LA JOLLA, Calif. — Eamon Hennessey scored two goals and assisted on three others to lead the 11th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team to a 15-7 non-conference win over Westcliff Saturday at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
The Tritons elevated their season record to 13-10 while the Warriors fell to 9-14.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego scored the first three goals of the game and never relinquished its lead. The Tritons led 8-4 at halftime and out-scored the Warriors 7-3 in the second half.
Westcliff cut its deficit to one when a goal at 4:21 of the second quarter made it 5-4 in favor of UC San Diego. However, the Tritons scored six consecutive goals and took an 11-4 lead with 44 seconds left in the third quarter.
With 1:29 to go in the game,
Bennett Axline found the net to give UC San Diego its first eight-goal lead of the game at 14-6.
A junior transfer, Hennessey tallied his first goal on a five-meter penalty shot in the second quarter while his second goal came in the fourth stanza. His three assists and five points were career-highs.
Lucas Romaguera amassed four points on a goal and three assists.
Rhys Bugelli scored three goals, his second hat trick in as many days as he tallied three at Cal State Fullerton Friday night.
Triton starting goalkeeper
Logan Estes made three saves in one quarter of play.
Nikita Valajev took over for the remaining three quarters and made seven saves while adding two steals and an assist.
UC San Diego out-shot Westcliff 39-27.
Manuel Augusto and Alex Sisakovic had three goals apiece for the Warriors. Augusto played two seasons for the Tritons (2021, 2022) after transferring from Golden West College. He is currently working towards a master's degree at Westcliff. The school, located in Irvine, Calif., is a member of the NAIA, which allows Augusto to continue playing after exhausting his NCAA eligibility.
Three of the Warriors' seven goals came on the power play.
Armin Jusztin made 10 saves in net for Westcliff.
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HIGHLIGHT REEL
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INTERVIEW WITH JUNIOR EAMON HENNESSEY
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TRITON TIDBITS
• Today's contest was a pink game to raise awareness for breast cancer.
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Lucas Romaguera has totaled 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) over his last four outings.
• Today's hat trick was the fourth of the season for
Rhys Bugelli.
• UC San Diego is now 3-0 all-time against Westcliff.
• Eleven players made their career debuts for the Tritons on Saturday, Sept. 2, during the Triton Invitational including
Landon Akerstrom,
Jaime Bhattacharyya,
Finn Bugelli,
Emiliano Castro,
Felipe Ferreira,
Eamon Hennessey,
Reef Lippa,
Augi Macchi,
Mason Presley,
Nolan Roberts, and
Lucas Romaguera.
• The Big West is sponsoring men's water polo for the first time in 32 years. Its last period with the sport was 1984-91.
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays at Loyola Marymount on Oct. 21. The non-conference contest is set for 12 p.m. in Los Angeles.
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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 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.
