IRVINE, Calif. - No. 15 UC Irvine men's water polo makes their way to Riverside for The Joust, Sept. 26-27. The Anteaters will play two games per day, starting with a couple familiar foes in Concordia (1:10 p.m.) and tournament host California Baptist (5:30 p.m.) on Friday. The 'Eaters then return to the pool on Saturday to face Occidental College at 11:20 a.m., and Biola at 2 p.m.

ANTEATER TIDBITS
• UCI fell to 7-5 on the season after a 1-3 showing at the Overnght MPSF Invitational, Sept. 19-21.
• After their first 6-0 start since 2014, the Anteaters have dropped five of their last six.
• Luka Krstic (24) and Johann Thrall (20) both reached 20 goals on the season last weekend.
• The 'Eaters won back-to-back Big West regular season titles in 2023 and 2024.
• The Anteaters are 9-1 in conference during that stretch, including a perfect 5-0 mark last year.
• They also claimed the Big West Championship title and made their first NCAA appearance in 30 years in 2023.
• UCI returns nearly 80% of its scoring from a 2024 squad that netted a single-season school record 400 goals.

IN THE RANKINGS
UCI came in at No. 15 in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association rankings released on September 24. The Anteaters dropped out of the top-10 for the first time this season.

SCOUTING THE FIELD
Concordia (7-6) saw a three-match win streak snapped with a 13-7 loss to UC San Diego last Thursday. No. 14 California Baptist went 2-2 at the MPSF Invitational to move to 8-5 on the year. Andrea Nuzzo leads the Lancers with 40 goals. Occidental College (2-10) is coming off a pair of losses at the Titan Invite on Friday, Sept. 12. The Tigers will open SCIAC play tonight at Redlands. Travis Hughes is tops on the squad with 22 goals and seven assists. Biola (2-10) brings a nine-game losing streak into the Lancer Joust. Caleb Hernandez is the Eagles' leader in goals (19) and assists (13).

WE MEET AGAIN
UC Irvine defeated Concordia, 21-7, earlier this season at the UCI Invitational (Aug. 30). Samuel Otta and Ethan Spoon tied for the game high with four goals apiece. Jack Stevens and Cole Francisco also recorded a hat trick for the Anteaters. UCI has split a pair of early-season meetings with California Baptist. The 'Eaters won the first, 15-14, in Irvine. Francisco led all players with four goals. On Sunday, CBU avenged that loss with a 15-13 victory in the 11th-place game at the MPSF Invitational. Andrea Nuzzo paced the Lancers with four goals and three assists.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine went 1-3 at the Overnght MPSF Invitational, Sept. 19-21. All four games were decided by three goals or less. After dropping the opener to No. 13 LMU, the Anteaters edged No. 17 UC Santa Barbara, 13-12. The 'Eaters erased a three-goal halftime deficit, eventually tying it up at 11-all on an Alex Lopez goal with 3:40 left in the game. UCSB reclaimed the advantage on the next possession, but UCI shut out the Gauchos the rest of the way. Trailing by one, Luka Krstic delivered the equalizer before Johann Thrall put away the game-winner with 51 seconds on the clock. UC Irvine then dropped a 16-15 heartbreaker at the buzzer to No. 9 Princeton, and came up short against CBU, 15-13, in the tournament finale.

ON THE ATTACK
UC Irvine has scored 11+ goals in 10 of its 12 outings. The Anteaters' two single-digit goal games this year came against No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 USC. The 'Eaters, who are averaging 13.8 goals per contest, have nine players with at least one hat trick. Luka Krstic owns five three-goal games, and leads the squad with 24 tallies on the year. Johann Thrall is UCI's second-leading scorer with 20. Thrall has found the back of the net in 10-straight games with a season-high four goals vs. Cal State Fullerton (Aug. 30) and vs. UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 20).

MINDING THE NET
Senior goalkeeper Zayd Mahmoud started 10 of UCI's 12 games this year, logging nearly 300 minutes in the cage. He has compiled 73 saves and a 12.28 goals against average. Mahmoud stopped a season-high nine shots vs. No. 9 Princeton on Sept. 20. Junior Blake Borders earned the start against Cal Lutheran (Sept. 6), finishing with seven saves, while redshirt freshman Vincent Vega got the nod vs. UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 20).

COLLEGIATE FIRSTS
Freshman Samuel Bowman scored his first collegiate goal with 1:35 left in the third quarter of a 21-7 victory over Concordia. Bowman struck again one minute later to cap a seven-goal period for the Anteaters. Freshman Dylan Rosmann also connected for his first career goal in a 13-12 win over UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 20). Sophomore Keegan McGann had the first multi-goal game of his collegiate career with two tallies against Cal State Fullerton, while sophomore Maddox McEwen netted a career-high four goals vs. Cal Lutheran.

WEEKLY ACCOLADES
Luka Krstic was named the Big West Player of the Week for the first time this season, and fifth time in his career, on Sept. 17. Krstic had a pair of multi-goal games against the top-two ranked teams in the country, finishing with two at No. 1 UCLA and three vs. No. 2 USC. He was the only Anteater to find the back of the net multiple times against the Trojans. 

PRESEASON HONORS
Seniors Luka Krstic and Jack Stevens were named to the eight-member Preseason All-Big West Team as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Krstic is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he led the Anteaters with 80 points on 52 goals and 28 assists. He is a two-time All-American and first-team All-Big West selection. Stevens finished with 30 goals and 12 assists a year ago. He is a two-time All-Big West honoree. As a team, UCI was picked to finish third in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll. The 'Eaters received 18 points to come in behind Long Beach State (29) and UC San Diego (20).

ALL-BIG WEST RETURNERS
The Anteaters return five All-Big West honorees from a 2024 squad that won their second-straight regular-season title. Luka Krstic was named to the first team, and Johann Thrall garnered second-team distinction. Cole Francisco and Jack Stevens were both honorable mention selections, while Francisco and Ethan Spoon made the All-Freshman Team.

STORIED HISTORY
UC Irvine men's water polo is in its 60th year as a program, and 59th season of competition (2020 season canceled). Since 1965, the Anteaters have put together 17 seasons with 20 or more wins, including a perfect 30-0 campaign in 1982 when they won the second of their three NCAA Championships (1970, 1982, 1988). The 'Eaters, who earned a spot in each of the first 10 NCAA tournaments, have made 22 postseason appearances.

HOME SWEET HOME
UCI is set to host the 2025 Big West Championships at Anteater Aquatics Complex, November 21-23. The conference tournament will make its way to Irvine after being held in La Jolla in 2023 and in Davis in 2024.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will wrap up preseason tournament play at the Gary Troyer Invitational in Claremont. The Anteaters are scheduled to face Wagner and CMS on Friday, Oct. 3.