LA JOLLA, Calif. — The No. 8/10 UC San Diego men's water polo team earned its first Big West win of the season by taking down Cal State Fullerton, 16-11, on the road in Orange County Thursday evening.
The Tritons improved to 18-8 overall and 1-3 in Big West action. The Titans fell to 16-12 and 0-4 in the conference.
UC San Diego scored the first four goals of the game to set the tone, a tone that saw the Tritons never surrender their lead.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Bennett Axline got things going for UC San Diego with a power play goal at 5:59 of the first quarter.
Jackson Boettner,
Felipe Ferreira, and
Eamon Hennessey followed with Boettner's and Hennessey's goals also coming during man-up situations.
Following a timeout, Cal State Fullerton got on the board at 3:19 of the first when Alec Isaacman found the back of the net.Â
The Tritons went on to outscore the Titans 7-2 in the opening quarter with the five goal span the largest goal differential of all four periods.
Boettner scored his third goal of the game at 2:20 of the second quarter, putting UC San Diego up 10-3. The seven goal lead was the largest of the game for the Tritons, an advantage they held four times overall.
Trailing 11-4, Cal State Fullerton was able to reel off three straight goals to get back within four with 4:40 remaining in the third stanza.
The Tritons returned the favor, scoring three straight times.
Christian Hammonds started the run at 3:18 of the third.
Ante Buzov and Ferreira followed, giving UC San Diego a 14-7 lead heading into the fourth.
The Titans bagged their only quarter win in the fourth, out-scoring the Tritons 4-2. Julian Nichols and Francesco Schiaffino accounted for all four goals with two apiece. Two of them came on power plays.
Also of note in the fourth quarter, Boettner, a freshman ripped his fourth goal of the night at 1:22 to give his team a 16-10 lead.
Hennessey finished with five points after recording two goals and three assists.
UC San Diego goalie
Alex Hegeman made four saves and added a pair of steals in the victory.
TRITON TIDBITS
•
Jackson Boettner matched his career high with four goals.
• Boettner has seven goals and three assists for 10 points over his last four games.
• The Tritons held a 15-7 advantage in steals.
• UC San Diego was six for nine (.667) on power plays.
• Two of Cal State Fullerton's goals came on five-meter penalty shots.
• UC San Diego is now 4-0 against Cal State Fullerton as an NCAA Division I team.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego concludes its Big West slate next week when it hosts UC Irvine on Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. The next day, the Tritons host Biola at noon on Senior Day. The regular season comes to a close on Nov. 9 at LMU and the Big West Championship follows Nov. 21-23 at UC Irvine.
Game tickets are available for purchase online by visiting the linkÂ
HERE or by calling (858) 534-1430. For more ticket information, e-mail the box office atÂ
triton-tix@ucsd.edu.
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.
