The top-ranked UCLA men’s water polo team’s two-week hiatus from game play ends Saturday when it takes on No. 3 California at Spieker Aquatics Complex. A showdown with No. 2 Stanford at Avery Aquatic Center follows Sunday. Each of the MPSF contests begins at 1 p.m. PT. The Bruins (17-1, 2-1 MPSF) have already matched up twice with each team this season, going 2-0 against the Golden Bears (12-4, 1-2) and 1-1 opposite the Cardinal (15-2, 2-1). Both games will be available to watch on Overnght, with 6-8 Sports providing live statistics.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Opponent: No. 3 California
Venue: Spieker Aquatics Complex
Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
Time: 1 p.m. PT
Watch ($): https://tinyurl.com/4cvvfn8j
Live Stats: https://scores.6-8sports.com/scoreboard

Opponent: No. 2 Stanford
Venue: Avery Aquatic Center
Date: Sunday, Nov. 1
Time: 1 p.m. PT
Watch ($): https://tinyurl.com/2wn92nwk
Live Stats: https://scores.6-8sports.com/scoreboard

SERIES HISTORY
Series vs. California: UCLA leads 103-77-1
Most Recent vs. California: UCLA won 13-11 on Oct. 4, 2026
Series vs. Stanford: Stanford leads 93-89
Most Recent vs. Stanford: Stanford won 19-15 on Oct. 3, 2026

LAST TIME OUT
UCLA rolled to a 15-9 road victory against USC on Oct. 17 at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The Bruins never trailed in the MPSF matchup of top-three teams and were tied just twice in the early goings. Ryder Dodd recorded four goals to lead UCLA. Nine Bruins in all scored. Making just his fourth start of the season, Griffen Price logged 12 saves for the Bruins. Luke Nelson’s four goals led the Trojans, who got nine saves in the cage from Charles Mills. USC celebrated five seniors prior to the game. UCLA turned an early 2-2 tie into a 6-2 lead after one quarter and never looked back, leading by as many as seven goals.

BRUINS IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA jumped back to No. 1 in the CWPA Varsity Top 20 after Week 8 and remained there when the Week 9 rankings were released Wednesday. The Bruins earned 100 voting points. Stanford is No. 2 (94). California and USC each received 88 voting points. Rounding out the top five was Fordham (80). UCLA started the season at No. 1 and remained there through Week 5. For the full Week 9 rankings, click HERE.

LEAGUE LEADERS
Through 18 games, a number of Bruins rank statistically among the MPSF’s top players. Ryder Dodd is second in points (81), third in assists (35) and tied for fourth in goals (46). Ben Liechty is second in assists (47) and fifth in points (71). Marcell Szécsi is third in earned exclusions (48). Peter Castillo is fourth in earned exclusions (46).

IN THE CAGE
Three goalkeepers have played significant minutes for UCLA in 2026, led by returning starter Nate Tauscher. The senior from Sunset Beach, Calif. has averaged 10.65 saves per game when accounting for number of quarters played. He turned away a career-high 18 shots in the Bruins’ 16-11 win against No. 4 Fordham (Sept. 25). In Harper Gardner’s first game action of his career, he has gone 5-0 and registered a team-best goals-against average of 8.34. He logged a career-high 12 saves in UCLA’s 14-10 victory at No. 6 UC Davis (Sept. 5). Finally, Stanford transfer Griffen Price improved to 4-0 on Oct. 17 with a stellar performance at No. 3 USC. The Bruins won 15-9 behind Price’s 12 saves, which included two penalty stops.

GLADOVIĆ COLLECTS THIRD MPSF NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK AWARD
Luka Gladović earned his third MPSF West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week award on Oct. 19, it was announced by the conference. Gladović logged his ninth multi-goal performance and third in a row to help the Bruins prevail 15-9 at No. 3 USC on Oct. 17. Both his goals, including a penalty conversion, came immediately after the Trojans pulled level at 2-2. UCLA maintained its lead, which reached as many as seven goals, from there. Gladović also registered one assist and one field block.

