LONG BEACH, Calif. — The 10th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team took down No. 7 Long Beach State Friday night, 13-12, on the road at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center.
It was the first Big West game of the season for both squads.
With their third-straight victory, the Tritons moved to 12-4 on the season. The Beach, picked to win the 2026 Big West title in the league's preseason coaches' poll, dropped to 11-5.
Long Beach State led 3-1 after the opening quarter. However, UC San Diego netted two consecutive goals to start the second period - one by
Bryan Shapirshteyn, the other by
Landon Akerstrom - to tie it up at 3-3. The Beach retook the lead with a power play goal at 5:14 of the second, but Triton
Grant Kurtz knotted it again at 4-4 with a goal just 17 seconds later. With about three minutes left until halftime, Akerstrom and Harper Stewart traded goals to keep it event at 5-5. LBSU's Zalan Nagy converted on a power play opportunity at 1:57 to give the Beach a 6-5 lead heading into the break.
UC San Diego had a big third quarter, out-scoring its opponent 6-4.
Mason Presley opened the scoring with a power play goal and was trailed by
Finn Bugelli, Kurtz,
Christian Hammonds, and
Jackson Boettner. Presley struck again on a power play with 37 seconds left in the third to put UC San Diego up 11-10 going into the fourth frame.Â
Boettner opened the fourth quarter with his second goal of the night to give the Tritons a two-goal lead at 12-10. Gabi Acosta scored with 2:47 remaining, but Akerstrom answered nine seconds later with his fourth goal of the night and that stood as the game-winning goal.Â
Akerstrom also added an assist to his stat line, giving him five points in the game. Kurtz also racked up five points with a pair of goals and three helpers. Hammonds had four points on a goal and three assists, while four other Tritons ended up with two points.
Lachlan Rossi drew five exclusions in the game.
Goalie
Alex Hegeman made five stops in net for UC San Diego.
For Long Beach State Nagy had three goals and an assist. William Whitstone made six saves in goal.
WHAT HEAD COACH MATT USTASZEWSKI HAD TO SAY
"It was a great overall team performance. We knew the challenges that Long Beach would present. Unfortunately we had some nerves to start the game and didn't play as crisp on the offensive end as we would have liked. We dug in though, and I really loved the way our team competed in the second half. They never backed down and answered time and time again. It was a great way for us to open conference play and we are excited to continue building momentum with this group. It's amazing to see Landon back in the water. He is an exceptional leader for us and it makes us really inspired to see him play the sport that he love so much."
UP NEXT
UC San Diego is right back at it Saturday in Los Angeles County as it takes on third-ranked USC (12-2) in a non-conference game at 1 p.m. The game will be covered with a
live video stream as well as
live stats.
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.
