LA JOLLA, Calif. — The 12th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team earned its first Big West victory of the season Friday by defeating Cal State Fullerton 13-5.

With the win, the Tritons moved to 12-9 overall and 1-1 in Big West play. The Titans fell to 11-12 and 0-2.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego got on it early, shutting out Cal State Fullerton 3-0 in the first quarter. The Tritons held a lead the rest of the way.

Ahead 5-3 in the second quarter, UC San Diego scored five-consecutive times to make it 10-3 early in the fourth period.

Four Tritons finished with two goals each including Landon Akerstrom, Finn Bugelli, Ante Buzov, and Felipe Ferreira. Akerstrom, the reigning Big West Player of the Week, also dished out three assists, as did Mark Laurlund.

Logan Estes made 11 saves in net for UC San Diego.

The Tritons capitalized on power plays, scoring five times in six extra-man situations. 

Togan Ozbek led the Titans offensively with a pair of goals. Garrett Henderson had nine saves.
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HIGHLIGHT REEL


FELIPE FERREIRA INTERVIEW

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TRITON TIDBITS
• Landon Akerstrom upped his goal-scoring streak to 12 games. He has multiple goals in nine of those.
• Akerstrom leads all Big West players with 47 goals.
• Logan Estes leads the Big West in saves (141) and steals (26).
• Estes has grabbed at least one steal in each of his last six games. He has multiple steals in four of those.
• At halftime of the game, long-time UC San Diego head coach Denny Harper and former Triton player Carin Crawford were presented with their Lifetime Achievement awards from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC).
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays at Big West rival Long Beach State on Oct. 25 (6 p.m.) before hosting Whittier on Oct. 26 (12 p.m.).

Tickets for home games are available through the Triton Box Office.
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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.