LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego men's water polo kept pace with unbeaten Pacific in the first half but the Tigers used a big second half to defeat the Tritons, 13-8, Saturday night at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
With the non-conference loss, 14th-ranked UC San Diego dropped to 7-8. Pacific, the fifth-ranked team in the nation, improved to 9-0.
------
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was tied 4-4 at halftime, but Pacific won the second half by a 9-4 count. A 6-3 Tiger advantage in the third stanza put them up by a score of 10-7 and a 3-1 edge in the fourth closed it out.
Pacific never trailed, but UC San Diego had it tied five times. A
Finn Bugelli goal at the 4:50 mark of the third quarter was the final tie score of the night. The Tigers owned the game's next three goals. Reuel D'Souza's power play goal with 1:24 left in the third had Pacific in front 9-6.
Finn Bugelli scored with 18 seconds left in the quarter, getting the Tritons back within two at 9-7. However, the Tigers were able to score on a power play with three seconds remaining the third, making it 10-7.
Oliver Fodor's power play goal two minutes into the final quarter gave the Tigers an 11-7 lead.
For the Tritons,
Bennett Axline and
Finn Bugelli each scored a pair of goals.
Landon Akerstrom,
Christian Hammonds,
Mark Laurlund, and
Trevor Moore each found the back of the net once.
Pacific's Mihailo Vukazic led all players with four goals. Jeremie Cote, Oliver Fodor, and D'Souza also had hat tricks with three goals each.
In goal, Triton
Logan Estes made eight saves and Tiger Bae Fountain had 10 stops.
------
HIGHLIGHT REEL
------
MATT USTASZEWSKI INTERVIEW
------
TRITON TIDBITS
•
Bennett Axline extended his goal-scoring streak to seven games. He logged multiple goals in four of those.
•
Landon Akerstrom's goal in the second quarter extended his scoring streak to six games.
• It was the second two-goal game of the season for
Finn Bugelli.
------
UP NEXT
To start the month of October, UC San Diego takes part in the Gary Troyer tournament. The Tritons face off against two teams on Friday, Oct. 4 - Chapman (1:40 p.m.) and Fresno Pacific (5:40 p.m.). Both games will be played at Allred Aquatics Center on the campus of Chapman University in Orange, Calif.
To wrap up the week, the Tritons return home to host Air Force on Sunday, Oct. 6, at noon.
Tickets for all home games can be purchased through the
Triton Box Office.
------
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.
