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On Deck This Week
No. 1 UCLA (9-0) returns home after winning its third-straight Kap7 NorCal Invitational to host three matches on Saturday, Sept. 26. The Bruins open with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (4-6) at 11:00 a.m. and then face Chapman (3-5) at 1:00 p.m. for the second time in eight days. UCLA closes out the day with its annual Alumni Match at 2:00 p.m. All three matches will take place at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center. Admission is free!
Danner Named MPSF/Kap 7 Player of the Week
UCLA junior goalkeeper Garrett Danner (Coto de Caza, CA/El Toro HS) was named the MPSF/Kap7 Player of the Week on Sept. 21 after leading No. 1 UCLA to its third-consecutive Kap7 NorCal Invitational title. Danner accumulated 29 saves in 2.75 games in the cage (10.55 SPG) and also averaged 3.6 steals per match while helping the Bruins remain undefeated at 9-0, extending the nation's longest active winning streak to 12 matches, dating back to last season.
he allowed 16 goals in the tournament (5.82 GAA) through complete games vs. No. 3 California and No. 4 Stanford, along with three quarters of action vs. No. 9 Pepperdine. Danner picked up a career-high seven steals in addition to 13 saves in the semifinal against Cal, four coming on the power play and another on a penalty shot in the middle of the fourth with the Bruins leading by two goals. In the finals against Stanford, he stopped another late fourth quarter penalty shot in a tight game, one of seven saves. He also had a nine-save outing in three periods vs. Pepperdine. This is Danner's third career MPSF weekly honor, each coming after a NorCal title.
UCLA Men's Water Polo Fund-Raiser
UCLA is hosting the 2015 Alumni Day & Bruin Bash, benefitting the men's water polo team this Saturday, Sept. 26 at 4:30 p.m. (following the Alumni Match at 2:00 p.m.) at Glendon Bar & Kitchen at 1071 Glendon Ave., in Westwood, Calif. To register for this event, click here.
Kap7 NorCal Invitational Recap
UCLA opened with a 24-3 win over Chapman in the first round on Sept. 19 and then defeated No. 9 Pepperdine, 12-6, in the quarterfinals. The Bruins then beat No. 3 California 8-6 in the semifinals on Sept. 20 and followed with an 8-7 win at No. 4 Stanford in the title match.
Balanced Scoring Attack
Although we are just nine games into the 2015 season, all 21 offensive players on the UCLA squad have scored at least two goals. Freshman Spencer Farrar leads the Bruins in scoring with 14 goals (1.56 gpg), which ranks tied for 25th in the MPSF. UCLA has five players in the Top 25 in the MPSF in scoring, led by junior attacker Joey Fuentes' 2.0 goals per game (10 goals), which is tied for 7th in the league. Junior attacker Ryder Roberts is 17th with 12 goals (1.71 gpg) while junior center Gordon Marshall and junior attacker Patrick Fellner are tied at 22nd in the MPSF in scoring with 11 goals in seven matches (1.57 gpg).
Goalies Leading the Pack
While four different Bruins have spent time in the cage for UCLA this season, two of them are in the top four in the MPSF in goals against average after three weeks of play. Freshman Alex Wolf leads the league in goals against average at 4.31. Junior Garrett Danner is fourth at 5.49. Both sophomore goalkeepers Elliot Ordway (2.00 gaa) and Aleksandar Ruzic (4.57 gaa) would rank in the top three, but haven't played enough periods to qualify.
True Freshmen Earn Caps
A few true freshmen have earned a cap and have already made an immediate impact in 2015. Those newcomers include goalkeeper Alex Wolf (Huntington Beach, Calif./Huntington Beach HS), attacker Spencer Farrar (Malibu, Calif./Agoura HS) and utility Max Staresinic (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny HS). Wolf has played 13 quarters in goal for the Bruins and has registered 31 saves while allowing 14 goals (4.31 gaa). Farrar has notched a team-high 14 goals in his first nine appearances and is also second on the team in steals with 11. Staresinic has played in seven matches, starting once, and has tallied five goals, four steals and three assists.
