LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego men's water polo captured a mixed bag Sunday at its Triton Invitational, going 1-1 to finish the two-day event with a 3-1 record.
The day began with a 17-8 win over Pomona-Pitzer followed by a 15-7 loss to No. 1-ranked UCLA.
Saturday, the Tritons logged victories against UC Merced and Bucknell at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. POMONA-PITZER
Lucas Romaguera got the Tritons on the board 30 seconds into the contest.
Both goalies started strong with Pomona-Pitzer's Greg Moore turning aside a penalty shot and Triton Logan Estes making a pair of close-range stops.
Two Sagehen goals in the second period brought them within one before the Tritons went on a 4-0 run - highlighted by two Finn Bugelli goals - to get them to 10-5 at halftime.
The third period began with four turnovers before a Romaguera penalty conversion. The two sides traded a pair of goals in between an Estes penalty save that maintained a 13-7 gap.
Pomona-Pitzer dialed in its defense in the final eight minutes, recording three blocks before Augi Macchi snuck one through. A 3-0 Triton run, closed out by an Eamon Hennessey laser, finished off the Tritons' scoring.
Romaguera and Bennett Axline topped the chart with three goals each, while Brendon Fezzey contributed five assists.
Estes racked up 14 saves and two steals. Mark Laurlund snatched a team-leading three steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. UCLA
UC San Diego rounded out its tournament under the bright lights as it took on top-dog UCLA. The Tritons held their own in a relatively deadlocked first period. UCLA broke through the defense twice on seven shots. The Bruins scored six first period goals across their first three tournament games.
Rhys Bugelli clawed back with a penalty conversion early in the second period; Felipe Ferreira skipped in another soon after. UCLA responded by ripping in four shots in as many minutes. Undeterred, Fezzey and Romaguera cut the lead to 7-4 in the final minute before halftime.
UCLA continued to control the contest, putting away five more. The Bruin productivity was partially stifled by four Estes blocks, but offensive struggles kept the Tritons scoreless. Fezzey and Rhys Bugelli punched in close quarter goals to threaten a comeback. However, a Mason Presley snipe proved to be a consolation prize as UCLA similarly struck three more times.
TRITON TIDBITS
• Felipe Ferreira scored his first goal of the season against Pomona-Pitzer.
• Bennett Axline scored his 100th career goal Saturday.
• Former UCLA Bruin Mark Laurlund had three assists against his old team and now leads the Tritons with 10.
• UC San Diego won all eight of its sprints Sunday, with Felipe Ferreira and Landon Akerstrom speeding to three each.
• Estes played all 32 minutes against UCLA, his first complete game of the season.
FINAL TEAM RECORDS
| Pepperdine |
4-0 |
| Stanford |
4-0 |
| UCLA |
4-0 |
| USC |
4-0 |
| California |
3-1 |
| Long Beach State |
3-1 |
| UC San Diego |
3-1 |
| UC Santa Barbara |
3-1 |
| Bucknell |
2-2 |
| UC Davis |
2-2 |
| UC Irvine |
2-2 |
| Cal State Fullerton |
1-3 |
| Claremont-Mudd-Scripps |
1-3 |
| Concordia |
0-4 |
| Pomona-Pitzer |
0-4 |
| Redlands |
0-4 |
| UC Merced |
0-4 |
| Westcliff |
0-4 |
UP NEXT
The Tritons head east to take part in the Princeton Invitational Sept. 13-14.
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..
