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Michael March and the other seniors on the UCLA men’s water polo team were honored during S

Underneath the sweltering late-November Los Angeles sunshine, the UCLA men’s water polo team closed regular-season play with a 8-5 victory over the UC Irvine Anteaters. The game was noteworthy for another reason, as it marked the final home game for the seven Bruin seniors. As a tribute to the seniors, coach Adam Krikorian started all seven players as a group, allowing them to finish their at-home careers with almost a full quarter of playing time together.

“These guys are a fun group,” Krikorian said. “This program is going to miss them, and all of the things they have taught us and brought to this program will live on for a long time.”

Logan Powell, Michael March, Brad Greiner, Will Didinger, James Palmer, Grant Zider and Tyler Krikorian have all been with the program for five years, and as they were honored prior to the start of the match, looks of nostalgia surfaced on their faces as they listened to their individual accomplishments attained over the years as Bruins.

March, who finished the weekend with a team-high five goals, had a mix of feelings following the final home game of his career.

“It was a little emotional,” March said. “I have seen Senior Day happen three or four times now, and it’s finally happening to me. I thought I would be excited for this game, but everything’s coming back to me and, not to be sentimental or anything, but it’s coming to an end. It has been a good time. It’s just time to move on to bigger and better things after MPSFs and NCAAs.”

The Bruins started their weekend of play on Friday afternoon by handily defeating Long Beach State, 17-4.

UCLA held control of the momentum from the start, with three first-quarter goals from March. Powell added four goals in the second quarter. Combined with three goals from three other players, the Bruins went into halftime with a 10-1 advantage.

In the second half of play, seven different players contributed offensively with single goals. In the match, all three of the Bruin goalies were given playing time, resulting in a combined 12 saves defensively.

In stark contrast to Friday’s play, the Bruins came out slower on Sunday, lacking the spark that catapulted them over Long Beach in the previous game. Although able to pull off a win, UCLA suffered a bit of a scare in the fourth quarter as the Anteaters closed a once four-goal gap, bringing Irvine within a goal of tying the game.

Effectively curbing the three-goal comeback attempt, the Bruins responded with three goals of their own. The fourth-quarter goals were the second for Scott Davidson and Krsto Sbutega and the first for Marco Santos.

“We did well on Friday and not today,” Tyler Krikorian said. “We played pretty bad today. Our defense was okay, but we can do much better. Will saved us on a few occasions. He was on fire today, and that was good to see.”

Didinger notched 10 saves on the day in goal for the Bruins, making up for lackluster play at times.

“I was very excited for this game,” Didinger said. “It was the last one here at Sunset (Canyon Recreation Center), and I was really ready for the game.”

The No. 3 Bruins resume play over Thanksgiving weekend, as they travel to Irvine for the MPSF Tournament. The tournament marks the most important weekend for the team to date, as the results will determine whether or not UCLA will have an opportunity to move forward and compete in the NCAA Tournament the following weekend.