MORE WEEKLY HONORS
Dodd Named MPSF Player of the Week – Oct. 5
Tauscher, Gladović MPSF Weekly Awards – Sept. 28
Gladović Named MPSF Newcomer of the Week – Sept. 21

DODD, LIECHTY NAMED TO CUTINO WATCH LIST
Bruins Ryder Dodd and Ben Liechty were named to the 20-player Peter J. Cutino Award Watch List on Sept. 28, it was announced by USA Water Polo and The Olympic Club. Named in honor of the late Hall of Fame coach, the award recognizes the best player in men's and women's college water polo. Dodd won the Cutino Award to finish each of his first two seasons. Bruins Nicolas Saveljic (2020), Garrett Danner (2015) and Sean Kern (1999, 2000) have also been selected winners. Since the inaugural award was handed out in 1999, just two players have won it more than twice: Nikolaos Papanikolaou of California (2021-23) and Tony Azevedo of Stanford (2001-04). Dodd paces UCLA with 81 points, scoring a team-high 46 goals and dishing out 35 assists (second among Bruins). He is in the top five of each category when it comes to MPSF players. Dodd also leads UCLA with 17 sprint wins and is fourth in earned exclusions (17) and tied for fourth in steals (nine). Liechty is second in the MPSF with 47 assists and his 71 total points are third most (second on the Bruins). He is also tied for fourth among UCLA players in field blocks (five). This watch list was created in 2022 in an effort to help promote the collegiate game, awareness of the award and the tremendous play of athletes across the country. It was determined through voting by collegiate coaches and is completely independent from the nomination and voting process for the Cutino Award as that honor will acknowledge the full impact of the 2026 season.

RECORD-SETTING SERVICE
During the Bruins’ 11-10 victory at Stanford in the Overnght MPSF Invitational championship game on Sept. 20, senior Ben Liechty set a new UCLA career program record for assists. He passed Daniel McClintick, who tallied 157 from 2012-15. Liechty paced the MPSF with 63 helpers in 2025 and his 47 so far this season are second. Also within striking distance of UCLA career program records are senior Marcell Szécsi with 200 earned exclusions (current record is 221 by Aimone Barabino from 2010-13) and junior Ryder Dodd with 246 goals (290 by Alex Rousseau from 1986-89). Assists and earned exclusions have been tracked since 2009.

OVERNGHT MPSF INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
UCLA collected its fourth consecutive Overnght MPSF Invitational championship on Sept. 20 at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center. The Bruins won four games in three days, capping their run with a thrilling 11-10 victory against the host and third-ranked Cardinal. Freshman Luka Gladović scored the championship game winner with one second remaining. He registered a team-high nine goals for the tournament. UCLA prevailed by the same 11-10 margin in semifinal-round play against No. 4 California, withstanding a second-half charge. Nate Tauscher logged a combined 20 saves across the final two rounds. UCLA beat Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 23-4 in the opener and added a 16-8 defeat of No. 9 UC San Diego.

BRUINS TOP PRESEASON POLLS
UCLA entered 2026 ranked No. 1 in the CWPA Varsity Top 20. The Bruins also topped the MPSF Preseason Coaches’ Poll. USC, Stanford and California rounded out the top four on each list. The Bruins received eight of 11 first-place votes in the MPSF poll, with USC collecting the other three. UCLA won the league’s regular-season title in 2025, with USC prevailing in the MPSF Championship Tournament. The Bruins ultimately sat atop the final CWPA rankings as NCAA champions. They held that spot in 10 of 16 installments.

LOOKING BACK ON 2025
UCLA men’s water polo captured its program’s 14^th NCAA championship and No. 125 for the UCLA athletic department in 2025, capping the run with an instant classic against top-seeded USC at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center. The Bruins defeated their crosstown rival, which won the MPSF Championship Tournament 14 days earlier, in an 11-10 result sealed by Most Outstanding Player Frederico Jucá Carsalade’s buzzer-beating goal. They finished 27-2 on the year, avenging a pair of losses to the Trojans. It was a record-setting campaign for UCLA, which shattered its program record with 497 goals. Ryder Dodd led the MPSF with 98 of them and repeated as the Peter J. Cutino Award winner and the ACWPC Player of the Year.

BACK FOR MORE
The Bruins return 20 members of their 2025 NCAA championship team, led by four ACWPC All-America honorees. Junior attacker Ryder Dodd, who has twice swept the national player-of-the-year awards while scoring 200 career goals (98 in 2025), leads the way. Joining him is fifth-year attacker Frederico Jucá Carsalade, the reigning NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player who piled up 35 goals, 37 assists and 36 steals in 2025. The league leaders in earned exclusions, junior utility Peter Castillo (76), and assists, senior utility Ben Liechty (63), also return. UCLA, which found the back a program-record 497 times in 2025, brings back seven of its top eight goal scorers.

