Tritons take down Loyola Marymount and Pomona-Pitzer, fall to UC Berkeley and UC Davis
Triton Water Polo Emerges From SoCal Tournament With .500 Record
The No. 13 Tritons contended with four teams this past weekend in the SoCal Tournament, losing to both UC Berkeley and UC Davis on the first day and sweeping both Pomona-Pitzer and Loyola Marymount on day two. The Tritons left Irvine with a 10–10 record on the season.
Day one opened for the Tritons with a loss to No. 5 Berkeley. The Golden Bears took a commanding lead early in the game and held it through all four quarters. UCSD junior Tommy Friedrich led the Tritons with three goals while Triton junior goalkeeper Cameron Ravanbach executed 10 saves throughout the game. The Tritons made an impressive attempt to reduce the Bears’ lead in the second half, but the last buzzer sounded with Cal up 13–7 on the Tritons.
The second game of the day brought the Tritons head-to-head with UC Davis — ranked 14, just behind UCSD in the WWPA — and UCSD fell 12-10.
The Aggies found an early lead, scoring four goals in the first quarter while holding the Tritons to just one goal. Davis’ early momentum carried through all four quarters despite the Tritons’ offense outscoring UC Davis in two of the four quarters. A host of UCSD players found the back of the cage, while junior Joe Dietrich and Friedrich led the Tritons on offense with four and two goals respectively.
Day two brought redemption to the Triton squad with UCSD trouncing the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens in the day’s opener. UCSD held the Sagehens scoreless in the first half and outscored Pitzer throughout the second. Stellar offensive performances from Friedrich and sophomore Chase Cockerill propelled the Tritons past the Sagehens for a final score of 15–4.
Later in the day, the Tritons bested their conference rivals LMU for the second time this season with a score of 9–7. The Tritons found the net early and often, but Ravanbach had the most impressive performance with 25 saves on the day.
The Tritons will get a much-needed week of rest but will return to competition on Oct. 25, hosting Air Force at home at 6 p.m.
