Friday, October 30
Irvine, Calif.
6 P.M.
UC Irvine
vs
UC Santa Barbara
Photo by: Jacob Thompson
October 29, 2026 | Men's Water Polo
IRVINE, Calif. - The No. 8 UC Irvine men's water polo team returns to the Anteater Aquatics Complex on Friday, Oct. 30, to host No. 11 UC Santa Barbara in a Big West matchup at 6 p.m.
ANTEATER TIDBITS
UC Irvine split its pair of home games last weekend, moving to 17-6 overall and 2-1 in Big West play.
The Anteaters dropped their first conference match up against No. 11 UC San Diego, 15-16, on Friday night.
UCI defeated Air Force, 18-10, on senior day on Sunday afternoon.
Senior Alex Lopez led the way with 14 points on nine goals and five assists.
Senior Gage Verdegaal added 10 points on four goals and six assists.
Freshman Nico Assalian logged 48 minutes in net and tallied 12 saves.
UC Irvine 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 in 2024.
They also claimed the Big West Championship title and made their first NCAA appearance in 30 years in 2023.
IN THE RANKINGS
UC Irvine fell to No. 8 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association's national rankings released Oct. 28. The Anteaters had held the No. 6 spot for four consecutive weeks after climbing from No. 8 in Week 4. UCI opened the season at No. 13, where it remained through the preseason and first three weekly polls, before breaking into the top 10.
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
No. 11 UC Santa Barbara improved to 20-9 overall and 2-1 in Big West play after taking down #9 Long Beach State last weekend. The Gauchos defeated the Beach 13-8 in a conference match up on Oct. 24. UC Santa Barbara also defeated No. 8 UC San Diego, 14-8, in Big West play on Oct. 16. Freshman Luigi Canepa leads the Gauchos with 99 points on 75 goals and 24 assists while senior Finn Genc has 74 points on 46 goals and 28 assists. Fifth year Wyatt Pieretti leads UC Santa Barbara in net with over 613 minutes logged with 138 saves and a 12.68 goals-against-average.
SERIES HISTORY
The 'Eaters hold the advantage in the all-time series against the Gauchos, leading 32-27. UCI has won each of the last five meetings against UC Santa Barbara, dating back to Oct. 21, 2023, when the Anteaters snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Gauchos with an 8-7 victory. The teams met twice during the 2025 season, with UCI earning a pair of one-goal victories. The Anteaters first edged out UC Santa Barbara, 13-12, in a neutral-site matchup at the MPSF Invitational on Sept. 20 before securing a 10-9 win in their Big West meeting on Oct. 18. The rivalry has continued to deliver close contests, with four of the last five meetings decided by a single goal. Most notably, the 'Eaters prevailed in a 14-13 thriller on Oct. 26, outlasting the Gauchos through four overtime periods to secure the conference victory.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
The 'Eaters have scored at least 11 goals in 21 of their 23 games this season, averaging 14.7 goals per contest. Four Anteaters have surpassed the 30-goal mark, led by Alex Lopez with 46 goals. Johann Thrall follows closely with 45 goals, while Cole Francisco ranks third on the team with 36. Wyley Dale rounds out UCI's top four scorers with 34 goals on the season. Francisco, Thrall and Lopez are tied for the team lead in points, with each recording 63. Gage Verdegaal sits just behind the trio with 62 points, including 25 goals and 37 assists. UCI has also outscored its opponents in every quarter this season, holding a 92-64 advantage in the first, a 75-55 edge in the second, an 88-63 margin in the third and an 80-65 advantage in the fourth.
MINDING THE NET
Freshman Nico Assalian has started 18 of the team's 23 games this season, compiling a 13-4 record. He has played 544 minutes in goal, recording 139 saves, 13 assists, and 20 steals while posting an 9.94 goals-against average and a .451 save percentage. Sophomore Vincent Vega has appeared in nine games, including three starts, totaling over 140 minutes in goal. He has recorded 41 saves, two assists, and two steals, along with a 9.32 goals-against average and a .500 save percentage. Junior Nolan Cary has seen action in five games, making two starts and playing over 51 minutes. He has tallied 15 saves, two steals and posted a .417 save percentage and a 13.13 goals-against average.
