LA JOLLA, Calif. — The 13th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team opened its 2022 season Saturday by splitting a pair of games during its own Triton Invitational at Canyonview Aquatic Center.

The Tritons got off to a good start by running away with a 22-8 victory against La Verne. In the team's late game, 10th-ranked Pepperdine netted a goal with 1:05 left in the second overtime period to earn a narrow, 16-15 win.

The win against the Leopards was the first for UC San Diego head coach Matt Ustaszewski who took over the reigns in July of this year when Denny Harper announced his retirement following 42 years at the helm of the program.

HOW IT HAPPENED #1
UC San Diego struck for 14 goals over the first two quarters against La Verne, which included putting up an eight spot in the second frame. The Leopards tallied four goals in each of the middle quarters and were held scoreless in the first and fourth.

Ten Tritons recorded multiple points including Will Riley, who totaled seven on a pair of goals and five assists. Vedran Latkovic finished with five points after scoring three times and tacking on two assists. Max Abravenel and Connor MacMitchell each contributed four points with two goals and two assists. Rhys Bugelli and Bennett Axline both had three points. A true freshman, all of Axline's points came on goals.

HOW IT HAPPENED #2
Down 11-8 early in the fourth quarter against Pepperdine, UC San Diego exploded for five straight goals to go up 13-11. However, the Waves scored twice in the final minute of regulation to force overtime. They continued finding the net with two more goals in the first overtime to take a 15-13 advantage before Vedran Latkovic brought the Tritons back within one with a goal 19 seconds before the clock hit zero. With 1:27 left in the second OT, Rhys Bugelli scored to get UC San Diego even again at 15-15. However, Curtis Jarvis put Pepperdine ahead for good with a goal at the 1:05 mark. The Waves held off the Tritons the rest of the way.

Latkovic and Bugelli each finished with four goals. Bugelli had six points as he also added two assists. Manuel Augusto (two goals, two assists) and Miles Wilson (one goal, three assists) each had four points.

TRITON TIDBITS
• The 22 goals against La Verne were the most scored by the Tritons since Sept. 16, 2021, when they put up 25 at Biola.
• The team's last overtime game was on Sept. 24, 2021, when it lost by a score of 13-12 to UC Davis in sudden victory.
• Ustaszewski played for the Tritons and graduated from UC San Diego in 2004. 

UP NEXT
UC San Diego takes on UC Irvine Sunday at 9:20 a.m. The Tritons close out the tourney with a final game at 1:20 p.m. Their opponent will be either Long Beach State or UC Santa Barbara, depending upon results.
 
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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 II and III 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.