THE SCHEDULE
Match 25
No. 9 Brown University (26-6)
Saturday, Nov. 29 • 4:30 p.m.
2014 NCAA Championship Play-In
Canyonview Aquatic Center • La Jolla
Live Video
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the 2014 play-in game are $5 and will be available at Canyonview Aquatic Center Saturday.
WWPA CHAMPIONS
Thanks to posting a perfect 6-0 record in conference play, the Tritons received a first round bye, putting them directly into the semifinals on Saturday against the sixth-seeded California Baptist. Seniors Matt Michalko (San Diego/The Bishop's School), Lukas Syka (San Diego/Westview HS), Josh Stiling and Luca De Vivo all recorded hat tricks as the Tritons defeated the Lancers, 15-9. UCSD moved on to face 17th-ranked Loyola Marymount in the championship game on Sunday. With a phenomenal defensive performance led by goalkeeper Cameron Ravanbach (La Jolla/La Jolla HS) and a well-balanced offensive attack, UCSD earned a 12-6 win in LMU's home pool and received the league's automatic qualifier into the 2014 National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship. The Tritons held the Lions to just one goal in the first half and had as much as an 11 point lead. Additionally, seniors Joe Dietrich and Syka both recorded a hat trick on Sunday. After posting 28 stops this weekend, Ravanbach was named the WWPA Tournament Most Valuable Player. Dietrich, Stiling and Ravanbach were all named to the WWPA All-Tournament First Team and Syka was named to the second team. Prior to the WWPA Championship, six Tritons had received honors. Stiling was named the WWPA Player of the Year for the second time in his career the Tuesday before the championships. Stiling previously received this honor in 2012 as a junior. Stiling leads UCSD with 56 goals in the regular season. He also leads the team with 40 steals. Ravanbach joined Stiling as an All-WWPA First Team honoree. This is the third year Ravanbach has been named All-WWPA First Team. In addition, senior David Higginson (San Diego/The Bishop's School) was named to the All-WWPA Second Team, Michalko and Dietrich received Honorable Mention recognition, and Thomas Higginson (San Diego/The Bishop's School) was selected to the All-Freshman Team.
HARPER EARNS 600
UCSD head coach Denny Harper, who is in his 35th season leading the Tritons, earned his 600th career win this Sunday. He has compiled a record of 600-439-4. Harper has led the Tritons to 17 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) titles and 13 appearances in the NCAA Championship. He has been named the WWPA Coach of the Year 16 times and the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPA) Division II Coach of the Year five times.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
2014 marks the 13th time the Tritons have advanced to the National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship. The Tritons have previously reached the national tournament in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2011 and 2013. The 2000 campaign was a pinnacle year for the Tritons as they defeated USC, 9-8, in the national semifinal in Malibu to become the first non-Division I team to play in the NCAA Championship Game. UCSD finished third in 1995, 1998 and 2006, fourth in 1999, 2002 and 2011, sixth in 1989, 1991 and 1992, and eight in 1993. In 1995, Harper's squad became the first Division III team to advance to the NCAA Final Four and repeated the feat in 1998 and 1999. Last year UCSD received the Western Water Polo Association's automatic qualifier into the 2013 NCAA Tournament. They faced St. Francis in the play-in game and suffered a 6-5 loss.
TOURNEY TIME
The 2014 National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship will feature two play-in games to reach the four-team, single elimination championship bracket, hosted by UCSD in La Jolla on Dec. 6-7. Four conferences were granted an automatic qualifier into the bracket or play-in game, while the final two teams were selected at-large without any geographical restrictions. Brown University represents the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), Stanford won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Whittier advanced from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and UCSD represents the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). The two at-large bids went to UCLA and USC of the MPSF. By earning the top two seeds, No. 1 seed UCLA (27-3) and second-seeded Stanford (25-3) automatically advanced to the national final four. The Tritons will host No. 11 Brown University (26-6) on Nov. 29 at 4:30 p.m. at Canyonview Aquatic Center. The winner of the UC San Diego/Brown match earns a berth into the national final four and will face UCLA on Dec. 6 at Canyonview Aquatic Center. The other play-in game features No. 3 seed USC (22-6) hosting sixth-seeded Whittier (23-12) as the two look for a berth into the final four bracket and a chance to face Stanford on Dec. 6 in La Jolla.
