Johann Thrall
10
Winner UC Irvine UCI (11-5, 1-0)
9
UC San Diego UCSD (11-10, 1-1)
Winner
UC Irvine UCI
(11-5, 1-0)
10
Final
9
UC San Diego UCSD
(11-10, 1-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
UC Irvine UCI 2 0 5 3 10
UC San Diego UCSD 1 2 4 2 9

Game Recap: Men's Water Polo | | Jordan Kehoe

Anteaters Earn First Big West Victory In Dramatic Finish

LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC Irvine men's water polo opened their conference slate with a 10-9 victory over No. 11/11 UC San Diego at the Tritons home pool.
 
The Anteaters are one of two teams that remain undefeated after their first Big West contest of the season while UCSD drops to 1-1.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
  • Freshman Johann Thrall led all players in goals scored with four
  • Thrall has had four consecutive mutli-goal games
  • Thomas Cass and Luka Krstic each tallied two goals
  • UCI converted on both of their five-meter penalties
  • Jacob Pyle made the start in the cage, blocking eight shots
  • Pyle dished out an assist and stole the ball twice
  • Garrett Selby finished the game in the net and helped stop the final shot from the Tritons with two seconds left, preventing overtime action to occur
  • Cass was the team leader in assists with two and match leader in steals (four)
  • Jack Stevens contributed three steals to the game
  • No. 11/11 UC San Diego was led by Ante Buzov who recorded three goals on three shots and three steals
 
SCORING BREAKDOWN
  • First period: The No. 11/11 UC San Diego defense sat back, allowing the UC Irvine offense to take the space given to them. The Anteaters were not forced to move the ball around a lot due to the Tritons positioning which in turn allowed UCI to put two goals into the back of the net, 2-1.
  • Second period: UCSD held the offensive advantage in the second period of action, scoring two goals to take the lead from the Anteaters, 3-2.
  • Third period: Both teams showed flashes on the attack and knotted the match up four times. Krstic deposited the first goal for UCI in the period with his bulleted shot that ricocheted off the hand of UCSD's defense. Thrall added three of his own to head into the final period tied, 7-7.
    • Thrall (3) and Krstic (2)
  • Fourth period: UCSD committed an exclusion against the Anteaters for the 6-on-5, but a penalty foul from the Tritons goalkeeper put UCI up two players in addition to a five-meter shot. Thrall continued his impressive offense and recorded the game winning goal off the five-meter attempt at 2:09, 10-9.
    • Cass (1), Stevens (1), and Thrall (1)
 
NOTES
  • In the last two meetings between UCI and UCSD, the final score was the exact same (UCI won 10-9)
  • UCI has won four consecutive games, their longest streak of the season
  • UC Irvine won their conference opening game for the second consecutive season
  • Pyle ranks second in the conference in goals against average and third in save percentage
 
UP NEXT
UCI returns to the Anteater Aquatic Complex for a two game homestand, first taking on Long Beach State in the Black and Blue rivalry on Friday Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.
 
Print Friendly Version