<p>IRVINE ? The men?s water polo team?s season came to an end Sunday, following an up-and-down final weekend at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation?s end-of-the-year tournament. <br/>The high points were obvious. The third-ranked Bruins opened the weekend with a dominating 17-1 rout over the fifth-seeded Pacific Tigers on Friday, then closed out their season on Sunday with a 9-8 come-from-behind overtime victory over Stanford, earning UCLA third place in the tournament. <br/>But sandwiched between those victories was heartbreak. On Saturday, the Bruins fell to the second-ranked California Golden Bears 8-5, in a hard-fought semifinal matchup. The loss ended UCLA?s chances of advancing to next week?s NCAA Final Four, and left the Bruins with little to play for Sunday. <br/>Slow starts had plagued the Bruins all season, and somewhat fittingly they struggled early against the Cardinal. UCLA trailed for most of the game, and didn?t take the lead for good until the second period of overtime. On a power play with 1:22 remaining before sudden death, true freshman Kevin Kuga threaded an inside pass to freshman Scott Davidson for the winning goal. <br/>?We kind of woke up at halftime,? UCLA coach Adam Krikorian said after the game. ?I was proud of the way the guys fought back in the second half and competed. You have to always compete, and that was what disappointed me (in the first half).? <br/>Still, Sunday?s victory was a bittersweet one. It marked not only the end of the Bruins? season, but also the careers of seven UCLA seniors. <br/>?For the past five years I?ve been thinking about this last day, and finally today?s that day,? senior Michael March said after the game. ?It hasn?t hit me yet, but it?ll hit me in probably about a week. Water polo?s done. I mean, I?ve been playing water polo for the last twelve years; that?s half my life. It?s kind of a crazy thing.? <br/>To blame for the premature end of the Bruin?s season was a disastrous third quarter on Saturday against Cal. Unlike in many of their other defeats, the Bruins had led early and held a 4-3 lead at halftime. But the Bears scored four unanswered goals in the third to take a 7-4 lead that proved too large for the Bruins to overcome. Although disappointed, the team did its best to remain positive. <br/>?It?s tough,? Krikorian said. ?You set your sights on a goal, and you obviously come up short, but you still have to play (the next) game. You?re kind of teaching about life. You?re not always going to be playing for the championship in life; things aren?t always going to go your way. You have to still compete and fight.? <br/>March echoed similar sentiments. <br/>?Yesterday, until the last whistle blew, I still honestly believed that we were going to do it,? March said. <br/>Now, with the season over, the Bruins will look to move forward as best they can. For the seniors, that means moving on to life after water polo. <br/>?I?m happy and sad I guess, if you want to put it simply,? said March. ?It?s a lot more complex than that. It?s just a combination of emotions. I?m not happy that we didn?t win, but you can?t win them all. ... But it?s time to move on, I guess.?</p><br><br><a href='; target='_blank'>;