STANFORD, Calif. – No. 1 UCLA men’s water polo secured its fourth consecutive Overnght MPSF Invitational championship Sunday, beating host and third-ranked Stanford 11-10 at Avery Aquatic Center. Freshman Luka Gladović converted the game-winning goal with one second remaining.

Gladović finished with a team-high three goals for his fourth career hat trick. The Bruins (12-0) got two-goal games from Bode Brinkema, Ryder Dodd and Ben Liechty. The Cardinal (8-1) was led by Ben Forer, who led all players with six goals. Both goalkeepers were active, with UCLA’s Nate Tauscher turning away 11 shots and Stanford’s Bernardo Herzer stopping 14.

Brinkema wasted no time giving the Bruins their first lead, scoring 20 seconds in. The Cardinal answered with a pair, pulling momentum in its favor. UCLA quickly snatched it back, though, as Dodd scored on the subsequent possession. A counter-attack goal by Danilo Dragović, off Wade Sherlock’s feed, then put the Bruins on top at 3-2 after one quarter of play

Back-to-back goals by Stanford kicked off the second. Another next-possession score, this one by Brinkema, leveled things again at 4-4 with 4:44 left. Defense dictated the next four minutes before Gavin West put the Cardinal in front. Poised to keep it that way going into halftime, Liechty paused those plans with a last-second strike to make it 5-5.

Gladović got on the board just over a minute into the third. After Forer tallied his third, it was again Gladović who put UCLA in the lead. That advantage soon became two goals, as Sherlock found the back of the net moments later. The score stayed at 8-6 for the final 4:04.

Stanford charged back in the fourth, with Forer scoring twice more in the opening four minutes. Dodd and Liechty provided responses at 3:27 and 2:47, respectively, but it was Forer again cutting the deficit in half 15 seconds later. Then, at 1:06, Daniel Mnatsakanian made it 10-10.

A steal set up the Cardinal with a game-winning opportunity of its own, but Tauscher made a save with under 10 seconds to go. After a timeout, the Bruins moved quickly. Dodd, Sherlock and Gladović touched the ball, and it was the Belgrade, Serbia native who unleashed a shot past Herzer. A last-second heave by Stanford was knocked down by Tauscher.

UCLA next returns home to face No. 5 Fordham Friday. Play begins from Spieker Aquatics Center at 5 p.m. PT. The Bruins then go up the coast to meet Pepperdine Saturday at 1 p.m.

No. 1 UCLA 11, No. 3 Stanford 10

SCOREBOARD	1	2	3	4	FINAL
No. 1 UCLA	3	2	3	3	11
No. 3 Stanford	2	3	1	4	10

6x5: UCLA 1/9, Stanford 4/10
Penalties: UCLA 0/1, Stanford 2/2

UCLA Goals: Gladović 3, Brinkema 2, Dodd 2, Liechty 2, Dragović 1, Sherlock 1
UCLA Saves: Tauscher 11

Stanford Goals: Forer 6, Kaneko 1, Mnatsakanian 1, Rozolis-Hill 1, West 1
Stanford Saves: Herzer 14