LA JOLLA, Calif. - Josh Stiling scored four times as the 10th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team opened its 2014 campaign with a 16-6 win over Cal Lutheran Saturday in the first of two Triton Invitational games at Canyonview Aquatic Center. UCSD then fell to No. 4 Cal, 16-8, in its second contest of the day. Stiling scored three more times in that game, in the 2012 All-American and Western Water Polo Association Player of the Year's much-anticipated return to the lineup after redshirting in 2013.
Game One – UCSD 16, CLU 6
CLU (0-2) kept it close in the beginning as the Kingsmen trailed UCSD (1-1) by a single goal at the end of the first frame, 4-3. Stiling led the way in the period with two goals, with Chase Cockerill and David Higginson (San Diego/The Bishop's School) scoring one apiece.
Stiling was able to score again in the second quarter and fellow 2013 redshirt Lukas Syka (San Diego/Westview HS) followed with another as the Tritons held a slight 6-4 edge going into halftime.
UCSD was able to blow it open in the second half with nine different Tritons finding the back of the cage as they outscored the Kingsmen 10-2 for a final score of 16-6.
CLU got six goals from six different players and Jesse Owen had nine saves.
Stiling topped all scorers in the game with four goals and Syka added three. Cockerill and Higginson found the back of the cage twice. Cameron Ravanbach totaled 10 saves.
Game Two – Cal 16, UCSD 8
Stiling tossed in three goals for the Tritons, but UCSD was not able to overcome a rough third period in a 16-8 loss against the fourth-ranked Golden Bears.
Cal (2-0) jumped on the scoreboard first, but the Tritons were able to answer back with a goal from Stiling. The Bears would score twice on back-to-back possessions before the Tritons answered again with two goals of their own, one from Stiling, the other from Luca De Vivo, to tie the game at 3-3. With 22 seconds left in the first frame, Cal's Luca Cupido found the back of the cage to put his team up 4-3.
Defense was the story in the second quarter as both squads scored just one goal each. Stiling tallied another with nine seconds left to cut Cal's lead to 5-4 going into the break.
The third period proved to be the difference in the match as the Golden Bears shut out UCSD and scored six goals. The Tritons trailed 11-4 at the end of the third quarter.
Joe Dietrich and Jacob Castro scored on back-to-back possessions in the middle of the fourth period and Matt Michalko (San Diego/The Bishop's School) scored twice in the final minute as UCSD tried to make a late run, but the difference was too much to overcome as Cal tacked on six more scores in the period.
Aleksa Saponjic led the Bears with three goals.
Ravanbach amassed 13 saves.
The Tritons will finish up the invitational on Sunday, taking on Redlands at 1:30 p.m. and No. 3 UCLA at 4:25 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door and UCSD students are free with a valid ID.
For results from all Triton Invitational contests and a schedule of Sunday's match-ups, click here.
GAME ONE
UCSD 4 2 7 3 - 16
CLU 3 1 1 1 - 6
Goals
UCSD: Josh Stiling 4, Lukas Syka 3, Chase Cockerill 2, David Higginson 2, Thomas Higginson 1, Matt Michalko 1, Joe Dietrich 1, John Lovat 1, Tiki Toplak 1
CLU: Zach Graper 1, Jake Gallagher 1, Nathan Ortega 1, Zack Card 1, Cameron Hauer 1, Asante Sefa-Boakye 1
Saves
UCSD: Cameron Ravanbach 10
CLU: Jesse Owen 9
GAME TWO
UCSD 3 1 0 4 - 8
Cal 4 1 6 5 - 16
Goals
UCSD: Josh Stiling 3, Matt Michalko 2, Luca De Vivo 1, Joe Dietrich 1, Jacob Castro 1
Cal: Aleksa Saponjic 3, Conor Neumann 2, Thomas Carroll 2, Luca Cupido 2, Troy Oates 1, Matt Russell 1, Pedro Stellet 1, Nicholas Carniglia 1, Blake Kelly 1, Farrel South 1, J.D. Ratchford 1
Saves
UCSD: Cameron Ravanbach 13
Cal: Jon Sibley 1
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