Anteaters shock top-ranked UCLA, 9-8

A raucous capacity crowd came ready for a close game. The fact that the first 200 registered fans received a free hooded sweatshirt and barbecue lunch certainly didn’t hurt the attendance.

As for the No. 7-ranked UC Irvine men’s water polo team, the Anteaters came into Saturday’s game against top-ranked UCLA knowing they needed to finish strong to have a chance to knock off the Bruins.

This time, they did.

Senior Antoine Lena scored the game-winner with 39 seconds left as UC Irvine upset the Bruins, 9-8, setting off a wild celebration from players in the pool and fans alike.

In handing UCLA (12-1) its first loss of the season, UC Irvine (9-4) snapped a 17-game losing streak against the Bruins. UC Irvine’s last win against UCLA had come in 2007.

It was the second straight weekend the Anteaters had a chance to play the top-ranked team in the country. Last weekend at the Mountain Pacific Invitational at USC, UCI couldn’t hold a three-goal fourth-quarter lead against the then-No. 1 Trojans, losing by the same 9-8 score. The Anteaters would eventually finish seventh in the tournament.

“[Saturday’s win] gets us over the hump,” UC Irvine coach Marc Hunt said. “I think that last week’s game against USC, we felt like we ended on a little bit of a down curve. The emphasis this whole week was that we’re going to win each moment. If we can win each moment, we’re going to win the game. I think we kept our mind set in the present, and I think that paid off for us today. That, and we saw some outstanding outside shooting from some of our guys.”

Freshman Fynn Schuetze scored a game-high four goals for the Anteaters, including his team’s first three of the game. Hunt said that was big, as it opened things up a bit for Lena on the left side.

In terms of the score, neither team could open up a lead of more than a goal. The Bruins were up 5-4 at halftime, but Robby Stiefel and Lena scored in the third quarter for UCI to give the Anteaters a 6-5 edge going into the fourth.

UC Irvine took an 8-7 advantage midway through the quarter, after Corona del Mar High alumnus Jon Polos drew an exclusion. Lena buried the power-play shot cross-cage with 3:33 remaining. But UCLA again tied the score on the next possession, after Alex Roelse scored off a foul outside of five meters.

Lena had the answer in the final minute. His first two goals had come cross-cage, but this time he went near-side to beat UCLA goalie Alex Wolf, a Huntington Beach High alumnus who made 12 saves and three steals. On the other end, a shot by UCLA’s Nicolas Sabeljic went off the right goalpost, and the ’Eaters had a big win.

“I knew the goalie was waiting for me to go cross-cage,” Lena said. “I usually do two fakes, and I caught it and shot it right away. He jumped on the cross-cage, and the near-side was wide open.”

Junior Jack Trush, another CdM product, drew four exclusions for the Anteaters, who finished five for eight on the power play while holding UCLA to one for six. His older brother, senior Kyle Trush, had a field block and an assist despite getting a cut over his left eye in the second half.

“The Trush brothers are the soul of the team,” Hunt said. “These guys are the hardest workers on the team, and they do a lot of the blue collar work in the pool. They’re just absolutely solid defenders, through and through. Kyle’s one of the strongest guys I’ve ever had, and Jack’s not far behind him.”

Lovre Milos also scored for UCI, which got 13 saves from senior goalie Matej Matijevic. Freshman Chasen Travisano led UCLA with two goals.

UC Irvine, which also has other local players in CdM alumnus Foster Hoose and Edison alumnus Ryan Warde, returns to action Friday. UC Irvine opens Golden Coast Conference play with a home game against San Jose State at 7 p.m.

The Anteaters can hope for another big crowd for that game, and another giveaway may help. Beanies will be given out to the first 200 preregistered fans on Friday.

“I’ve never seen the stands this packed at UCI,” Jack Trush said. “It was definitely a great atmosphere to play in. It reminded me of Battle of the Bay.”

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo