LA JOLLA, Calif. - The No. 10 UC San Diego men's water polo team won its final regular season game Saturday, defeating No. 20 Saint Mary's by a 12-7 score.
The Tritons head to next week's Big West Championship with an 18-9 overall record. Saint Mary's, in its inaugural season, moved to 7-17 on the season.
It was also Senior Day at Canyonview Aquatic Center and the group contributed heavily.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego won all four quarters, but Saint Mary's was able to stay close
The Tritons scored the game's first three goals. Senior
Mason Presley got things going with a power play strike just over a minute in.
Caleb Harrison followed at the five-minute mark and two minutes later
Grant Kurtz converted a power play opportunity to put UC San Diego ahead 3-0 with 3:09 remaining in the first.
Saint Mary's scored the final two goals of the quarter to get back within one.
The second frame was tight. Senior
Finn Bugelli netted a power play goal at 5:24, but Domenico Barilla answered less than a minute later for the Gaels. Ethan Klerck knotted the game at 4-4 and Jacob Carlson's power play goal at 2:03 gave Saint Mary's its first - and last - lead of the day at 5-4.
A four-goal flurry put UC San Diego back in front, where the team stayed the rest of the way. Seniors Jaime Bhattacharrya and
Reef Lippa led the charge and were followed by
Davidka Skov and Bugelli. The run gave the Tritons an 8-5 advantage with 5:13 left in the third quarter.
After a Gaels goal by Hamish Ellison, back-to-back snipes by
Jackson Boettner and
Christian Hammonds moved the score to 10-6 Tritons heading into the fourth period.
Less than a minute in, Hammonds found the back of the net again and freshman
Lucas Pearce provided UC San Diego its 12th and final goal at 5:05.
All in all, the UC San Diego seniors contributed 12 points on five goals and seven assists. Six of those helpers were dished out by Lippa.
Senior starting goalie
Alex Hegeman made three saves while
Boston Frost stopped five shots.
Harry Irwin scored twice for the Gaels and five different teammates scored the rest. Federico Castrucci had six saves and two steals in net.
WHAT HEAD COACH MATT USTASZEWSKI HAD TO SAY
"It was important for us to get back home and get to work preparing us for the conference tournament. We started well in both games and were able to establish a defensive identity early. We will need to make blocks and be active in our defensive structure to win during the postseason. We will be ready to play at Long Beach State next weekend. It will be an exciting tournament and we look forward for the opportunity to play our best water polo of the season when it matters most."
TRITON TIDBITS
• The Triton Seniors:
Landon Akerstrom,
Jaime Bhattacharyya,
Finn Bugelli,
Alex Hegeman,
Reef Lippa,
Mason Presley
• UC San Diego was strong on the power play, scoring in six of eight opportunities.
• Saint Mary's held a 29-27 shot advantage.
• The Gaels were unsuccessful on both of their five-meter penalty shot attempts.
•
Reef Lippa established new single game career highs with his six assists and seven total points.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego heads to the Big West Championship next week. Hosted by Long Beach State, the event runs November 20-22 at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center. Quarterfinals are Friday, Semifinals are Saturday, and the title game will be Sunday at noon.
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.
