IRVINE, Calif. – The seventh-ranked UC Irvine men's water polo team cruised to a 21-7 victory over Concordia in the final game of the UCI Invitational Saturday evening at Anteater Aquatics Complex.
 
The 'Eaters closed out the weekend with a perfect 4-0 record and averaged 16.5 goals per game. CUI dropped to 2-2 on the young season.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Nine different Anteaters found the back of the cage with six registering multiple goals. Senior Samuel Otta and sophomore Ethan Spoon tied for the game-high with four goals apiece. It was a season best for Otta and a career high for Spoon.
 
Senior Jack Stevens and sophomore Cole Francisco also registered a hat trick with three tallies each. Junior Wyley Dale (2) and freshman Samuel Bowman (2) rounded out the multi-goal scorers.
 
Senior Zayd Mahmoud had a season-best nine saves, and sophomore Nolan Cary stopped three shots in his season debut.
 
The 'Eaters shot .553 overall and converted on 10-of-17 powerplays. They were also solid on defense, giving up just seven goals on 28 attempts from Concordia. Dimitrios Koritsas paced the Golden Eagles with a team-high two goals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Otta and Francisco went back-to-back to put UC Irvine on top 2-0 at the 5:15 mark. Concordia then got on the board before the Anteaters scored four unanswered to pull ahead, 6-1, at the end of the first quarter. Otta and Spoon led the way with two goals each, while Mahmoud had six of his nine saves.
 
The Golden Eagles struck first in the second period, but W. Dale and Stevens punched back for an 8-2 lead with 5:59 remaining. The two sides traded goals the rest of the way. Otta completed a first-half hat trick from a tough angle with just under a minute on the clock to give UCI a 10-4 advantage at the break.
 
The 'Eaters outscored CUI, 7-2, in the third frame to increase their cushion to double digits (17-6). Francisco and Bowman had two goals apiece, while Stevens, Spoon, and Otta also found the back of the net.
 
UC Irvine continued to roll in the fourth as it scored four times, while holding Concordia to one goal for the final 21-7 margin.
 
UP NEXT: UCI heads to the Inland Empire Classic for two games next Saturday, Sept. 6. The Anteaters will face California Lutheran and host Redlands.
 
#7 UC Irvine 21, Concordia 7
August 30, 2025  |  Anteater Aquatics Complex (Irvine, Calif.)

CUI      1 – 3 – 2 – 1 = 7
UCI      6 – 4 – 7 – 4 = 21

SCORING:
CUI – Dimitrios Koritsas 2, Oscar Garcia Blomback 1, Hugo Wouters 1, Kaliq Khan 1, Levi Riegelmann 1, Kanoa Stoddard 1

UCI – Samuel Otta 4, Ethan Spoon 4, Cole Francisco 3, Jack Stevens 3, Samuel Bowman 2, Wyley Dale 2, Jasper Dale 1, Johann Thrall 1, Maddox McEwen 1

SAVES:
CUI – Pablo de Souza 7, Derek Maddox 2, Hale Durbiano 1
 
UCI – Zayd Mahmoud 9, Nolan Cary 3