Last dance, last chance for the #7 UCSB men’s water polo team to end on a high note when it plays its last game of the regular season against #5 Irvine in a nonconference match at Campus Pool on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Gauchos are rebounding after losing five straight games, the most recent coming last weekend at the hands of Pepperdine 6-5, dropping Santa Barbara to 17-11 overall and 2-6 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

“Every loss is disappointing. Water polo is patterned and has all these specific steps, and, for some reason, in the last couple of games we’ve been missing a couple of steps in the middle of the game,” UCSB Head Coach Joe O’Brien said. “I was happy with the way that the guys came and challenged at the end of the game.”

Junior goalkeeper Jon Bonafede had 13 saves in Saturday’s game to up his season total to 240, maintaining his position as the top goalie in the MPSF. Senior defender Brian Alexander scored two goals and will be playing his last regular-season game as a Gaucho, as will senior driver Andrew Schoneberger