LA JOLLA, Calif. — The 12th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team opened its 2025 season Friday, splitting a pair of games as host of its annual Triton Invitational.
UC San Diego got things going with a convincing 22-7 topping of La Verne in the tourney's first game. In the afternoon, the Tritons fell to second-ranked USC, 10-7.
Four Tritons totaled five points each over the two games including
Ante Buzov,
Mark Laurlund,
Christian Hammonds, and
Lucas Romaguera. Buzov led the squad in the goals department with four.
Eamon Hennessey, Laurlund, and
Nolan Roberts totaled nine goals on the day with three apiece.
Christian Hammonds and freshman
Dusan Djordjevic dished out four assists each.
AGAINST LA VERNE
In a commanding season opening performance at its own Triton Invitational Friday, No. 12 UC San Diego triumphed over La Verne with a final score of 22-7. The match, held at Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, showcased the Tritons' offensive dominance, particularly during the second quarter where they scored nine goals.
The Tritons began strong, quickly establishing a lead with
Lucas Romaguera scoring the game's first goal. La Verne's Jordan Baker responded shortly after, but UCSD's
Ante Buzov and
Eamon Hennessey added to the early advantage. By the end of the first period, the Tritons led 6-2.
In the second period, UC San Diego continued to overpower the Leopards, with contributions from players like
Mark Laurlund and
Nolan Roberts. La Verne managed to score just once in this period through Timothy Robles, as the Tritons' relentless offense kept them on the back foot.
The Leopards showed resilience in the final quarter, scoring three goals in the fourth period, but it was too little too late as UCSD maintained its lead throughout the game. Other notable scorers for La Verne included Zachariah Barclay and William Roby-Unkovich.
Triton
Alex Hegeman led with eight saves in his career debut. La Verne's Henry De Luna recorded seven stops.
AGAINST USC
Second-ranked Southern California secured a 10-7 victory against No. 12 UC San Diego in the Triton Invitational Friday at Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla. The match showcased a strong offensive performance from USC, particularly from Stefan Brankovic, who led the team with three goals.
USC was solid in the first half, netting seven goals to UCSD's three. The Trojans established an early lead with Brankovic scoring twice in the first period, contributing to a 3-1 advantage after the opening quarter. Their momentum continued into the second quarter, where they scored four more goals, including two from Jack Martin and another from Brankovic.
UC San Diego fought back, registering two goals in the second quarter and maintaining a steady pace. However, the Tritons struggled to keep up with USC's offensive firepower. In the third quarter, the Tritons scored once, while USC added another goal to stretch its lead to 8-4.
In the final quarter, UCSD showed determination and scored three goals, bringing the match within reach. However, USC's two late goals secured their victory, despite the Tritons' late surge. The Trojans' defense, backed by the impressive nine saves from goalie Bernardo Herzer, hindered UC San Diego's comeback attempts.
TRITON TIDBITS
• UC San Diego has won eight-consecutive season openers, all coming during the Triton Invitational. The last time the Tritons dropped their first match of the season was 2016 when they fell to Stanford during the tournament. The Triton Invitational was not played in 2020 due to the pandemic.
• Nine Tritons made their career debuts today -
Razvan Alistar,
Liam Amburgey,
Kyson Becker,
Jackson Boettner,
Dusan Djordjevic,
Cole Harman,
Alex Hegeman,
Winston Loh, and
Davidka Skov.
• The 22 goals against La Verne were the most scored by the Tritons since netting 24 vs. Westcliff on Nov. 14, 2024.
• Former UC San Diego goalie
Logan Estes made his debut as an assistant coach for the Tritons today.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays another two games Saturday, facing off against Occidental (8 a.m.) as well as No. 1-ranked and reigning national champion UCLA (5:30 p.m.). The tournament concludes Sunday and the Tritons will battle George Washington and No. 7 Pepperdine. The game against the Waves will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Triton Invitational tickets, season tickets, and single game tickets are available for purchase online by visiting the link
HERE or by calling (858) 534-1430. For more ticket information, e-mail the box office at
triton-tix@ucsd.edu.
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.
