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Redshirt freshman Scott Davidson recorded six goals during the SoCal Tournament this weekend. Dav

Although the UCLA men’s water polo team finished third at the SoCal Tournament this weekend and did not accomplish its lofty goal of capturing the tournament title, the Bruins did prove they belong with the top teams in the nation.

Faltering the week before against a sporadic UCSD offense, the Bruins dominated the Tritons in the third-place match Sunday afternoon at McDonald’s Swim Stadium at USC.

Defeating the Tritons 12-3 after a difficult 13-12 loss the week before illustrated what the UCLA team is capable of when playing its finest water polo.

And in spite of a tough Sunday morning loss to No. 2 Cal (8-6), the Bruins looked more focused than they had the week prior.

“It’s good to have that win at the end of the tournament, especially after that loss (to Cal) in the morning,” redshirt freshman Scott Davidson said. “It is a really big confidence-builder, and it shows us what we can do after a hard loss. It says a lot about the type of team we are.”

Davidson recorded six goals on the weekend, two each against UCSD, Long Beach State and Cal.

The Bruins faced No. 5 Stanford on Saturday morning at the Commerce Aquatics Center, shutting the Cardinal down with redshirt freshman Chay Lapin in goal.

Lapin notched a career-high 13 saves to secure a 9-6 victory. He also played solidly for the Bruins with another double-digit, 10-save game against UCSD.

“I feel really good about our defense this weekend,” coach Adam Krikorian said. “Defense was the biggest point of emphasis this week in practice, and for us to be able to execute defensively is a good step for us.”

Following the Stanford win, UCLA defeated Long Beach State, 6-4, projecting the Bruins into the semifinal game against the Cal Bears.

It was Sunday morning when UCLA faltered. The Bruins came out playing timidly, seeming to question or second-guess opportunities to put points on the board.

“We seemed very nervous,” Krikorian said. “I thought we were thinking a little bit too much instead of just playing. When we got in front of the goal, it was obvious that that was what was happening. When you can’t execute against a very hard team, you will have a tough time winning.”

Rather than going into their final third-place match with a defeatist attitude, the Bruins stepped up their game, in drastic contrast to the water polo played a few hours earlier. With more confidence and energy, they played some of their best water polo all season.

Most notably, junior Marco Santos recorded a four-goal game against San Diego, propelling the momentum forward with each point scored.

“I was just trying to do my job,” Santos said. “We walked into the game expecting much more than we did last time. We were much more ready.”