LA JOLLA, Calif. — There's no place like home.
The No. 10-ranked University of California San Diego men's water polo team got back to its winning ways in front of its home crowd, defeating conference foe Concordia Irvine, 15-4, on Friday evening of Homecoming Weekend at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
Redshirt freshman Konstantin Karlov had a career game, scoring three goals with three assists, as the Tritons outscored the Eagles in the second half, 9-1.
UC San Diego scored the final eight goals of the game, capped off by sophomore Brett Candioty's first-career score with 24 seconds remaining.
Coming off a 2-2 stretch at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Invitational last weekend at Stanford, junior Cooper Milton believes the Tritons' defense was the key to their dominant second half on Friday.
“We really needed to lock down on defense, and we held them to one goal in the second half,” said Milton, who finished with two goals, an assist and three steals. “We started putting our shots away and being more disciplined, which is a big emphasis we're trying to keep.”
Senior Carson Ivancovich and sophomore Connor Turnbow-Lindenstadt also scored two goals apiece for UC San Diego (13-5, 3-1 WWPA), with senior Alessandro Valania recording four assists.
Redshirt junior goalkeepers Jack Turner (seven saves) and Sam Thompson (five) combined for 12 saves in the net, while sophomore Patrick Zsiros scored two goals to lead Concordia (5-14, 1-3).
Leading 6-3 at halftime, a goal by junior Kacper Langiewicz just 30 seconds into the third quarter pushed UC San Diego's lead to four. After Eagles junior Messan Moore scored to cut the deficit to 7-4 with 2:55 left in the third, Milton's power-play goal off an assist from junior Skyler Munatones ignited the Tritons' second-half surge.
UC San Diego returns to action next weekend for Senior Day, as the Tritons play host to Princeton on Saturday, Oct. 27, beginning at noon.
About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country. The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference. UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent. A total of 80 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 36 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.
Follow The Tritons
For complete coverage and information regarding UC San Diego Athletics, follow the Tritons online at UCSDtritons.com and through social media on Twitter (@ucsdtritons), Instagram (@ucsdtritons) and Facebook (ucsdtritons).
