LA JOLLA, Calif. - The 5th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team defeated 10th-ranked Loyola Marymount by a 7-5 score Friday night in front of 1,091 fans at the Canyonview Aquatic Center on the UCSD campus. With the win the Tritons improve to 12-2 on the year while the Lions fall to 5-6.
UCSD got on the board first as Adnan Jerkovic put the Tritons up 1-0 at the 3:51 mark. He came back just over three minutes later and gave UCSD a 2-0 lead. Both goals came from the right side as the southpaw found a hole on the right side of the net.
Chris Eichholz put the Tritons up 3-0 at the 6:45 mark of the second period, but the Lions came right back with their first tally of the night as Endre Rex-Kiss scored at the 3:56 mark. Chris Finegold gave UCSD back its three goal lead, taking a pass from Clark Peterson and slamming it into the back of the net at the 3:21 point of the second stanza.
Just 30 seconds later Jerkovic got a steal and broke away by himself before being fouled and being awarded a penalty shot. Jonathan Hopkins calmly found the back of the net on the ensuing 4-meter penalty shot at the 2:53 mark to put UCSD up 5-1. After a missed LMU shot on goal, Triton goalkeeper Colin McElroy found a streaking Brandon Borso who put UCSD up 6-1 with 2:06 remaining in the half.
With only 46 seconds remaining before intermission, LMU got its second goal of the game as Rex-Kiss made the score 6-2. Neither team mounted another series scoring threat as the half ended with UCSD ahead by four goals.
LMU was the first to score in the second half as Brian McShane found the back of the net after he was left all alone in front of the goal. His tally came at the 4:39 mark of the third quarter. The Lions pulled to within two at 6-4 with just under two minutes to go in the third quarter as Cutberto Hernandez put back his own rebound for his first goal of the match.
The fourth quarter started with the Tritons up by two goals on the scoreboard, but the momentum was squarely on the side of the visiting Lions after posting a 2-0 advantage in the third quarter.
LMU continued that momentum as Rex-Kiss netted his third goal of the game, this one coming with 4:41 remaining in the match and brought the Lions to within one goal. UCSD answered right back as Ty Lackey got his first goal of the game, tossing a pinpoint shot into the upper right corner to put the Tritons up 7-5 with 4:12 to go in the game.
Both teams could not get on the board again after the Lackey goal as the Tritons finished off the match with the 7-5 victory. The two teams will meet again, next time in Los Angeles, on October 29.
The Tritons return to action tomorrow afternoon with two matches at the UC Santa Cruz Slugfest, facing Santa Clara in the first match and Cal Lutheran in the second. UCSD will take on No. 8 Long Beach State and No. 20 UC Santa Cruz on day two of the tournament.
