STANFORD, Calif. — The No. 9 UC San Diego men's water polo team fell to No. 6 Long Beach State, 17-16, after three overtime periods Sunday at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Invite.

With the narrow loss in the fifth-place game, the Tritons finished the three-day tournament with an even 2-2 record and now stand at 9-3 on the season.

Long Beach State improved to 9-2.

The two Big West teams meet again on Oct. 9 in Long Beach for a conference match-up.

Top-ranked UCLA defeated No. 3 Stanford 11-10 in the championship game. 

Stanford hosted the tournament at the Avery Aquatic Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Tied 13-13 at the end of regulation, the game headed into overtime.

In the first of two extra three-minute periods, both teams found the back of the net twice. At the 2:13 mark, Jackson Boettner put the Tritons in front 14-13. Just 22 seconds later, it was tied again when Federico Gulisano scored for the Beach. Mason Presley gave the lead back to UC San Diego with a score at 1:02. An exclusion was called against the Tritons and Long Beach State capitalized when Gabi Acosta tied it again with a power play strike with just 39 seconds remaining in the period.

In the second OT period, both squads tallied a single goal. First up, Harper Steward gave the lead back to the Beach at 2:03. With just 32 seconds on the clock, Triton Christian Hammonds potted a power play goal to make it 16-16, which sent the contest into a sudden victory period.

Acosta scored the game-winning goal off a rebound with just three seconds remaining in the third extra frame, giving Long Beach State the win. 

UC San Diego held a 6-3 lead after one period and an 8-6 advantage at the half. The first tie score came at the 2:22 mark of the third quarter when LBSU's Keegan Moore scored to make it 9-9. Federico Gulisano tallied the game's next goal 21 ticks later, giving the Beach its first lead 10-9.

It was all back and forth from there with neither team owning more than a one-goal lead for the rest of the game.

First year Triton Jack Wright led all players with five goals. Boettner and Hammonds each recorded a hat trick. Reef Lippa scored twice for the Tritons.

For Long Beach State, Gulisano found the back of the net seven times. Acosta and Corbin Stanley had three goals apiece.

WHAT HEAD COACH MATT USTASZEWSKI HAD TO SAY
"We were able to test ourselves against the best programs in the nation and we learned a lot about who we are as a team. Playing in this environment provided us a championship experience and we are proud of how the guys played as a team. We had some really positive moments of team defense and unselfish offensive execution. This tournament and the experience we have garnered will do wonders for our team going forward."

TRITON TIDBITS
• The invitational featured the top four NCAA Division I teams in the country and 15 of 16 teams were ranked in the Division I national top-20.
• The Tritons logged victories against No. 11 Pepperdine and No. 13 UC Irvine while falling to No. 1 UCLA and No. 6 Long Beach State.
• It was the second overtime affair for UC San Diego this season (17-15 win against No. 8 Pepperdine).
• UC San Diego also placed fifth at the 2025 MPSF Invite.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego hosts LMU on Wednesday, Sept. 23 as the annual Battle of the Kings takes over Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla. 

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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.