COLLEGIATE FIRSTS
UCI's freshmen made an immediate impact during their first season of collegiate action. Ryan Fresca has led the group with 23 points on 19 assists and four goals. He opened his career with three points on one goal and two assists against Chapman on Aug. 28 and has recorded two or more assists in five of UCI's first eight games. River Davis ranks second among the newcomers with 14 points on 10 goals and four assists. He scored his first collegiate goal against George Washington on Aug. 28 before adding his second goal and first assist against Concordia the following day for his first multi-point game. Davis became UCI's first freshman this season to record a hat trick, accomplishing the feat against Cal Lutheran on Sept. 4. Aiden Sexton also made an immediate impact, scoring twice and adding two assists against Chapman on Aug. 28 before netting his third goal of the season against Concordia on Aug. 29. He has totaled five points on three goals and two assists. Luke Kalynij scored the first goal of his collegiate career against Chapman on Aug. 28, while Noah Jurgensen recorded his first collegiate assist in his first career minutes against the Panthers. Charlie Jones capped a strong opening weekend for UCI's freshmen with the first two goals of his career, scoring against Chapman and George Washington on Aug. 28 after sitting out the 2025 season. He added two more goals against Cal Lutheran on Sept. 4 for the first multi-goal game of his career. Jones also recorded his first career hat trick against Whittier on Oct. 2.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Alex Lopez picked up his first career Big West Player of the Week honor on Sept. 30. He led the Anteaters to a perfect 3-0 weekend against three ranked opponents, totaling 12 points on seven goals and five assists. Lopez opened the weekend with a five-point performance, scoring four goals and adding an assist in UCI's 13-8 victory over No. 11 LMU on Saturday. Later that day, Lopez contributed one goal and three assists in a four-point effort as the Anteaters edged No. 17 Santa Clara, 14-13. The senior attacker capped the weekend with three points on two goals and one assist in UCI's 11-10 win over No. 18 Navy.
PRESEASON HONORS
Junior Cole Francisco was named to the eight-member Preseason All-Big West Team as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Francisco is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he totaled 69 points on 31 goals and a team-high 38 assists. He is a three-time All-Big West honoree, a two-time Big West Player of the Week selection, and landed on both the CSC Academic All-District At-Large Team and the ACWPC All-Academic Team in the 2025 season.
UP NEXT
The Anteaters conclude Big West play on Friday, Nov. 7, as they travel to No. 12 Long Beach State for a 7 p.m. match.
ANTEATER TIDBITS
UC Irvine split its pair of home games last weekend, moving to 17-6 overall and 2-1 in Big West play.
The Anteaters dropped their first conference match up against No. 11 UC San Diego, 15-16, on Friday night.
UCI defeated Air Force, 18-10, on senior day on Sunday afternoon.
Senior Alex Lopez led the way with 14 points on nine goals and five assists.
Senior Gage Verdegaal added 10 points on four goals and six assists.
Freshman Nico Assalian logged 48 minutes in net and tallied 12 saves.
UC Irvine 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 in 2024.
They also claimed the Big West Championship title and made their first NCAA appearance in 30 years in 2023.
IN THE RANKINGS
UC Irvine fell to No. 8 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association's national rankings released Oct. 28. The Anteaters had held the No. 6 spot for four consecutive weeks after climbing from No. 8 in Week 4. UCI opened the season at No. 13, where it remained through the preseason and first three weekly polls, before breaking into the top 10.
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
No. 11 UC Santa Barbara improved to 20-9 overall and 2-1 in Big West play after taking down #9 Long Beach State last weekend. The Gauchos defeated the Beach 13-8 in a conference match up on Oct. 24. UC Santa Barbara also defeated No. 8 UC San Diego, 14-8, in Big West play on Oct. 16. Freshman Luigi Canepa leads the Gauchos with 99 points on 75 goals and 24 assists while senior Finn Genc has 74 points on 46 goals and 28 assists. Fifth year Wyatt Pieretti leads UC Santa Barbara in net with over 613 minutes logged with 138 saves and a 12.68 goals-against-average.
