LOS ANGELES, Calif. ? The 9th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team had a successful first day at the Southern California Tournament, hosted by Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount on Saturday afternoon.  UCSD faced the 10th-ranked LBSU 49ers in the first game, coming out on top 8-7, outscoring LBSU 4-3 in the final quarter.  Steven Dohohoe tied the game at 7-7 with 1:24 left and A.J. Kotanjian netted the winner with :40 remaining.  The Tritons then faced No. 2 UCLA and held its own, tying UCLA 6-6 at halftime before the Bruins pulled away with a 12-9 win.

In the win over Long Beach State, the 49ers came out strong, scoring two goals in the first period and allowing only one UCSD goal. The Tritons' defense was in full gear in the second period however, shutting out The Beach. San Diego's offense took one more goal of their own, and at halftime the squads were tied at 2-2.

The score remained tied through the third period, as each team battled for two goals apiece, setting up a crucial fourth period. The Tritons were able to outscore the 49ers in the quarter 4-3, and UCSD took the morning game away from Long Beach State by a score of 8-7.

A.J. Kotanjian, Chance Vermilyea and Steven Donohoe scored two goals apiece while Adnan Jerkovic and Daniel Garcia added goals.  With the Tritons down 7-6 with 2:50 remaining, Donohoe scored at the 1:24 mark and Kotanjian poured in the game winner with :40 remaining.

After being outscored 5-2 in the first quarter, the Tritons would score four of the next five goals to tie the game up at 6-6 at halftime against UCLA.  The Bruins outscored the Tritons 4-1 in the third quarter to take the three goal lead.  The teams would exchange two goals apiece in the final quarter for the 12-9 score.

Kotanjian and Donohoe scored three goals apiece while Vermilyea, Sean Roberts and Garcia also scored goals.

UCSD is back in action tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. in Malibu.  UCSD will take on the loser of the Stanford vs. LMU match-up (Friday night).