The UCSD men’s water polo team kicked off the UC Santa Cruz Slug Fest with two big wins over Santa Clara University and California Lutheran University on Sept. 24.
Try me:
The No. 5 Tritons improved their overall record to 14-2 by beating the Santa Clara Broncos 12-5 and showed no signs of weariness later that day, cruising past the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen with a score of 17-1. The men posted some big scores in the fourth period against the Broncos with five goals and opened big with a 7-1 halftime lead against the Kingsmen three hours later. The Tritons then added six more goals in the third period and another four to close out the match.
This week, senior Jonathan Hopkins, from Coronado, was named the Triton Athlete of the Week. Hopkins, in the course of his collegiate career, has twice been named the Division II Player of the Year and Division I honorable mention. In 16 games, Hopkins currently leads the team with 31 goals and 23 assists.
The Tritons have steadily increased their national ranking this season, starting the season at No. 8 and moving up to fifth last week. The standing comes as no surprise — 11 of the 29 players on the team are seniors, making the Tritons one of the most experienced teams in the country.
The Tritons came into the Slug Fest with a big 7-5 win over 10th-ranked Loyola Marymount University on Sept. 23.
The men hosted Loyola in front of 1,091 fans at Canyonview Aquatic Center, handing the Lions their sixth loss of the season.
The Tritons put their first mark on the board with a goal from sophomore Adrian Jerkovic at the three-minute, 51-second mark. Three minutes later, Jerkovic was able to find another hole and put the ball through the right side of the net, giving the Tritons a 2-0 lead.
Senior Chris Eichholz was able to net another goal at the 6:45 mark of the second period before the Lions answered back with one of their own, making the score 3-1. Senior Chris Finegold then took a pass and rammed it past the goalie to resume the Tritons’ three-goal lead.
The team’s fifth goal came seconds later after Jerkovic broke away from the pack with a steal before being fouled and awarded a penalty shot. Hopkins made the shot to give the Tritons a four-goal lead. By the end of the half, senior Brandon Borso gave the Tritons another goal, but the Lions were able to score once more before the half was called.
The Lions were able to catch up to the Tritons in the third quarter, pulling within two goals and holding the men scoreless for the entire quarter.
Coming off the momentum of the third quarter, Loyola scored another goal with 4:41 remaining in the game. Junior Ty Lackey answered back with a shot in the upper right corner for the last goal of the game, giving the Tritons a 7-5 win. Next month, the two teams will meet again in Los Angeles.
The men will have a week-long break before they face Long Beach State on Oct. 1.
