LA JOLLA, Calif. — The third-seeded UC San Diego men's water polo team defeated sixth-seeded Cal State Fullerton 16-5 Friday in the opening round of the Big West Championship at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
With the victory, the Tritons (17-12) advance to Saturday's semifinals and will meet UC Santa Barbara (16-12), the tournament's second seed, at 1 p.m.
In the early first round match-up Friday, fourth-seeded UC Davis took down fifth-seeded Long Beach State by a score of 11-10. The Aggies move on to play UC Irvine, the No. 1 seed, Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
The conference title game is slated for Sunday at 1 p.m.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
With the game tied 1-1 in the first quarter,
Rhys Bugelli scored at the 5:42 mark to put UC San Diego up 2-1 and the Tritons stayed in front the rest of the way.
For the second time in his last three games, center
Bennett Axline dropped a five-spot, scoring two goals in the first quarter, two in the second, and one in the third. He also drew three exclusions.
A trio of Tritons found the net twice including
Max Abravanel,
Ante Buzov, and
Landon Akerstrom. Abravanel also added a pair of assists.
Bugelli and brother Finn,
Mason Presley,
Luca Rago, and
Miles Wilson all scored single goals.
Senior
Kaden Likins assisted on three goals in the game. He leads the team in points (81) and assists (47). Among all Big West players, he is second in helpers and fourth in points.
Logan Estes was solid in net, making nine saves over three quarters of play. He also logged an assist and a steal.
Extra-man situations played a big part in the game. UC San Diego scored five times in 12 opportunities, while Cal State Fullerton was held scoreless on 12 power plays.
The Tritons out-shot the Titans 27-26.
Five different players accounted for the Titans' five goals.
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UP NEXT
Saturday's semifinal between 13th-ranked UC San Diego and 10th-ranked UC Santa Barbara will be the third meeting between the two squads this season. The Gauchos won the first two games by scores of 15-11 and 12-6. Tickets for the game are available through the
Triton Box Office.
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TRITON TIDBITS
•
Bennett Axline is riding a five-game scoring streak in which he has totaled 17 goals.
• Axline leads the Tritons in goals with 56 on the season.
• After missing 26 games due to injury,
Max Abravanel has scored at least once in all three games since his return.
•
Landon Akerstrom has a team-best eight-game scoring streak.
•
Kaden Likins has 12 assists over his last four games.
• UC San Diego defeated Cal State Fullerton 16-9 in mid-October of the regular season.
• The winner of the Big West Championship earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship.
• 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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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.
