UCLA win Back to Back NCAA Water Polo Champions
UCLA Stuns USC at the Buzzer to Win 2025 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championship, 11–10
By Swimming World Staff
STANFORD, Calif. – Same venue, same rivalry, new layer of history.
Down late to top-seeded USC, defending champion UCLA rode a furious fourth-quarter rally and a last-second strike from Frederico Jucá Carsalade to claim an 11–10 victory and the 2025 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championship at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center.
The win gives No. 2 seed UCLA (27–2) its second straight national title, the 14th NCAA crown in program history and the 125th NCAA championship overall for UCLA Athletics. USC (23–4) was denied its 11th title in a final that swung wildly across four quarters.
Buzzer-Beater by the Bay
USC had just knotted the score at 10–10 with just over two minutes remaining, capping a night of momentum swings that saw the Trojans repeatedly push their lead to two goals. The title game appeared headed for overtime when UCLA’s last possession broke down under pressure.
Instead, it became a signature moment in Bruin water polo lore.
UCLA’s Game Winning shot by Frederico Jucá Carsalade
With the clock bleeding toward zero, sophomore attacker Ryder Dodd was forced to move the ball out of heavy coverage. His late pass found redshirt junior attacker Frederico Jucá Carsalade on the perimeter. Carsalade pivoted, rose above the defense and ripped the game-winner into the net with one second remaining, triggering an instant bench-clearing celebration.
For more on how this matchup came together, see Swimming World’s preview:
“Can USC’s New Look Stop a UCLA Repeat at NCAA 2025?”
For Carsalade, named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, the shot capped a weekend that saw him score in every key moment of UCLA’s run.
Frederico Jucá Carsalade: 2025 Outstanding Player of NCAA Championship
“When you have a kid like Tico step in there and have an incredible weekend, that’s the win,” UCLA coach Adam Wright said. “Their backs were against the wall all weekend, and they found a way.”
Trojan Surges, Bruin Response
The Bruins struck first on the opening possession as redshirt senior attacker Chase Dodd drilled a long-range strike. UCLA built a 3–1 lead after the first eight minutes behind early goals from Dodd and sophomore utility Bode Brinkema.
From there, USC took control.
The Trojans scored four unanswered goals in the second quarter, keyed by a pair of strikes from driver Jack Vort, to flip a 4–2 deficit into a 6–4 halftime lead. Vort would finish with a hat trick, while Stefan Brankovic and Efe Naipoglu each netted two goals as USC leaned on deep outside shooting and physical center play.
Brinkema opened the third quarter with his second goal to trim the margin to 6–5, but USC twice restored a two-goal cushion. Carsalade’s first goal of the night cut the Trojan lead to 8–7 heading to the final frame, setting the stage for a frantic finish.
Dodd Brothers, Depth and Defense
UCLA’s Ryder Dodd blocked USC pass sets up game winning shot
UCLA’s comeback was built on both star power and depth – the same formula that has defined the Bruins’ two-year championship run.
In the fourth, junior left-hander Ben Liechty delivered a clutch equalizer on a right-side strike that leveled the game at 8–8. After USC nudged back in front, Ryder Dodd took over, burying a penalty shot and then adding another goal on the next possession to give UCLA a 10–9 lead inside the final three minutes.
USC again answered, tying the game at 10–10 on a man-up conversion from Jack Martin, before Carsalade delivered the decisive blow.
Offensively, UCLA was led by Ryder Dodd’s three goals, with Brinkema and Chase Dodd tallying two apiece. Carsalade’s brace, plus goals from Liechty and Wade Sherlock, underscored just how many weapons the Bruins needed to beat their crosstown rival for the national title two years running.
In goal, redshirt sophomore Nate Tauscher turned in another strong performance, backing a team defense that has held opponents in check all season and came up with critical stops in the closing minutes.
“Our whole motto this entire season was, ‘Win as a team,’” Chase Dodd said. “You’re not greater than the team. The players need the team, and the team needs the players.”
Wright’s Legacy and a Rivalry Written in Championships
With the victory, Adam Wright’s place in UCLA and NCAA water polo history only grows.
The UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer has now been part of 10 NCAA titles with the Bruins – two as a player (1999, 2000) and now eight on the coaching side across the men’s and women’s programs. As head coach of men’s water polo, he has guided UCLA to six national championships (2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2024 and 2025), all of them coming against USC.
Sunday’s result also continues a remarkable chapter in the sport’s most visible rivalry. UCLA and USC met four times this season, splitting the series, and the Trojans entered the final as the No. 1 seed after earlier wins over the Bruins in MPSF play.
This time, revenge belonged to Westwood.
“We don’t get here if we don’t have the whole group,” Wright said. “The strength of our program is the whole group – guys who didn’t even suit up tonight and everything they bring every day. This isn’t just for us.”
UCLA Coach Adam Wright basking in a 2nd Consecutive NCAA Water Polo Championship
Back-to-Back and What Comes Next
UCLA’s latest crown comes one day after a grinding semifinal win over host Stanford and caps a season in which the Bruins dropped only two games. It also marks their fifth instance of repeating as NCAA champions, reflecting a standard of consistency that few programs in any collegiate sport can match.
For Carsalade, who closes his UCLA career with back-to-back national titles and All-America honors, the buzzer-beater was both a perfect goodbye and a testament to the team’s mindset.
“When you win, it’s easy to get complacent,” Carsalade said. “But this group never stopped working. We had this date circled from the start, and we were just waiting for our moment to come again.”
As the Bruins posed with the championship trophy for the second straight year, one thing was clear: in the latest chapter of UCLA–USC, it was the Bruins who again found the last word.
UCLA men’s water polo team poses with the NCAA championship trophy after defeating USC 11–10 at Stanford.
ESPN Aired Championship Live from Stanford
USA Water Polo’s Greg Mescall and John Abdou called the NCAA Championship on ESPN
Box Score: 2025 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championship
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 UCLA | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| No. 1 USC | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
UCLA Goals: Ryder Dodd 3, Bode Brinkema 2, Chase Dodd 2, Frederico Jucá Carsalade 2, Wade Sherlock 1, Ben Liechty 1.
USC Goals: Jack Vort 3, Stefan Brankovic 2, Efe Naipoglu 2, Robert López Duart 1, Jack Martin 1, Mihailo Vukazic 1.
Extra-Man: UCLA 4/8, USC 6/9. Penalties: UCLA 1/1, USC 0/0.
