MALIBU, Calif. - The 15th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team split the opening day of the Kap7 SoCal Tournament, hosted by Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, Saturday at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool. The Tritons fell to No. 6 UC Santa Barbara 12-8 in the first game and got an overtime victory against San Jose State, 14-12, in the second game.
Game One
The Tritons trailed the Gauchos by two after three quarters, but UCSB was able to put away four goals in the final period to defeat UCSD 12-8.
The Tritons scored first as senior utility Chase Cockerill was able to find the back of the cage with only 40 seconds coming off of the game clock. The Gauchos claimed the next four scores coming from Ryan Baliani, Tor Jensen, Matthew Hamilton and Brenden McElroy. With nine seconds remaining in the opening quarter, Cockerill fired one home as UCSD trailed 4-2.
UCSB was able to score on its first possession of the second frame to take a three-goal advantage. Junior utility Nassim Hmeidan answered back by converting a five-meter penalty shot for the Tritons. After another Gaucho score, Hmeidan was able to fire one on target as UCSD trailed by two.
UCSB pushed its lead to four, 8-4, with two scores in the third quarter. The Tritons battled back and answered with two goals of their own coming from sophomore driver Cole Martinez and Cockerill, to complete his hat trick, to keep the margin at two.
The Gauchos pulled away in the fourth quarter, scoring four times and limiting the Tritons to two as UCSD fell by four goals.
Hmeidan and Cockerill each recorded hat tricks with three goals each for the Tritons.
UCSB got 12 from nine different scorers with Jensen, Baliani and Shane Hauschild each scoring twice.
Game Two
After an 11-11 tie in regulation, UCSD outscored SJSU 3-1 in overtime to escape with a 14-12 victory.
With the score even at 3-3 in the opening quarter, freshman utility Kevin Asplund put away a five-meter penalty shot with 53 seconds left to give the Tritons a one-goal advantage after one period.
UCSD got the first two goals of the second frame coming from senior two-meter Tiki Toplak and Cockerill, to gain a 6-3 advantage. The Spartans battled back and scored three goals before halftime as the Tritons led by one.
UCSD looked to pull away in the third quarter, gaining a 10-7 lead after Cockerill's fourth goal of the game. SJSU's John Moon was able to find the back of the cage to make it a two-score game going into the final period of regulation.
The Tritons allowed three Spartan goals and only scored once, from senior two-meter Tyler Mancuso, as the two teams deadlocked at 11-11 at the end of regulation.
Cockerill dominated in overtime as he scored two goals and senior utility Jacob Castro added one. SJSU's only goal in overtime came with 1:17 left, as UCSD claimed a two-point victory.
Cockerill led UCSD with a game-high six goals. Goalie Jack Turner compiled seven saves.
For the Spartans, Blake Grove had three goals and Matej Matijevic recorded 11 saves.
The Tritons close out the Kap7 SoCal Tournament Sunday, Oct. 11. They go up against No. 14 Air Force at 12:00 p.m. and depending on the outcome play at 4:00 or 5:20 p.m. The games will be held at Loyola Marymount.
GAME ONE
UCSD 2 2 2 2 - 8
UCSB 4 2 2 4 - 12
Goals
UCSD: Nassim Hmeidan 3, Chase Cockerill 3, Cole Martinez 1, Kevin Asplund 1
UCSB: Shane Hauschild 2, Ryan Baliani 2, Tor Jensen 2, Thomas Martinho 1, Matthew Hamilton 1, Steven Tedsen 1, Kenny Constantinides 1, Brenden McElroy 1, Nicolas Jordan 1
Saves
UCSD: Jack Turner 3
UCSB: Liam Lenihan 9
GAME TWO
UCSD 4 3 3 1 3 0 - 14
SJSU 3 3 2 3 0 1 - 12
Goals
UCSD: Chase Cockerill 6, Jacob Castro 2, Tyler Mancuso 2, Cole Martinez 2, Tiki Toplak 1, Kevin Asplund 1
SJSU: Blake Grove 3, Alek Dendall 2, Igor Milan 2, Scott Reynolds 1, Akos Balazs 1, Justin Contreras 1, Kameron Schlegel 1, John Moon 1
Saves
UCSD: Jack Turner 7
SJSU: Matej Matijevic 11
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