls to No. 1 Stanford

Stanford outscores UCLA 12-4 in the first three quarters

By Esther Hui

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

It became painfully obvious what is missing from the UCLA men's water polo team in its 13-7 loss to No. 1 Stanford Saturday. An uninspired UCLA team (12-9 overall, 2-5 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Confederation) scored four points in the first three quarters to Stanford's 12, and only began to catch up to the Cardinal after the insertion of the second string in the fourth quarter.

Quite simply, the Bruins lack spirit.

"The only thing I was disappointed with was our effort level," UCLA head coach Guy Baker said. "Our intensity level was nonexistent up until the fourth quarter, and a team can't operate if it doesn't play with intensity."

In contrast, Stanford (16-1, 8-1) dominated from the beginning, scoring in the first minute and increasing its lead to 8-2 by halftime. Offensively, Stanford was unbeatable. Led by national team member Jeremy Laster, who made two two-point goals, and two assists by hole man Brian Wallin, the Cardinal converted on five of six man-up situations.

"We came out determined to win," Stanford head coach Dante Dettamanti said. "A win here would have solidified first place in the league as well as a first place seeding in our conference tournament."

Highlights for the Bruins included a rare six-on-four conversion by Mark Sutter in the second quarter and a two-point shot by Luther Weidner in the third quarter that brought the score to 8-4.

But each of these goals was the only one in its respective quarter for the Bruins. Just as the two-pointer allowed a brief breath of air for the Bruins, Stanford responded with a string of five points and effectively knocked the wind out of UCLA.

For the Bruins, the fourth quarter was perhaps the only prolonged span of consistent play in the entire match. Led by Scott Turner, the second team outscored the Cardinal 3-1, with goals by Turner, Corbin Graham and Jeff Porter.

It was a huge show of heart by the Bruins, but the final score of 13-7 reflected the spiritless play of the earlier quarters.

"In the fourth quarter, we were swimming and moving," Baker said. "Our second string made the score look better than it was. But overall our effort wasn't there."