UC San Diego

LA JOLLA CALIF. - The11th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team faced off against No. 2 Stanford Sunday afternoon at Canyonview Aquatic Center. The Tritons were defeated 15-8 by the Cardinal.
 
Mason Presley led UC San Diego with three points on three assists while also recording a steal. Jaime Bhattacharyya, Finn Bugelli, and Jackson Boettner each scored two goals. Alex Hegeman and Jack Elder recorded two saves apiece in net.
 
 HOW IT HAPPENED
The game began with two goals by Stanford in the first two minutes, the second on a five-meter penalty shot. Bugelli answered with two power-play goals shortly thereafter, evening the score midway through the first quarter. However, Stanford went on to score six consecutive times and held an 8-2 advantage with 2:32 left until halftime. Boettner got one back on a power play at 1:56 and the teams went into the break with the Cardinal up by five.
 
The third quarter featured two goals by Stanford's Ohl brothers - Ryan then Connor - midway through. Triton Christian Hammonds would find the back of the net at 3:52 to up his consecutive game scoring streak to 21 contests. While defending a seven-on-six attack by Stanford at the end of the quarter, Triton Liam Amburgey came up with the ball in UC San Diego's end of the pool and heaved a shot that went bar down into the empty net. That goal moved the score to 12-6 Cardinal.
 
In the fourth quarter, Boettner scored on a five-meter penalty shot and Bhattacharyya scored his second of the game -  the last goal for the Tritons -  with 45 ticks left on the clock.
 
WHAT TRITON HEAD COACH MATT USTASZEWSKI HAD TO SAY
Overall
"We learned that in a championship-style environment you have to handle the pressure."
 
On having goalie Jack Elder play goal in the fourth quarter
"Jack's a freshman. Getting him those opportunities and repetitions against a team that he knows some of the players from his high school days. It's a new level, and he's at the college game. For him that's invaluable, it's a huge development opportunity that we're investing in because he is a really talented young goalie."

TRITON TIDBITS
• 20 different Tritons saw action against Stanford today
• UC San Diego scored its eight goals on 28 shots (.286), with Stanford scoring 15 times on 30 shots (.500)
• UC San Diego ended its three-game week with a 2-1 record, collecting wins against UC Irvine and LMU

UP NEXT
The Tritons host Big West rival Cal State Fullerton on Friday, October 30th at 6 p.m. Tickets are available through the Triton Box Office.The match-up will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and can be followed with FOSH Live Stats as well.

---

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.