For a team looking to make it to its fourth straight NCAA Championship, the second-seed UCSD men’s water polo team had a fairly uninspired start to its Western Water Polo Association Championship match against top-seeded UC Davis.

The Tritons started the first quarter as if they were still in warmups. Just 23 seconds into the match, the Tritons gave up the first of what would be three straight Aggie goals before the Tritons could make any kind of response. Not until there were 44 seconds left in the quarter did sophomore utility Kevin Asplund put the Tritons on the scoreboard, but of course, the Aggies scored again just 40 seconds later.

Unfortunately for UCSD, the Aggie offensive barrage continued its way into the second quarter, racking up three more points to just a single Triton goal. It wasn’t until the the third quarter that it looked like the Tritons were able to impede the explosive Aggies, holding them to just one point. However, the Tritons were still unable to get anything on offense, as they once again were limited to only one point.

But for one reason or another, something clicked when the the final quarter started. Just 50 seconds in, Asplund scored his second goal of the night to spark a 4–1 Triton run that brought UCSD within two at a thrilling 7–9 score. But old habits die hard, it seems, as the UCSD offense was once again nowhere to be found, and the defense crumbled yet again, ultimately giving the Aggies a 12–8 victory over the Tritons.

With the loss, the Tritons finish their season at 15–8 overall, while the now 23–5 Aggies will look to make some noise in the NCAA Championship.