LOS ANGELES - UC San Diego scored six goals in the first quarter and led wire-to-wire to defeat California Baptist, 12-7, Friday in the opening round of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championships.

Third-seeded and 11th-ranked UC San Diego (13-12) will face tournament host Loyola Marymount in a semifinal on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. No. 12 LMU (16-7), the second seed, toppled Concordia by a score of 20-8 Friday. 

Saturday's match-up at Burns Aquatic Center will be the fourth meeting between the Tritons and Lions this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego scored the first five goals of the game in the first quarter. Bennett Axline, named the WWPA Freshman of the Year Thursday, got things going with his 41st goal of the season just 27 seconds into the game. All-WWPA First Team selection Vedran Latkovic battered the net with three-consecutive goals to put the Tritons up 4-0 and Manuel Augusto gave the Tritons a five-goal cushion with a power play strike at 2:09. After the Lancers scored a pair, Latkovic converted on a five-meter penalty shot in the final minute of the period to make the score 6-2.

The second quarter saw the Tritons out-scored 2-1. Brendon Fezzey scored at the 5:30 mark to give UC San Diego a 7-2 lead, CBU got two back on goals by Ian Escoto and Bodhi Bowden and the teams went into halftime with the Tritons ahead 7-4. 

Coming out of the break, it was all Tritons as they added four more goals to their total while shutting out the Lancers in the third frame. Kaden Likins, Brendan Nugent, Augusto, and Matthew Wastila all found the back of the net and UC San Diego held an 11-4 advantage going into the final quarter.

California Baptist struck for two-straight goals, one from Escoto and another from Angel Sanchez, before Jack Martin picked up his fourth goal of the season to put the Tritons ahead 12-6 with just 1:26 left to play. CBU's Simon Taylor scored the final goal of the game with 37 seconds on the clock to account for the final score.

The Lancers out-shot the Tritons 36-30. However, Alexander Nemeth finished with 10 saves in goal for UC San Diego, the ninth time the All-WWPA Honorable Mention performer made at least 10 stops in a game this season.

Augusto put together a five-point day by adding three assists to his pair of goals.

Neither team was particularly strong on the power-play with UC San Diego going three-for-10 and CBU converting on just one of six.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH MATT USTASZEWSKI


TRITON TIDBITS
• Vedran Latkovic has scored 12 goals over his last two outings.
• The Tritons defeated the Lancers 13-11 on Oct. 6 in Riverside.
• UC San Diego is 1-2 against Loyola Marymount this season.
• The Tritons are looking for their 20th WWPA title.

For results, a complete schedule, and ticket information, visit Tournament Central.

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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.