LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego men's water polo won its third-straight game Sunday, defeating Air Force by a score of 17-6 at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
Following the non-conference game, the 13th-ranked Tritons are 10-8 while the 20th-ranked Falcons are 10-11.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Air Force netted the first goal of the game as Jack Richards scored on a power play at the 6:49 mark of the opening quarter. That would prove to be the only time that the Falcons would hold a lead in the game.
UC San Diego responded in a big way by scoring the game's next five goals.
Three of those goals came in the first quarter as
Landon Akerstrom and
Eamon Hennessey went back-to-back and
Ante Buzov made it 3-1 with 31 seconds left in the period. Continuing the run, Akerstrom struck again on a power play at 4:41 of the second and Hennessey added his second score of the game at 3:57.
Leading 8-3 at halftime, UC San Diego out-scored Air Force 9-3 in the second half.
Akerstrom led all players with six points on three goals and three assists. Hennessey and
Mason Presley each had three goals. Buzov,
Augi Macchi, and
Lachlan Rossi scored twice.
The Tritons' largest lead was the final 11-point spread as they were able to score the game's last three goals to close it out.
UC San Diego was able to get three different goalies into the game. Starter
Logan Estes played the first 23 minutes and had seven saves, a career-high five steals, and an assist.
Nikita Valajev played 7:30 and
Parker George played the final 1:07.
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HIGHLIGHT REEL
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LANDON AKERSTROM INTERVIEW
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TRITON TIDBITS
•
Logan Estes has 11 (3-3-5) steals over his last three games.
•
Landon Akerstrom stretched his goal-scoring streak to nine games.
• It was the second hat trick of the season for
Eamon Hennessey.
•
Ante Buzov has scored twice in each of his last three games.
•
Matthew Wastila extended his goal-scoring streak to three games.
• Lachlin Rossi also upped his goal-streak to three games.
• The Tritons have won two of the last three meetings with the Falcons.
• Air Force last defeated UC San Diego in 2021.
• UC San Diego defeated Chapman and Fresno Pacific Friday to kick off the weekend sweep.
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UP NEXT
The time for Big West play is here. UC San Diego starts conference action on the road, playing at UC Irvine on Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. The next night, the Tritons play LMU in Los Angeles in a non-conference tilt. Both games are set for 6 p.m. starts.
Tickets for all home games 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.
