ORANGE, Calif. — The UC San Diego men's water polo team out-scored its opponents 42-6 and won a pair of games Friday, defeating host Chapman as well as Fresno Pacific.
The score against Chapman was 24-2 and the Tritons took down Fresno Pacific by a 18-4 count.
With the double wins UC San Diego improved its 2024 record to 9-8.
The 24 goals vs. Chapman were a season-high for the Tritons.
Both games were played at Chapman's Allred Aquatics Center and were part of the annual Gary Troyer tournament.
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HOW IT HAPPENED - CHAPMAN
UC San Diego scored the first 11 goals of the game en route to the 24-2 topping of Chapman. UC San Diego led 6-0 after the opening quarter and 13-1 at halftime. The second half was more of the same as the Tritons out-scored the Panthers 11-1.
On the individual front, 11 different Tritons scored at least once while eight players netted multiple goals.
Bennett Axline and freshman
Lachlan Rossi led all players with four goals apiece. Freshman
Grant Kurtz recorded a hat trick, while
Landon Akerstrom,
Rhys Bugelli,
Ante Buzov,
Eamon Hennessey, and
Matthew Wastila all finished with a pair of goals.
Felipe Ferreira,
Brendon Fezzey, and
Trevor Moore rounded out the scoring for UC San Diego.
In goal, senior
Logan Estes made nine saves in the win.
Chapman's goals, which came in the second and fourth periods, were from Sammy Hendrickson and Steven Rubly.
The Tritons held a shot percentage of .686 as they netted the 24 goals off 35 total shots.
HOW IT HAPPENED - FRESNO PACIFIC
The Tritons won all four quarters against the Sunbirds. UC San Diego led 9-2 at the half and 14-3 at the conclusion of the third quarter.
The Tritons went 3-for-5 on power plays while the Sunbirds capitalized just four times in 11 man-up situations.
Triton
Lucas Romaguera registered a hat trick to lead all scorers.
Landon Akerstrom and
Ante Buzov added two goals apiece.
Eleven other Tritons had single goals, meaning 14 UC San Diego players scored at least once.
For the second time on the day,
Logan Estes played the entire 32 minutes in net for UC San Diego. He finished with 11 saves.
Fresno Pacific scored two of its goals in the opening quarter and one in each of the third and fourth stanzas. Christian Clark had two of those.
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TRITON TIDBITS
• The last time the Tritons scored more than 24 goals was Sept. 8, 2022 when they had 25 against Fresno Pacific.
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Lachlan Rossi's four goals vs. Chapman were a season-best for the freshman.
• Freshman
Grant Kurtz' hat trick vs. Chapman was the first of his Triton career.
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Landon Akerstrom extended his scoring streak to eight games.
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Logan Estes totaled 20 (9 and 11) saves on the day. He's now had a double-digit save total four times in 2024.
• Rossi (5), Akerstrom (4),
Ante Buzov (4),
Eamon Hennessey (3),
Felipe Ferreira (2),
Brendon Fezzey (2),
Christian Hammonds (2), and
Matthew Wastila (2) all scored at least once in both games today.
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UP NEXT
No. 13 UC San Diego wraps up the week with a Sunday matinee, hosting 20th-ranked Air Force at Canyonview Aquatic Center at noon.
Tickets for all home games can be purchased 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.
