FULLERTON, Calif. — The No. 8 UC San Diego men's water polo team won a pair of games Friday to improve to 7-1 on the season.
The Tritons kicked off the day by posting a 19-8 victory over Chapman before taking down Big West opponent Cal State Fullerton, 16-9, in a non-conference match-up. Both games were played at the Titan Aquatics Center. Â
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST CHAPMAN
A total of 13 Tritons scored at least once in the game.
Both
Liam Amburgey (3 goals, 1 assist) and
Christian Hammonds (1 goal, 3 assists) finished with four points each.
Jaime Bhattacharyya (1 goal, 2 assists) and
Michael Rodgers (1 goal, 2 assists) collected three points apiece.
Goalies
Boston Frost and
Jack Elder, both in their first season with UC San Diego, split time in net. Each finished with five saves and both gave up four goals to the Panthers.Â
The first two quarters mirrored one another as UC San Diego out-scored Chapman 5-2. The third also produced a three-goal advantage as the Tritons took that period 6-3. The fourth quarter went to the Tritons, 3-1.
The Tritons scored the first four goals of the game and never gave up their lead.
UC San Diego held a 33-22 advantage in shots and a 17-7 lead in steals.
Rylan Takahashi collected three points on two goals and an assist for Chapman. Three of the Panthers' goals came off five-meter penalty shots. David Yacoub made seven stops in net.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST CAL STATE FULLERTON
The first two quarters led to an 8-4 lead for the Tritons, who out-scored the Titans 4-2 in each of the periods. Cal State Fullerton held a 3-2 scoring lead in the third quarter, but UC San Diego shut it down by netting six goals to the Titans' two.
Hammonds continued elevating his season point total, finishing with seven on four goals and three assists. He also had three steals.
Jackson Boettner rang up five points on two goals and three helpers while Bugelli (4 goals) and
Reef Lippa (2 goals, 2 assists) each had four points.
Alex Hegeman went the distance in net for UC San Diego, making six saves and adding a steal.
The Titans were led by Carmelo Bangs, who had a goal and three assists. Ethan Ivey made 10 saves in goal.
Both teams struggled in extra man situations as UC San Diego went 3-for-13 and Cal State Fullerton went 3-for-12. Both squads had one 5-meter penalty goal.
TRITON TIDBITS
• The Tritons have outscored opponents 147 to 73 through eight games in 2026.
• UC San Diego has scored 42 goals in the second quarter, the most in a single period.
•
Christian Hammonds has scored at least once in all eight games and has multiple goals in four.
• Currently, Hammonds leads the team in goals (24), assists (15), points (39), and steals (15).
UP NEXT
UC San Diego heads to the uber-competitive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Invitational, hosted by Stanford September 18-20. The game schedule has yet to be released.
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.
