Soundtracked by the tunes of Rascal Flatts, Ariana Grande, and Travis Kelce’s girlfriend, third-seed UC San Diego Men’s Water Polo (17–13, 3–2 Big West) claimed a 16–5 victory over sixth-seed CSU Fullerton (16–16, 0–5 Big West) Friday to advance to their first Big West Championship semifinals.

The Tritons gained control of the game early, scoring a goal on their second possession off a close-range shot from center Bennett Axline, assisted by attacker Kaden Likins. The second-year went on to score another 4 goals, a game-high for the Triton’s top goalscorer.

Despite a quick Titan response that momentarily leveled the score, the Tritons quickly regained the lead with a point-blank shot from attacker Rhys Bugelli. Another Axline score — alongside nettings from attackers Max Abravanel, Mason Presley, and Landon Akerstrom — closed out a strong 6–3 opening period for UCSD.

“We were looking to press them the whole game and let our physicality take over and take control,” Axline said after the game. “We did a good job of getting up in the lanes, and getting up early.”

The hosts continued to dominate up front in the second period, collecting another 4 goals. Axline picked up his third and fourth goals of the game via more short-distance throws. Attacker Miles Wilson notched his first of the game three minutes after Axline’s fourth from a tight right-side angle. Utility Ante Buzov received an assist from Abravanel at the period’s close to slide the Tritons to double-digits before halftime.

UCSD’s defensive efforts mirrored their offensive prowess. Goalkeeper Logan Estes was a nuisance for the Titans, who had four shots blocked by the third-year; Estes played for all but five minutes, earning a 69.2% save rating on nine saves. He even found time to contribute to the scoresheet with a long-range pass to assist Presley’s first-period score.

The rest of the Tritons’ defensive cohesion was also on display Friday night. The Tritons were able to stop every one of the Titans’ 12 power plays, while also racking up 14 steals thanks to a high-pressure defense. This persistence paid off as the Titans only scored twice more in three periods, including a scoreless second period.

“Defense starts with the goalie and Logan’s been doing a great job communicating and getting us out there hitting our shot blocks and putting people in the places they need to be,” Axline said.

The halftime break wobbled UCSD some, as Fullerton capitalized on its first possession. However, a close-quarters shot block by Estes brought the Tritons back into form as Buzov scored his second off an assist from Likins, who ended with a game-leading three assists. Less than a minute later, Abravanel followed suit. Axline drew his last goal of the game with an assist from attacker Lucas Romaguera.

The Tritons had created a routine by the final period, combining suffocating defense with patient ball control to conjure up a trio of goals. Center Finn Bugelli and defender Luca Rago joined the list of goal-scorers. Akerstrom fired home the final goal of the match from the perimeter. These 3 goals contributed to the Tritons’ five power play capitalizations. 

After their first-round win, UC San Diego was back at Canyonview Aquatic Center less than 24 hours later to take on second-seed UC Santa Barbara (17–12, 3–2 Big West) in the conference semifinals. The Gauchos had the day off on Friday as they scouted the Tritons from ashore.

The Tritons calibrated their game plan via their two previous games against the Gauchos this season. The first ended in a 15–11 loss for the Tritons, who lost grip of the match in the fourth period after holding strong against the nationally ninth-ranked Gauchos. The team’s late October matchup ended in a 12–6 defeat for UCSD, which struggled to capitalize despite shooting more often and winning more sprints.

“[We are] definitely gonna look to get out, [we] got to control,” Axline said on Friday. “Dash McFarland, he’s a great center … so he’s definitely a big threat for us. Other than that, we’re just going to focus on us; putting our shots away, playing good defense, playing as a team. And if we play for each other, we should be okay.”

This multi-pronged approach proved auspicious for the underdog Tritons, who shut down Santa Barbara’s top goal-scorer for most of the game. 

The Tritons’ offensive game plan of patience and collectivity was followed to great effect on Saturday, with a back-and-forth first period that eventually tipped in San Diego’s favor following late first-period scores from Axline and Romaguera that gave them a 5–2 advantage. 

The second period belonged to Santa Barbara, however, which found its footing by combining unwavering defense with precise shooting to level the score at 5–5. UCSD was unable to get on the scoresheet in the second period, despite taking seven shots.

The third period yielded another 3 goals for the Gauchos, including a penalty shot to make it 8–5. Just a minute later, the Tritons executed a clinical set play that saw them pass the ball around the perimeter, displacing the back post defender who left Axline wide open for a push-in goal. Romaguera collected his second assist of the game in this sequence. Later in the period, he powered a penalty shot past Santa Barbara to again tie the game. 

The back-and-forth goalscoring resumed in the final period of regulation. All four of the goals scored during this time occurred in the first three minutes of the period, with Romaguera and R. Bugelli responding within a minute of the Gauchos’ goals; Romaguera scored a team-leading four goals to keep the Tritons within reach. Despite two more late-period chances, including a breakaway 1 vs. 1 with the goalkeeper, by the end of regulation, the score remained tied 10–10.

Santa Barbara’s opening sprint win set the tone for the overtime period to come. A minute in, the Gauchos struck, gaining a vital advantage in an overtime that spanned just two three-minute periods. Undeterred, attacker Felipe Ferreira responded with a skipping shot netting less than 30 seconds into the second overtime period. 

Somewhat poetically, it would be McFarland who put UCSB ahead for the final time 30 seconds later, giving the visiting side a 12–11 win and a ticket to the Big West Championship match against first-seed UC Irvine.

The Tritons’ first appearance in conference postseason play saw two special performances, with a decisive win against Fullerton and an incredibly tight loss to an excellent Gauchos team. After a taste of postseason success, UCSD will hope to better their performance next season. Men’s water polo returns in September 2024.