No Rust for Fuentes
Junior attacker Joey Fuentes, who played for UCLA in 17 matches in 2012, scoring 15 goals, has returned to the Bruins' squad after a two-year hiatus. He redshirted for UCLA in 2013 and was not on the team in 2014. He has been a full-time student at UCLA for the last three years. Even with the two-year lay-off, Fuentes currently leads the team in goals per game (2.0 gpg, 10 goals) and is second on the squad in assists (14) in just five matches of 2015.
Defending Champions
UCLA won its ninth title in men's water polo in 2014 with the 9-8 win over USC on Dec. 7. It was the school's 112th NCAA Championship, which leads the nation.
National Rankings
UCLA retained its spot atop the CWPA Top 20 Poll for the fourth straight week. Below is the top 10:
| Rank | Team | Last Week | Points |
| 1 | UCLA | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | Stanford | 4 | 95 |
| 3 | USC | 2 | 90 |
| 4 | California | 3 | 85 |
| 5 | Pacific | 5 | 81 |
| 6 | UC Santa Barbara | 6 | 75 |
| 7 | Long Beach State | 7 | 70 |
| 8 | UC Irvine | 8 | 65 |
| 9 | Pepperdine | 9 | 60 |
| 10 | UC Davis | 10 (T) | 55 |
Returning All-Americans
UCLA returns six All-Americans, led by first-teamers Gordon Marshall and goalkeeper Garrett Danner. Marshall scored the game-winner in the 2014 National Championship to finish the year with 39 goals, while Danner has led the MPSF in goals-against average for the past two seasons (5.91 in 2014; 6.32 in 2013).
UCLA also returns All-American Daniel McClintick, a senior utility who was named 2014 NCAA Tournament MVP after scoring four goals in the championship game. He was fourth on the team in scoring last year with 41 goals (1.41 goals per game ranked 22nd in the MPSF).
The Bruins also return a pair of third team All-Americans in senior defender Anthony Daboub and junior attacker Ryder Roberts. Roberts missed seven games due to injury, but still managed to finish fifth on the team in scoring with 30 goals. Regarded as one of the best defenders in the country, Daboub picked up his scoring late in the season, racking up goals in 11 of his last 15 matches, to finish with a total of 20 goals in 2014.
Junior defender Chancellor Ramirez, an honorable mention All-American last season, scored 17 goals on the year, with almost half of his total (eight goals) coming against the top five teams in the country.
UCLA Picked to Win MPSF
In the most decisive preseason men's water polo coaches' poll in MPSF history, the UCLA men's water polo team has been selected to finish first among 10 teams in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) preseason coaches' poll, as announced by the conference office.
UCLA collected 78 points and eight first-place votes to headline the 2015 edition. The 12-point differential over second-place USC (66) surpassed the Trojans' previous record 10-point selection at the top of the 2008 poll.
The Bruins, who topped the annual preseason poll for the first time since 2005, are the defending NCAA Champions and finished unbeaten in the 2014 MPSF regular season.
| Rank | Team | Points (First-Place) | 2014 Record | 2014 MPSF Record (Finish) |
| 1 | UCLA | 78 (8) | 29-3 | 8-0 (1st) |
| 2 | USC | 66 | 24-7 | 6-2 (3rd) |
| 3T | California | 65 (1) | 22-7 | 4-4 (5th) |
| 3T | Stanford | 65 (1) | 26-4 | 7-1 (2nd) |
| 5 | Pacific | 44 | 14-12 | 2-6 (6th-Tie) |
| 6 | Long Beach State | 42 | 20-7 | 5-3 (4th) |
| 7 | UC Santa Barbara | 31 | 11-15 | 0-8 (9th) |
| 8 | UC Irvine | 28 | 15-14 | 2-6 (6th-Tie) |
| 9 | Pepperdine | 22 | 11-15 | 2-6 (6th-Tie) |
| 10 | San Jose State | 9 | 0-0 | First Year |