LOS ANGELES — The 10th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team was defeated by third-ranked USC, 15-9, Saturday in Los Angeles.
With the non-conference loss, the Tritons fell to 12-5 overall. The Trojans improved to 13-2.
UC San Diego got off to a hot start, scoring the game's first two goals, both coming on man-up situations.
Finn Bugelli found the back of the net at the 4:25 mark of the opening quarter.
Jaime Bhattacharyya followed just over a minute late, giving the Tritons an early 2-0 advantage.
USC responded by netting 12 of the game's next 13 goals. The run was started at 2:54 of the first by Luke Nelson, which began a six-goal streak for the Trojans that ended when Bhattacharyya scored his second of the game on a penalty shot at 2:31 of the second. Ben Mirisch closed out the second period with a goal at 1:24, putting USC in front 7-3 heading into halftime.
The third quarter saw USC score the first five goals. Triton
Christian Hammonds' goal with 1:23 remaining in the third sent the game into the fourth with the Trojans holding a 12-4 lead.
UC San Diego won the fourth stanza by a 5-3 count. Hammonds, Bhattacharyya, andÂ
Bryan Shapirshteyn scored single goals while
Liam Amburgey had back-to-back strikes. His second was the final goal of the game, coming with just 25 seconds remaining.Â
Bhattacharyya's hat trick was the third of the senior's career.
Alex Hegeman started in goal for UC San Diego and made three saves in just over 19 minutes of play. Freshman keeper
Jack Elder entered in the third quarter and had four saves in 14 minutes.
Gavin Conant and Robert Lopez Duart each contributed three goals for USC. Charles Mills made 10 saves in 24 minutes of action.
UP NEXT
After playing its last four games away from La Jolla, the Tritons return to campus for a pair of matches next week. On Friday, October 16, UC Santa Barbara comes in for a Big West game (6 p.m.). The next day, Concordia University Irvine visits for a 12 p.m. matinee at Canyonview Aquatic Center. Tickets are available 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.
