COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- No. 8 UC San Diego opened up Friday night's match against No. 15 Air Force with a 5-1 lead and never looked back. The Tritons picked up an impressive 17-7 victory against the Falcons on the road in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"The team played great, especially in the altitude here in Colorado Springs, and I was especially happy with how our second group played," head coach Denny Harper said.

UCSD (6-6, 3-0) has now won three-straight games and remains perfect in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) as they took down Air Force (5-9, 0-1) in its conference opener.

Seniors Josh Stiling and Luca De Vivo started strong for UCSD in the first quarter, notching two goals a piece. Junior Chase Cockerill also scored early for the Tritons giving them a 5-3 lead into the second quarter.

UCSD stayed strong on defense in the second quarter by giving up just two goals. Senior goalkeeper Cameron Ravanbach finished the night with 15 saves, tying his season-high.

"All and all a classic team effort, and Cameron was excellent in the goal," Harper said. "We knew this would be a real test coming off of Wednesday's win over LMU and playing on the same day as traveling."

While the Tritons' defense was making crucial stops, their offense was continuing to add to their lead. Joe Dietrich netted two goals in the second quarter while senior David Higginson and Cockerill each added one, giving UCSD a 9-5 advantage at the half.

The Tritons came out aggressively on offense in the second half. Stiling, Michalko and Higginson all scored within the first three minutes of the third quarter, forcing Air Force to take a time out. After the Falcons' only goal of the quarter, Tritons tacked on three more goals.

The fourth quarter was highlighted by sophomore Connor Watson. With just 1:17 left in the game, Watson scored his first goal of the season and finalized UCSD's 17-7 victory.

The Tritons head to Los Angeles next to compete in the SoCal Tournament on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12. UCSD returns to Canyonview on Oct. 17 to take on California Baptist at 6 p.m.

Box Score
UCSD                    5              4              6              2      -      17
AFA                       3              2              1              1      -      7

Goals
UCSD: Josh Stiling 4, Chase Cockerill 3, Joe Dietrich 2, Luca De Vivo 2, Matt Michalko 2, David Higginson 2, Connor Watson 1, Lukas Syka 1

Saves
UCSD: Cameron Ravanbach 15

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