IRVINE, Calif. — UC San Diego men's water polo was narrowly defeated, 12-11, at UC Irvine Friday night in both teams' first Big West game of the season.
The Tritons, ranked 13th nationally, had their three-game win streak halted and are now 10-9 overall on the season. The fifth-ranked Anteaters improved to 10-7.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The squads were tied 6-6 at halftime, but UC Irvine was able to outscore UC San Diego 6-5 in the second half.
The Anteaters netted the first four goals of the third period to go up by a 10-6 count and they were able to remain ahead the rest of the way.
UC San Diego made a run in the fourth quarter as
Landon Akerstrom and
Felipe Ferreira notched back-to-back goals to start the period, making it a two-goal game, 10-8, with 6:37 remaining. The teams then traded two goals, bringing the score to 12-10 Anteaters with 2:55 on the clock.
Eamon Hennessey brought UC San Diego back within a goal when he scored with 22 ticks left on the clock, but UC Irvine was able to hold on for the win.
Once again, Akerstrom finished with multiple goals, recording a game-high four. Hennessey had a pair and five other Tritons contributed a goal apiece.
For the Anteaters, four players notched two goals each.
Logan Estes logged a complete game for UC San Diego, making four saves and adding a steal. Zayd Mahmoud was a big presence in the game, finishing with 12 stops for the Anteaters.
The Tritons owned a 28-24 lead in shots. Both teams were ineffective on the power play as UC San Diego was three-for-11 and UC Irvine was two-for-10.
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TRITON TIDBITS
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Landon Akerstrom upped his goal-scoring streak to 10 games. He has scored at least once in 15 of 17 games played and has recorded multiple goals in 11 contests.
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Logan Estes has 12 steals over his last four outings.
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Ante Buzov and
Eamon Hennessey have scored in four-straight games.
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Bennett Axline had five drawn exclusions at UC Irvine, a season-high.
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UP NEXT
The Tritons are back at it again Saturday as they play at No. 16 Loyola Marymount at 6 p.m.
More Info
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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.
