MEN’S WATER POLO — In a repeat of the 2009 season opener, UCSD hosted the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in a non-conference match on Oct. 16 at the Coggan Family Aquatic Complex.
Much like their first game nearly two months ago, the Tritons battled to stay close with the Gauchos throughout the match, but saw a late rally fall short as they were defeated 9-7.
The loss drops UCSD’s record to 9-10 on the season, and the Gauchos improve to 9-6.
Despite the tough loss, sophomore goalkeeper David Morton said he had high hopes for the regular season’s eight remaining games.
“I expect our team to improve; I’m not too worried about our record,” Morton said. “It is a losing record, but we’ve played a lot of competitive games and lost a lot of close games. I don’t think our record really reflects how we’re doing to a certain extent, because the majority of our games have been against top-10 opponents.”
UCSB took control early in the game, scoring two goals in the first three minutes to open the first period. Senior two-meter defender Steven Donohoe cut the Gaucho lead in half by converting on a penalty shot to put UCSD on the board. He added another goal two minutes later, and the first period ended with a 4-2 UCSB advantage.
Both teams exchanged goals evenly during the second and third periods, as the Gauchos clung to their two-score lead heading into the game’s final frame.
Senior two-meter defender Peter Gresham led a fourth-period Triton attack that nearly resulted in a come-from-behind victory. Just 38 seconds into the final period, Gresham scored to pull within one of the Gauchos, but UCSB rebounded with a goal of its own 30 seconds later.
After two more possessions, the Tritons scored off a shot from Gresham to once again pull within one goal of their opponents — but, as was the pattern in the game, UCSB immediately scored to regain its two-goal lead. UCSD had numerous chances in the game’s final two and one-half minutes, but two untimely turnovers cost the Tritons a chance at victory.
After taking a 2-0 lead early in the game, both teams traded goals one-for-one on 15 consecutive scores — a testament to evenly matched and gritty performances from both teams. Donohoe, Gresham and junior driver Ryan Allred each picked up two goals for the Tritons, who have lost two out of their past three nail-bitting matches.
The ability to stay close to some of the nation’s top-ranked teams gives UCSD the poise and confidence to battle through their current skid, failing to get above .500 all season long.
“Right now it’s just about a lot of guys getting their confidence back and getting back in their groove, and playing like we were during the offseason,” Morton said. “Since I’ve been in his program, I’ve noticed that our team progressively gets better throughout the course of the season. It’s a matter of putting all the right pieces together and getting our composure back.”
The Tritons hit the road again for a five-game trip through Southern California from Oct. 23 to Oct. 31. The trip starts with a match against UC Irvine in a rematch of Oct. 11’s game which saw the Tritons drop a 8-7 match. The Southern California tour and three-game home stand that follows will be UCSD’s final preparation for the Western Water Polo Association Championships, beginning Nov. 20.
Readers can contact Jake Blanc at [email protected].
