No. 6 Stanford men’s water polo (12-3, 4-2 MPSF) heads into a tough matchup against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins (21-0, 1-0) on Saturday in Los Angeles.

UCLA hasn’t lost a game since 2014 and carries the momentum of two consecutive NCAA championships.

While the Bruins are entrenched in a cross-seasonal winning streak, the Cardinal seek to start their own winning streak with an underdog upset.

UCLA should not discount the Stanford squad as a legitimate threat. In 2014, Stanford was victorious, and last season — while the Bruins were successful in both matchups — the scores were close at 7-8 and 8-12.

The Cardinal may not have a consecutive trail of wins to provide momentum for this weekend’s match, but they will be as fired up ever. A win against UCLA would not only boost their ranking but also fuel them for the remaining regular season match-ups against No. 2 Cal and No. 4 Pacific.

The game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks this Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Contact Lauren Wegner at lwegner ‘at’ stanford.edu