CLOVIS, Calif. — The University of California San Diego men's water polo team moved another step closer to its ultimate goal on Saturday afternoon.
The Tritons came out sharp from the start en route to a convincing victory over Air Force, 15-3, in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championships semifinal at Clovis West Olympic Swim Complex.
UC San Diego (18-5, 6-1 WWPA) will take on rival UC Davis in the conference championship game on Sunday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m. It will be the third meeting between the two teams this season, with each squad already winning one game apiece.
In addition, either the Tritons and Aggies have won the last five WWPA crowns. It marks the fourth-straight season the two teams play in the WWPA Championship final, as UC San Diego attempts to win its 19thconference title all-time.
Redshirt sophomore Calder Hilde-Jones led the way on Saturday with a career-high four goals, while junior Noah Carniglia and sophomore Connor Turnbow-Lindenstadt each finished with three goals and two assists in the dominant victory.
Senior Kevin Asplund recorded two goals with two assists, junior Cooper Milton had a goal with two assists and redshirt junior goalkeeper Jack Turner tallied five saves in three quarters of action.
The Tritons played one of their best first quarters all season, jumping out to a 6-1 lead in the opening period. UC San Diego led 12-3 at halftime and shut out Air Force (9-17) in the second half.
Hilde-Jones' back-handed shot put the Tritons ahead, 4-0, with 3:30 remaining in the first quarter, and an Asplund goal off an assist from Milton made it 6-2 with 33 seconds left in the first.
Carniglia's goal in the five-meter zone off an assist from senior Cole Martinez pushed the lead to 8-2 with 5:25 left in the second period, before redshirt freshman Konstantin Karlov tossed in a back-hand goal off an assist from Turnbow-Lindenstadt to make it 12-3 with 21 seconds left before intermission.
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.
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