UCLA Defeats USC to Win Water Polo Tournament

UCLA senior Jeremy Braxton-Brown knows the importance of gaining an early advantage on USC in water polo this season.

The teams are expected to challenge for the 1996 national championship, so UCLA’s 8-7 overtime victory Sunday in the finals of the Southern California water polo tournament gave the Bruins some early momentum.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever been ranked preseason No. 1, so we want to try and maintain that,” Braxton-Brown said.

Braxton-Brown, a Capistrano Valley High graduate and 1995 first-team All-American, played a key role in the overtime victory, tapping away USC’s last possession in overtime. He also scored a goal.

However, the biggest play belonged to UCLA’s Matt Armato who scored on a two-point shot 15 seconds into the first three-minute overtime. The goal gave the Bruins an 8-6 lead, and UCLA was able to hold off the second-ranked Trojans the rest of the game at Newport Harbor High.

“We play USC twice in the last week of the season, so it’s nice to get up on them early,” Braxton-Brown said.

The Trojans held the early advantage and built a 5-2 lead early in the second half.

UCLA’s Steve Covec cut the lead to 5-3 with a goal after a USC ejection, and Armato evened the game with his first two-pointer midway through the third quarter.

Hrvoje Cizmic, one of three Croatian starters for USC, then gave the Trojans a one-point lead with a spectacular spinning shot while well defended in the two-meter area.

Corbin Graham tied the score by slipping the ball under the arm of goalkeeper Brendan Grubbs with 3:36 remaining.

In the third-place game:

California 10, UC Irvine 6--The third-ranked Golden Bears scored four consecutive goals to erase UC Irvine’s 3-2 lead late in the first half.

Junior Ryan Bailey scored twice for the fourth-ranked Anteaters (3-2) and ended the tournament with 16 points in four games.