DECORATED DODD
Ryder Dodd was named the 2026 Peter J. Cutino Award winner during a ceremony on June 6 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. The Cutino Award is presented annually to the best collegiate men's player and the best collegiate women's player. Dodd earned the honor over fellow finalists Robert López Duart and Mihailo Vukazic, both of USC. Dodd, who also won the Cutino Award in 2024, became the first Bruin to repeat as winner since Sean Kern collected the first two in 1999 and 2000. Nicolas Saveljic (2020) and Garrett Danner (2015) have also been bestowed the prestigious honor following standout seasons at UCLA. A Long Beach, Calif. native, Dodd has swept college water polo's player-of-the-year awards twice. He was previously named ACWPC Player of the Year, a national honor, and MPSF Player of the Year to recognize his stellar 2025 campaign. Dodd was also tabbed a first-team ACWPC All-American for the second time.

WHO’S NEW?
Nine new Bruins – five freshmen and four transfers – join the fold in 2026. Serbian utility Luka Gladović (Belgrade, Serbia/VMŠSS “Milutin Milankovic”) brings senior national team experience into his first collegiate season. He was Most Valuable Player of the 2023 LEN European U17 Championships. Attacker Connor Colman (Seal Beach, Calif./JSerra Catholic HS), attacker Flynn Guenther (Redondo Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) and utility Tristan Tucker (Moraga, Calif./Miramonte HS) all helped Team USA claim silver at the 2026 World Aquatics U18 Championships. Utility Andrew Wallace (Tiburon, Calif./Tamalpais HS) rounds out the quintet. UC Santa Barbara transfer attacker Danilo Dragović (Budva, Montenegro/JU SMŠ “Danilo Kis”) logged a Big West-best 83 total points in 2025 and received ACWPC All-America honorable mention the year prior as a freshman. Also coming in is a trio of Stanford transfers: attacker Chase McFarland (Berkeley, Calif./Berkeley HS), defender Jack Merrill (Old Greenwich, Conn./Rye Country Day School) and goalkeeper Griffen Price (San Carlos, Calif./Sacred Heart Preparatory). McFarland totaled 52 goals in three seasons of action with the Cardinal, while Merrill scored 25 in two. Price stopped 176 shots across 28 games in the cage.

LENDING A HAND
Adam Wright completed his coaching staff on Aug. 17 with the hirings of assistant coach Jake Liechty and assistant coach/technical coordinator Kyle Boal. Assistant coach Nico Tierney remains from the 2025 NCAA championship-winning team. Liechty joins the Bruins following seven seasons at UC Irvine, including the final two as an assistant coach. He helped guide his alma mater to a combined 33-21 record on the pool deck. Liechty added USA Water Polo to his coaching résumé in 2026, helped the U18 team win silver at the 2026 World Aquatics Championships. Boal moves to the bench from his role of director of operations, which he held for UCLA’s men’s and women’s water polo programs following his graduation from the school in 2023. In addition to handling day-to-day logistics, he played direct parts in travel, scheduling, budgeting and equipment. UCLA water polo’s external reach factored into Boal’s duties, as well, through fundraising, social media and NIL coordination. He also oversaw the hiring, training and development of student managers.

THE WRIGHT STUFF
Already a member of both the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame and the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame, head coach Adam Wright added to his lengthy résumé in 2025. The UCLA’s men’s water polo program captured its second NCAA championship in as many years, beating crosstown rival USC in an 11-10 thriller, and sixth with Wright at the helm. He has now helped collect 11 total NCAA water polo titles for his alma mater: six as the men’s head coach (2014, 2015 2017, 2020, 2024 and 2025), three as a men’s player (1996, 1999 and 2000), one as the women’s head coach (2024) and one as a women’s assistant coach (2009). Wright in 2025 also earned his fifth MPSF Coach of the Year honor — and third in a row — as well as his fifth ACWPC National Coach of the Year selection. He boasts a 414-71 (79-27 in MPSF play) record in his 18^th season on the men’s side and was 172-42 (36-13) over eight with the women.