LA JOLLA, Calif. - Vedran Latkovic struck for five goals and
Rhys Bugelli netted four as the 13th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team defeated conference opponent Biola, 15-7, Thursday night at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
With the win, the Tritons moved to 6-9 overall and are still unbeaten in Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) play at 3-0. Biola is 5-11 on the season and 0-5 in league action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Latkovic scored the first two goals of the game and the Tritons would not give up their lead the rest of the way.
The Tritons led the Eagles by a single goal, 2-1, after the first quarter, but out-scored the visitors by a count of 13 to six the rest of the way.
UC San Diego's big offensive push came in the second quarter. Leading by a score of 4-3,
Miles Wilson and
Luca Rago scored just before halftime, which kicked off a string of six consecutive goals by the Tritons. Coming out of the break, Bugelli,
Brendon Fezzey,
Bennett Axline, and
Connor McManigal continued the scoring spree and when it was over, UC San Diego led 10-3.
At the end of the third stanza, the Tritons held an 11-6 advantage.
The fourth quarter saw UC San Diego out-score Biola 4-1. Bugelli recorded a hat trick in that frame.
Max Abravanel assisted on four Triton goals, a new single-game career-high.
Alexander Nemeth played a majority of the game in net for UC San Diego and made eight saves.
For Biola, Dominic Hidalgo-Valecillo and Nolan Rapp both accumulated three points as they each had two goals and an assist. In goal, Mitchell Carpenter made nine stops. He also scored a goal on a long shot with just one second remaining in the third quarter.
The Tritons out-shot the Eagles 33-21.
TRITON TIDBITS
• Latkovic has scored 15 goals over his last four outings. He netted five goals in two of those games.
• Bugelli has totaled 12 goals over the last four games and is the only Triton to have scored in each of the team's 15 contests.
• Bugelli is the reigning WWPA Player of the Week.
• Biola's water polo program is in just its second season of play.
• It was the second-ever meeting between the two teams. UC San Diego earned a 25-4 win last season in La Mirada.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego is off until Oct. 6 when it travels to California Baptist for a WWPA contest.
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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.
