IRVINE, Calif. - The 11th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team trailed by one heading into the final quarter, but No. 5 UC Irvine outscored the Tritons 6-3 in the fourth to take a 15-11 win on Wednesday night at Anteater Pool.
UCSD battled back from a three-goal deficit twice in the third quarter to make it 9-8 at the start of the final stanza. However, four consecutive scores by the Anteaters but them up by five with three and a half minutes to play.
Graham Saber and Lukas Syka traded goals with the Anteaters before Brian Donohoe tacked one on with five seconds left to spare to bring the Tritons back within four at the final whistle.
John Butler led the Tritons with three goals on the day, while Matthew Michalko, Syka, Saber and Donohoe finished with two scores apiece. David Morton tallied 10 saves in goal.
UCSD finishes the regular season at 14-9 overall. Now that the regular season is complete, the Tritons will be gearing up for the Western Water Polo Association Championships, which UCSD will host November 17-20 at Canyonview Pool.
The Tritons will likely hold the No. 2 seed for the tournament thanks to an 12-3 conference record. UCSD's only losses in WWPA play this season have come at the hands of Loyola Marymount. At 10-1 in conference play, the Lions are favorites to be the No. 1 seed.
