SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Junior Skyler Munatones scored three goals with two assists to lift the No. 10-ranked University of California San Diego men's water polo team to a road victory over No. 14 Santa Clara, 13-8, on Thursday afternoon.
It's the third-straight victory for UC San Diego (15-5, 5-1 WWPA), which has won five of its last six overall. The Tritons face No. 9 UC Davis on Saturday with first place in the conference standings on the line.
Senior Alessandro Valania and sophomore Connor Turnbow-Lindenstadt scored two goals apiece on Thursday, while senior Cole Martinez recorded a goal with two assists, senior Kevin Asplund tallied three assists and redshirt junior goalkeeper Jack Turner finished with 14 saves.
Shane Hughes and Mac Carey each had two goals for Santa Clara (10-11, 2-4).
UC San Diego led by one at halftime, 5-4, before exploding for five goals in the third quarter alone. Munatones began the scoring flurry with a goal just 46 seconds into the period before Valania put through consecutive goals to make it 8-4 with 4:25 left in the third.
Redshirt sophomore Calder Hilde-Jones tacked on a goal to push the lead to five, and Turnbow-Lindenstadt's score late in the quarter helped the Tritons take a 10-6 lead heading into the fourth.
Redshirt junior Kacper Langiewicz, senior Collin Sullivan and redshirt freshman Konstantin Karlov each scored in the fourth period, as UC San Diego cruised to its 12th-straight victory over Santa Clara and its second win against the Broncos in the last 19 days.
Saturday's contest at UC Davis is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
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).
