No. 6 UCSD Defeats No. 18 California Baptist, 12-9

LA JOLLA, Calif. - With the game tied at 6-6 in the third quarter, senior Matt Michalko came through big for the Tritons. Michalko scored what ended up being the game-winning goal as they headed into the final quarter.

No. 6 UC San Diego (9-8, 4-0) took its fourth straight Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) game in a 12-9 win against No. 18 California Baptist (13-10, 1-2) on Friday at Canyonview Aquatic Center.

Michalko's go-ahead goal sparked an explosive fourth quarter. The Tritons scored five goals in the fourth while Josh Stiling, Luca De Vivo and Michalko all completed the hat trick in that quarter.

Senior David Higginson got things started for UCSD, scoring with 6:25 left in the first quarter on an assist from Joe Dietrich. Andy Moore tacked on another goal, and the Tritons headed into the second quarter with a 2-1 lead against the Lancers.

California Baptist took a 3-2 advantage early in the second, but Stiling tied it from deep at 3-3. With 14 seconds left, De Vivo found the back of the cage to give the Tritons a 4-3 lead at the half.

The Tritons and the Lancers battled back and forth throughout the third quarter. After Lukas Syka extended UCSD's lead to 5-3, CBU scored twice to tie it up at 5-5. Stiling then found the upper corner to retake the lead, but the Lancers answered back with a goal of their own.

With 34 seconds left in the quarter, Michalko put the Tritons on top for good at 7-6.

Michalko and De Vivo each scored twice in the fourth quarter and Stiling scored once. Senior goalie Cameron Ravanbach finished the night with six saves.

The Tritons will travel to Los Angeles to take on No. 16 Loyola Marymount on Oct. 25. This will be the second time the two squads have faced each other this season. They previously met on Oct. 1, when UCSD took a 7-2 win at Canyonview Aquatic Center in front of a crowd of 1,704.

BOX SCORE
UCSD 2 2 3 5 - 12
CBU 1 2 3 3 - 9

GOALS
UCSD: Josh Stiling 3, Matt Michalko 3, Luca De Vivo 3, David Higginson 1, Andy Moore 1, Lukas Syka 1
CBU: Brent Teraoka 3, David Ring 2, Spencer Shore 1, Elad Gunya 1, Nick Candau 1, Jake Jizmejian 1