LOS ANGELES — Three different players recorded hat tricks but it wasn't enough as the UC San Diego men's water polo team was defeated, 15-12, by Pepperdine Friday on the opening day of action at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Invitational.
The Tritons dropped to 6-5 overall while the Waves improved to 10-1.
UCLA and USC are co-hosting the tournament at Spieker Aquatics Center and Uytengsu Aquatics Center. All of UC San Diego's games will be played at Spieker on the campus of UCLA.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Pepperdine got out to an early lead by scoring the first three goals of the game in the opening quarter. Trailing by three at 4-1 late in the first frame, Tritons
Landon Akerstrom,
Rhys Bugelli, and
Felipe Ferreira went back-to-back-to-back with goals to even it up at 4-4.
Just 17 seconds into the second quarter, UC San Diego went in front when
Ante Buzov scored on a power play to put the Tritons up 5-4. Unfortunately, it was the only lead they would have on the afternoon. The Waves scored four-straight goals to take an 8-5 advantage with 2:09 remaining until halftime and they stayed in front the rest of the way.
UC San Diego battled and was able to stay close, getting within a single goal three times.
Kaden Likins found the net on a power play at 2:19 of the third quarter to make it 11-10 in favor of Pepperdine. However, the Waves were able to score four of the game's final six goals to account for the final score.
Akerstrom, Bugelli, and Ferreira all had hat tricks, accounting for nine of UC San Diego's 12 goals. Bugelli also had an assist to finish with four points. Along with Buzov and Likins,
Lucas Romaguera scored a goal in the game. Romaguera was also credited with two assists.
Logan Estes and
Nikita Valajev split time in net for the Tritons. Estes made four saves and had two steals in the first half while Valajev had five stops and three steals in the second half.
For Pepperdine, Kaden Kaneko had four goals. Four other players scored twice, including Nico Tierney, who also had three assists to rack up five points. Antonio Knez turned aside eight scoring bids in net.
Pepperdine held a 29-26 advantage in shots. In power play situations, UC San Diego was five for 11 (.455) while Pepperdine was four for eight (.500).
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TRITON TIDBITS
• It was the 11th time that junior
Rhys Bugelli had at least three goals in a game during his Triton career.
• It was the third hat trick of the season for freshman
Landon Akerstrom.
• It was junior transfer
Felipe Ferreira's first hat trick as a Triton.
• UC San Diego is ranked ninth (ACWPC and CWPA), while Pepperdine is fourth (ACWPC) and sixth (CWPA).
•
Landon Akerstrom has scored in all 11 games with multiple goals in seven contests.
• Eleven players made their career debuts for the Tritons on Saturday, Sept. 2, during the Triton Invitational including Akerstrom,
Jaime Bhattacharyya,
Finn Bugelli,
Emiliano Castro, 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
Continuing action at the MPSF Invitational, UC San Diego takes on Occidental Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The Tritons will play a second game Saturday with their opponent to be determined by results. The tournament concludes Sunday.
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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.
