LA JOLLA, Calif. — For the second-straight day, the 11th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team split a pair of games as its annual Triton Invitational came to a close Sunday.

The Tritons began with a solid 15-8 victory over 20th-ranked Navy before dropping a close battle against USC, the second-ranked team in the nation, by a score of 11-9.

UC San Diego finished the weekend with a 2-2 record, Navy went 3-1, and USC was unbeaten at 4-0. Joining the Trojans with four wins and no losses were No. 1 California and No. 3 UCLA.

Ten of the 14 competing teams were ranked among the national top-20. The top four teams in the country (Cal, USC, UCLA, and Stanford) were at the tourney. 

WHAT HEAD COACH MATT USTASZEWSKI HAD TO SAY


AGAINST NAVY
Freshman Landon Akerstrom scored back-to-back goals to open the game and the Tritons stayed ahead until the final horn.

UC San Diego led 9-4 at halftime, scoring five goals in the second quarter. The Tritons mirrored that with five more goals in the third frame.

On two occasions, UC San Diego scored four-consecutive goals.

Three UC San Diego players finished with hat tricks including Akerstrom, junior Lucas Romaguera, and sophomore Brendon Fezzey. Junior Felipe Ferreira and sophomore Bennett Axline each tallied a pair of goals, while juniors Rhys Bugelli and Eamon Hennessey each scored single goals. At center, Axline drew three exclusions and also had three steals, while Ferreira assisted on three goals to finish with a team-best five points. Senior Kaden Likins dished out four assists, matching his career-high in that category. Along with his three goals, Akerstrom registered four steals.

In goal, junior Logan Estes made six saves to earn his second win of the young season.

The Tritons scored six goals in 11 power play opportunities. They netted their 15 goals with 29 shots, good for a .517 shooting percentage.

Sam Collingwood and Hayden Kahn each scored twice for the Midshipmen. Kiefer Black had a goal and two assists. Caden Capobianco took the loss in net, making three saves and giving up nine goals over the first two quarters of play. Jack Hightower, who played the second half of the game, finished with seven saves.

HIGHLIGHT REEL VS. NAVY

 
AGAINST USC
UC San Diego came out strong, scoring the first two goals of the game - one from Akerstrom and a power play score by Ferreira.

The Trojans were able to tie it up at 2-2, but the Tritons went up 5-2 on consecutive goals by Miles Wilson, Rhys Bugelli, and Luca Rago. 

UC San Diego stayed ahead until USC tied it at 6-6 on a Carson Kranz goal at the 3:42 mark of the third quarter. The Trojans took their first lead of the game just 40 seconds later when Andrej Grgurevic struck on a power play to make it 7-6. They added two more goals to go up 9-6 with 24 seconds left in the third. Romaguera was able to get one back for UC San Diego just seconds before the period expired.

It was a back-and-forth affair in the final quarter with both teams trading goals until time ran out. Bugelli and Axline each scored for the Tritons, but it wasn't enough.

Estes made 10 saves in the game, one of those coming on a five-meter penalty shot.

UC San Diego converted on just three of 12 power play opportunities.

USC was led by Joshua Waldoch, who amassed six points on four goals and a pair of assists.

HIGHLIGHT REEL VS. USC


TRITON TIDBITS
• Felipe Ferreira led the Tritons in point production with 15 (six goals, nine assists) over the four tourney games. His nine assists were also a team-best.
• Landon Akerstrom scored a team-best seven goals during the weekend. Bennett Axline, Ferreira, and Lucas Romaguera all had six goals apiece.
• Goalie Logan Estes had a team-high eight steals over four games, while Akerstrom and Ferreira each had six.
• On Saturday, UC San Diego defeated Biola (17-4) and lost to No. 1 California (20-5).
• Eleven players made their career debuts for the Tritons Saturday including Landon Akerstrom, Jaime Bhattacharyya, Finn Bugelli, Emiliano Castro, Felipe Ferreira, Eamon Hennessey, Reef Lippa, Augi Macchi, Mason Presley, Nolan Roberts, and Lucas Romaguera.

FINAL TEAM RECORDS
No. 1 California, 4-0
No. 2 USC, 4-0
No. 3 UCLA, 4-0
No. 4 Stanford, 3-1
No. 9 Long Beach State, 3-1
No. 20 Navy, 3-1
No. 10 UC Irvine, 2-2
No. 11 UC San Diego, 2-2
No. 7 UC Santa Barbara, 1-3
No. 17 California Baptist, 1-3
Cal State Fullerton, 1-3
Biola, 0-4
Concordia, 0-4
Pomona-Pitzer, 0-4

UP NEXT
UC San Diego travels to Claremont to compete at the Inland Empire Classic, which is slated for Sept. 9-10. The Tritons will play four games over the two days. Saturday, they take on Cal Lutheran (12 p.m.) and Pomona-Pitzer (5 p.m.). Sunday, they play No. 3 UCLA (9:30 a.m.) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1 p.m.).

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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.