ABOUT THE BEARS - No. 5 SEED
No. 9 Brown comes to Canyonview Aquatic Center with a 26-6 overall record. Leading the way for the Bears is senior Henry Fox with 76 goals. He has also tallied 42 assists, 59 steals and 34 exclusions drawn. Right behind Fox is senior Nick Deaver with 54 goals. Deaver also leads Brown with 68 steals. Sophomore Yahel Murvitz-Lahav has a team-best 56 assists and junior Will Klein leads the team with 117 ejections drawn. Senior Andrew Brown and sophomore Luke Weiser have split time in the cage this season making 112 and 218 stops, respectively. This past weekend, Brown beat Princeton, 7-6, to win its first Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship title since 1985 and earn its first NCAA bid since 1990. This will be the Bears' 12th all-time appearance in the NCAA Championship. Brown has previously reached the national tournament in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1990.
SERIES HISTORY
UCSD sports a 7-1 record against Brown. The last time the two teams squared off was more than 11 years ago on Oct. 25, 2003. The Tritons earned an impressive 12-3 win against the Bears.
COMMON OPPONENTS
Despite being on opposite coasts, Brown and UCSD shared six common opponents this season - California Baptist, Santa Clara, UC Irvine, UC Davis, Fresno Pacific and Air Force. The Bears posted a 5-3 record against these opponents with the three losses coming from Santa Clara on Sept. 12, UC Irvine on Sept. 13 and Santa Clara again on Oct. 25. The Tritons on the other hand have posted a perfect 9-0 record against those six opponents this season.
RAVANBACH MOVING UP
Senior goalkeeper Cameron Ravanbach (La Jolla/La Jolla HS) entered the 2014 season in seventh place on UCSD's all-time saves list with 557. The senior made 12 stops against California Baptist and 16 saves against No. 17 Loyola Marymount during the Western Water Polo Association Championship Tournament to move him into third place. He is now 11 stops away from tying Duncan Miller's third place mark of 847. Ravanbach has posted 10 or more saves in 20 games so far this season.
STILING CRACKS TOP 10
Senior Josh Stiling is now on UCSD's career goals top-10 list. After scoring five times in the Tritons final weekend of conference play, Stiling tied the ninth place mark with 171. Then the Beaverton, Ore., native recorded five goals this past weekend in the Western Water Polo Association Championship Tournament and now has sole possesion of ninth place. Stilling is four goals away from Dana Greisen's eighth place mark
TRITON NOTES
Josh Stiling leads UCSD with 61 goals this season. He has been the Tritons' top scorer in 16 games... Eight Tritons have recorded hat tricks this season - Stiling (11), Lukas Syka (San Diego/Westview HS) (4), Luca De Vivo (2), Joe Dietrich (2), Matt Michalko (2) (San Diego/The Bishop's School), David Higginson (1) (San Diego/The Bishop's School), Chase Cockerill (1), and Andy Moore (1)... UCSD has earned 11 wins against nationally ranked opponents so far this season. The highest ranked opponent the Tritons have defeated was No. 6 UC Santa Barbara.
UCSD TO HOST 2014 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
UCSD will be hosting the 2014 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship, Dec. 6th and 7th, at Canyonview Aquatic Center. All-Session tickets are now on sale. Don't miss what promises to be the biggest water polo event in San Diego history! For tickets and information, click here.
GEAR HERE
UCSD Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online to provide a web-based, on-demand option for UCSD apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours. Visit the site at UCSDTritonsGear.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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UP NEXT
Should the Tritons win Saturday's play-in game, they will earn a berth into the national final four and will face UCLA on Dec. 6 at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
#TritonsRising
