On Thursday, Nov. 16 at Canyonview Aquatic Center, UC San Diego’s men’s water polo (16-11, 3-2 Big West) dominated the Westcliff University Warriors (9-16) in their final game of the regular season, 24-13. Before the game, the Tritons held a sentimental senior night ceremony that celebrated the nine seniors on their roster.
“Our focus was making sure that the seniors had a good experience,” Head Coach Matt Ustaszewski said in a postgame interview with The UCSD Guardian. “We’ve been super fortunate to have our returning players because they’ve set such a good standard for the talented younger athletes coming along.”
As soon as the first whistle blew, the Tritons sprang into action. UCSD gained possession on the sprint and paved the way for senior utility player Eamon Hennessey to open the scoring. Hennessey’s early goal created momentum for the Triton defense, which clamped down on the Warriors and forced several turnovers.
Senior utility player Rhys Bugelli played an especially large role in the Tritons’ success, masterfully blocking shots, taking possession, and scoring goals on multiple drives. The defense continued to hold their own — especially junior goalkeeper Nikita Valajev, who deflected a Westcliff penalty shot and solidified the Tritons’ 7-2 first quarter lead.
The second quarter saw the same fiery start as the first, opening with an immediate Triton goal. For the rest of the period, the Tritons smothered Westliff’s offense by cutting up their throws, stealing the ball, and scoring point after point. Senior attacker Lucas Romaguera ushered the ball to the left corner of the pool and spiraled it into the goal through the demanding hands of several Warriors. The Tritons finished the quarter with a 12-3 lead, conceding only one goal before halftime.
“It was really important to put pressure on the ball and to make sure that they felt us. [We wanted to] make it difficult for them to swing and move the ball from station to station, so when we had elite pressure we also had an elite defense,” Ustaszewski said.
The Tritons continued their dominance in the third quarter. Senior utility player Augi Macchi scored two early goals and senior attacker Felipe Ferreira followed with a goal of his own. A Triton victory seemed certain, but the Warriors fought tirelessly to stay afloat and began producing on offense.
Captaining Westcliff’s newfound effort was former Triton and graduate driver Manuel Augusto, who rampaged for three unanswered goals in a two minute span. The Tritons responded with a few more goals of their own, but the Warriors rebutted with the final two goals of the quarter, resulting in a 17-7 score.
“Westcliff has some talented players, and one of them happens to be a former alumni of ours,” said Ustaszewski. “Augusto went off, and we expected that [to happen], and we may have gotten a little undisciplined and let him do some of the things that [we know] he’s capable of.”
Unlike the superiority displayed in the early minutes of the previous quarters, the Tritons began the fourth with a shaky start. Scoring went back and forth and it looked as if the Warriors were building up to a late comeback. However, the Tritons remained steadfast in their pursuit of victory and bolstered their lead with four unanswered goals. Westcliff fired three final shots in hopes of regaining momentum, but by that point, the clock had run down. The Tritons emerged victorious. UCSD’s nine seniors closed out their final appearances at Canyonview Aquatic Center with a masterful 24-13 win.
“Overall, our commitment to playing together is what I found important, even though we didn’t have the best defensive half. We played together and made sure we were able to get the job done,” Ustaszewski said.
With the regular season behind them, the Tritons are now setting their sights on the Big West Championship. The team is seeded No. 2 in the conference, which grants them a first round bye in the playoffs. In the semifinal round, they will face either No. 3 UC Davis or No. 6 CSU Fullerton on Nov. 23 at Schaal Aquatics Center in Davis. If the Tritons win that matchup, a showdown with defending champion No. 1 UC Irvine looms in the final.
