UCSB Men's Water Polo will open its home season Saturday, September 18 with a pair of matches against UC San Diego and UCLA. Due to extended Covid mitigation efforts on campus, there will be no public sale of tickets for either match and guests will be limited to player family and friends.
MALIBU, Calif. – The fifth-ranked UC Santa Barbara men's water polo team (10-1) took to Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool for a pair of Thursday victories against Westcliff and No. 10 Pepperdine.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game one: No. 5 UCSB 20, Westcliff 6
- UCSB got out to a 7-0 first period lead with six different players finding the back of the cage in the opening stanza, setting the tone for a dominant win in the first game of the weekend for the Gauchos.
- Senior attacker Sawyer Rhodes led the way with four goals and an assist, followed by sophomore attacker Logan Sutter's hat trick. Junior attacker Sam Nangle, junior driver Sean Rosenberg, and senior attacker Leo Yuno scored two goals apiece.
Game two: No. 5 UCSB 12, No. 10 Pepperdine 9
- In a battle of two top-ten teams and Golden Coast Conference rivals, UCSB started the contest with an early 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Yuno, senior attacker Cole Brosnan, and Rhodes on a penalty shot.
- As the game entered the second period, the Gauchos maintained their three-goal lead until two and a half minutes before the half, when Pepperdine's Christian Hosea scored on a power play to cut the lead to 6-4 to the Gauchos.
- A strong third quarter saw Santa Barbara outscore the Waves 3-1 thanks to a pair of Rhodes goals and one from freshman center Dash McFarland.
- UCSB continued to build its lead to 12-6, the largest advantage of the match, with 2:57 remaining off an Adam Gyenis goal, after which the blue and gold cruised to a 12-9 win.
- Rhodes and senior defender Mason McQuet led the team with a hat trick, while Cole Brosnan earned two goals.
NEXT UP
- UCSB Men's Water Polo will open its home season Saturday, September 18 with a pair of matches against UC San Diego and UCLA. Due to extended Covid mitigation efforts on campus, there will be no public sale of tickets for either match and guests will be limited to player family and friends.
- The game against UC San Diego will take place at 12:00 p.m. and the contest against top-ranked UCLA will begin at 6:00 p.m. Live stats will be available for both games, but the games will not be live-streamed.
Follow UCSB water polo all season long by following its pages on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
