STANFORD, Calif. - Bennett Axline and Vedran Latkovic scored four goals each as the 14th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team defeated No. 9 San Jose State, 14-6, in its final game of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Invitational Sunday at Stanford.

UC San Diego now holds a 5-9 season record. The Tritons went 2-2 at Stanford, defeating the Spartans as well as No. 10 Loyola Marymount and losing against No. 4 Pacific and No. 11 Pepperdine.   

The stacked tournament field also included No. 1 Cal, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Stanford, No. 5 USC, No. 6 UC Davis, No. 7 Long Beach State, No. 8 UC Santa Barbara, No. 13 UC Irvine, No. 16 Fordham, Pomona-Pitzer, and Santa Clara.

Stanford edged UCLA, 8-7, in the tourney's first-place game Sunday.

HOW IT HAPPENED 
Trailing 3-1 halfway through the opening quarter, UC San Diego exploded for a six-goal run that lasted until midway through the second period to take a 7-3 advantage. Latkovic struck for three goals during the spree. Five of the six goals came on the power play. San Jose State scored twice before halftime and the score was 7-5 UC San Diego heading into the break.

The second half was owned by the Tritons as they out-scored the Spartans 7-1. Incredibly, UC San Diego bested its first half scoring streak by tallying seven consecutive goals to begin the second half. The Tritons added four goals to their total in the third quarter and finished up with three more in the final frame. Axline and Rhys Bugelli scored two goals apiece in the half.

Latkovic finished with six points on four goals and a pair of assists. Axline was just behind with five points on four goals and an assist. Manuel Augusto totaled four points with a goal to go along with three assists.

Getting the start in net for UC San Diego, Alexander Nemeth made six saves to earn the victory.

Eight of UC San Diego's 14 goals were scored during an extra-man situation.  

Garrett Johnson had two goals for San Jose State.

FROM HEAD COACH MATT USTASZEWSKI
"Overall, it was a positive experience for our team. We were challenged by some of the top teams in the nation and we hope to capitalize on the growth we witnessed throughout the weekend. Finishing the tournament with great energy is something we expect to carry us forward into conference play."

TRITON TIDBITS
• Latkovic totaled 16 points on 13 goals and three assists over the four tournament games.
• Bugelli amassed 11 points on nine goals and two assists at the tourney and is the lone Triton to have scored in all 14 of the team's games this season.
• Axline contributed 11 points as well, scoring 10 goals and assisting on another. The freshman has a seven-game scoring streak going and has multiple goals in his last six outings.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns to La Jolla to host a Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) game against Biola on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m. The Tritons are 2-0 in WWPA action, while the Eagles are 0-3 in the league and 5-10 overall. The game can be followed with live video and live stats.

------

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.