LA JOLLA, Calif. – David Higginson completed a hat trick as the eighth-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team took down No. 17 Loyola Marymount, 7-2, in front of a crowd of 1,704 Wednesday night at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
Higginson scored all three of his goals in the fourth quarter to seal the victory and move UCSD to 5-6 overall and 2-0 in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). LMU dropped to 3-8 on the season and 1-1 in the league.
The matchup between the Tritons and Lions began as a defensive battle with LMU holding a slight 2-1 lead at the half. But, for the second-straight game, goalkeeper Cameron Ravanbach held an opponent to just two goals as UCSD shut out LMU in the second half. Ravanbach finished the night with 13 saves.
Sophomore Andy Moore got things started on offense for the Tritons in the second half. With 2:03 left in the third quarter, Moore scored from the right side to the far post to tie it up at 2-2. Chase Cockerill then stole the ball from LMU's Joe Ferretti and scored on a breakaway, giving UCSD the eventual game-winning goal and sending the capacity crowd into a frenzy.
Higginson opened up the fourth quarter with back-to-back goals. After scoring the opening goal for the Tritons in the first quarter, Matt Michalko found the back of the cage again to give UCSD a 6-2 lead. Higginson netted the UCSD's final goal of the night with 1:42 left in the game.
With the win, the Tritons took sole possession of first place in the WWPA standings.
UCSD will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., to face WWPA opponent and 15th-ranked Air Force this Friday at 6 p.m. To watch a live video stream of the match, click here.
Box Score
UCSD 1 0 2 4 - 7
LMU 1 1 0 0 - 2
Goals
UCSD: David Higginson 3, Matt Michalko 2, Andy Moore 1, Chase Cockerill 1
LMU: Matt Cuozzo 1, Kyle Etrata 1
Saves
UCSD: Cameron Ravanbach 13
LMU: Dominick Beaudine 9
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