SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The No. 8 UC Santa Barbara men's water polo team got out to a great start facing No. 5 USC on Friday at Campus Pool, but a strong second half for the Trojans turned the tide as the visitors came away with a 10-6 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Goalscorers: Brosnan (2), Sutter, Hawkins, Gregory, Allen
Saves: Roland (5)
The Gauchos (7-8) were able to answer an early USC goal, looking sharp on offense and defense in the first half. Senior center Sam Nangle proved to be a handful for the defense as he has all season, drawing an exclusion that led to a goal by Ryan Brosnan and a penalty that allowed Tommy Hawkins to put the Gauchos ahead, 2-1 at the 3:34 mark of the first.
UCSB continued to play well, as Brosnan put the home side ahead early in the second and Henry Allen added another to make it a 4-2 game midway through the second. Colton Gregory made it 5-3 several minutes later, but USC scored on its final possession to go into halftime trailing 5-4.
The turning point came in the third quarter. The Gauchos continued to apply pressure, earning two penalties and another power play as they tried to extend their lead. However, USC goalkeeper Kyle McKenney came up with saves on both penalties and the Trojans got a steal inside on the power play.
USC would enjoy a second half shutout on UCSB until the final minute of the game as the Trojans went on a 7-0 run to seal the win.
NEXT UP
Santa Barbara will have a rematch with No. 2-T Cal on Sunday at home at 12:00 p.m. facing the Golden Bears for the second time in eight days.
