LA JOLLA, Calif. — Sophomore Bennett Axline tallied five goals to lead the UC San Diego men's water polo team to a 17-8 win against Biola Thursday night at Canyonview Aquatic Center.

With the victory in its penultimate regular season game, the Tritons elevated their season record to 15-12. The Eagles dropped to 18-12.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego stayed in front the whole way after scoring the first three goals of the night. The first two were courtesy of Axline, both coming in the opening quarter.

Four of Axline's strikes came in the first half. He also found the net on a power play at the 7:47 mark of the second quarter to make it 5-2. His goal at 6:22 of the same period put the Tritons up 7-2. Axline notched his final goal at 5:24 of the fourth, bringing the score to 16-8. The 2022 WWPA Freshman of the Year also drew four exclusions at center and had three steals.

Three Tritons had two goals each including Felipe Ferreira, Kaden Likins, and Lucas Romaguera. Likins and Romaguera also picked up two assists and finished with four points. Rhys Bugelli also logged four points with a goal and three assists.

Playing in his first game of the season after missing the team's previous 26 contests due to injury, junior Max Abravanel scored a goal and had a steal.

Sophomore Collin Tournat scored the final goal of the game, the first of his career. Jack Martin scored his first goal of the season in the second quarter.

Logan Estes started in goal for UC San Diego and made four saves in the first half. Nikita Valajev played the third and fourth quarters and had one save.

For Biola, Joshua Halopoff had half of the Eagles' goals, scoring four times. Joshua Dachenhausen was in net for three quarters and made seven saves.

UC San Diego scored seven goals in the second quarter and led 11-3 at halftime. The Tritons held a substantial 40-22 advantage in shots and converted on six of nine power player opportunities.

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HIGHLIGHT REEL


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INTERVIEW WITH BENNETT AXLINE


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TRITON TIDBITS
• UC San Diego is now 4-0 all-time against Biola.
• The Tritons also defeated the Eagles on Sept. 2 to open the season.
• Bennett Axline's single game high for goals is six, which he accomplished earlier this season at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
• It was Axline's 13th multiple-goal game this year.
• 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 hosts Chapman on Saturday, Nov. 11, at noon to close out the regular season. The senior members of the team will be celebrated prior to the first sprint. Tickets can be purchased through the Triton Box Office.

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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.