SERIES HISTORY
The 'Eaters hold the advantage in the all-time series against the Gauchos, leading 32-27. UCI has won each of the last five meetings against UC Santa Barbara, dating back to Oct. 21, 2023, when the Anteaters snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Gauchos with an 8-7 victory. The teams met twice during the 2025 season, with UCI earning a pair of one-goal victories. The Anteaters first edged out UC Santa Barbara, 13-12, in a neutral-site matchup at the MPSF Invitational on Sept. 20 before securing a 10-9 win in their Big West meeting on Oct. 18. The rivalry has continued to deliver close contests, with four of the last five meetings decided by a single goal. Most notably, the 'Eaters prevailed in a 14-13 thriller on Oct. 26, outlasting the Gauchos through four overtime periods to secure the conference victory.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
The 'Eaters have scored at least 11 goals in 21 of their 23 games this season, averaging 14.7 goals per contest. Four Anteaters have surpassed the 30-goal mark, led by Alex Lopez with 46 goals. Johann Thrall follows closely with 45 goals, while Cole Francisco ranks third on the team with 36. Wyley Dale rounds out UCI's top four scorers with 34 goals on the season. Francisco, Thrall and Lopez are tied for the team lead in points, with each recording 63. Gage Verdegaal sits just behind the trio with 62 points, including 25 goals and 37 assists. UCI has also outscored its opponents in every quarter this season, holding a 92-64 advantage in the first, a 75-55 edge in the second, an 88-63 margin in the third and an 80-65 advantage in the fourth.
MINDING THE NET
Freshman Nico Assalian has started 18 of the team's 23 games this season, compiling a 13-4 record. He has played 544 minutes in goal, recording 139 saves, 13 assists, and 20 steals while posting an 9.94 goals-against average and a .451 save percentage. Sophomore Vincent Vega has appeared in nine games, including three starts, totaling over 140 minutes in goal. He has recorded 41 saves, two assists, and two steals, along with a 9.32 goals-against average and a .500 save percentage. Junior Nolan Cary has seen action in five games, making two starts and playing over 51 minutes. He has tallied 15 saves, two steals and posted a .417 save percentage and a 13.13 goals-against average.
COLLEGIATE FIRSTS
UCI's freshmen made an immediate impact during their first season of collegiate action. Ryan Fresca has led the group with 23 points on 19 assists and four goals. He opened his career with three points on one goal and two assists against Chapman on Aug. 28 and has recorded two or more assists in five of UCI's first eight games. River Davis ranks second among the newcomers with 14 points on 10 goals and four assists. He scored his first collegiate goal against George Washington on Aug. 28 before adding his second goal and first assist against Concordia the following day for his first multi-point game. Davis became UCI's first freshman this season to record a hat trick, accomplishing the feat against Cal Lutheran on Sept. 4. Aiden Sexton also made an immediate impact, scoring twice and adding two assists against Chapman on Aug. 28 before netting his third goal of the season against Concordia on Aug. 29. He has totaled five points on three goals and two assists. Luke Kalynij scored the first goal of his collegiate career against Chapman on Aug. 28, while Noah Jurgensen recorded his first collegiate assist in his first career minutes against the Panthers. Charlie Jones capped a strong opening weekend for UCI's freshmen with the first two goals of his career, scoring against Chapman and George Washington on Aug. 28 after sitting out the 2025 season. He added two more goals against Cal Lutheran on Sept. 4 for the first multi-goal game of his career. Jones also recorded his first career hat trick against Whittier on Oct. 2.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Alex Lopez picked up his first career Big West Player of the Week honor on Sept. 30. He led the Anteaters to a perfect 3-0 weekend against three ranked opponents, totaling 12 points on seven goals and five assists. Lopez opened the weekend with a five-point performance, scoring four goals and adding an assist in UCI's 13-8 victory over No. 11 LMU on Saturday. Later that day, Lopez contributed one goal and three assists in a four-point effort as the Anteaters edged No. 17 Santa Clara, 14-13. The senior attacker capped the weekend with three points on two goals and one assist in UCI's 11-10 win over No. 18 Navy.
PRESEASON HONORS
Junior Cole Francisco was named to the eight-member Preseason All-Big West Team as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Francisco is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he totaled 69 points on 31 goals and a team-high 38 assists. He is a three-time All-Big West honoree, a two-time Big West Player of the Week selection, and landed on both the CSC Academic All-District At-Large Team and the ACWPC All-Academic Team in the 2025 season.
UP NEXT
The Anteaters conclude Big West play on Friday, Nov. 7, as they travel to No. 12 Long Beach State for a 7 p.m. match.
Players Mentioned
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Utility
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Center
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Defender
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Utility
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Attacker
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Attacker
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Goalkeeper
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