LA JOLLA, Calif. — The No. 12 UC San Diego men's water polo team split a pair of games on the second day of its Triton Invitational Saturday at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
In the early contest, the Tritons cruised to a 23-6 victory over La Verne before falling to fourth-ranked California, 15-11, in the afternoon.
Following two full days of action at the season-opening event UC San Diego holds a 3-1 record. Â
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST LA VERNE
The Tritons jumped on it early, blasting out to a 15-2 lead at the half. They added another eight goals in the second half - three in the third quarter and five in the fourth.
Fourteen different Tritons found the back of the net.Â
Razvan Alistar,
Liam Amburgey, and
Lachlan Rossi all logged a hat trick. Amburgey added an assist to wind up with four points.
Chase Martsolf also rang up four points on two goals and two assists. UC San Diego was again able to get three goalies work as
Alex Hegeman,
Boston Frost, and
Jack Elder all put in time between the posts. The trio combined for 10 saves.
The Leopards scored in pairs, posting two goals in each of the first, third, and fourth quarters. Jordan Baker scored three of La Verne's goals.
In addition to the lopsided score, the Tritons held a 14-3 advantage in steals as well as a 33-24 lead in shots.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST CALIFORNIA
UC San Diego rallied late in the game. With Cal ahead 12-8, the Tritons netted three consecutive goals - two from
Christian Hammonds and another by
Jackson Boettner - to draw within a single goal at 12-11 with just under five minutes remaining. However, the Bears scored three times in the final 2:57 to ice the victory.
The Tritons led twice early.
Finn Bugelli scored the game's first goal just 21 seconds in to make it 1-0. Cal quickly tied it before
Jack Wright scored to put the Tritons back in front, 2-1. However, the Bears scored the game's next three goals and stayed in front until Triton
Mason Presley scored on a power play at 3:27 of the second stanza to tie it up at 5-5. Another Bugelli goal made it 6-6 early in the third, but Cal had the next three goals to go up 9-6 at 5:22 of the third and the Bears kept a lead the rest of the way.
Hammonds continued his hot start to the season, finishing with four goals in the game. He also added an assist and three steals.  Boettner had three goals.
Hegeman made seven saves in the game for UC San Diego.
UP NEXT
The Tritons close out their invitational Sunday with two more games. They take on McKendree at noon before facing eighth-ranked Pepperdine at 4 p.m. Both games can be followed by a live broadcast from
Overnght as well as
FOSH Live Stats.
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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.
