After four intense weeks of regular season play and a dramatic championship weekend at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, UCLA (competing as Mission) have been crowned the 2025 USA National League champions. In a breathtaking final, they edged Olympic Club 4-2 in a penalty shootout after the game ended in a 15-15 tie in regulation time.
The USA National League, founded in 2015, is the highest-level club competition in the United States, often described as the closest thing to a professional league outside of the NCAA system. Featuring top collegiate athletes, Olympians, and international stars, the National League provides a crucial platform for elite competition beyond college water polo.
Mission entered Championship Weekend as the team to beat, boasting an undefeated regular season. Alongside Olympic Club, Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC), and New York Athletic Club (NYAC), they earned a bye into the quarterfinals of the bracket-style tournament featuring the league’s top twelve teams.
UCLA 19-17 Olympic Club
The final between UCLA and Olympic Club lived up to all expectations. Ryder Dodd, a finalist for the prestigious Cutino Award and fresh off an Olympic bronze medal in Paris, was simply spectacular, scoring eight goals to lead UCLA’s charge. Despite UCLA opening up a 14-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, Olympic Club fought back valiantly.
Spearheading the comeback was Paul Reynolds, who netted a fourth-quarter hat-trick to tie the match at 15-15 and force a penalty shootout. However, UCLA goalkeeper Nathan Tauscher stood tall when it mattered most, saving two crucial penalty shots from Colin Mulcahy and Reynolds to secure the 4-2 shootout victory.
Star Power on Display at Mt. SAC
This year’s Championship Weekend was loaded with star talent. Notably, Los Angeles Athletic Club made headlines by signing water polo legends Dénes Varga and Filip Filipovic ahead of the knockout stages. Although Varga did not suit up for the bronze match, Filipovic — a four-time Total Player of the Year and Olympic champion — added experience and firepower to the LAAC roster, scoring once in their third-place match against NYAC. Max Casabella, another standout, stole the show with a six-goal performance as LAAC defeated NYAC 19-16 to claim third place.
Individual Awards
MVP: Ryder Dodd, UCLA
Top Scorer: Ryan Ohl, USA Pipeline
Top Goalkeeper: Brendon Gyapjas, Channel Cats
Top Coach: Eric Carnohan, LAAC
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