SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — For the second game in a row, the No. 12 UC Santa Barbara Men's Water Polo team upset the no. 6 team in the country, this time taking down UC San Diego, 11-10, in their first Big West game of the season. Brock Zamanian and Danilo Dragovic both had four-point days with three goals and an assist each, while La Jolla native Levi Lentin once again gave his hometown team fits in goal, making 10 saves and three crucial steals. The Gauchos have now earned upset wins in three of their last five games, knocking then-No. 10 Pacific off their perch to end September before taking down two no. 6's in a row, at San Jose State last weekend and Saturday morning against the Tritons.
 
FROM HEAD COACH WOLF WIGO
"Another big win," Wigo said. "We had those few games where we were so close and just came up short, so we knew we were doing the right things and it has just been a matter of time, continuing improving and refining things. We came out of the gates, strongest game of the year, I'd say. We really played well, (UC San Diego) is a really good team, number six in the country obviously, they've got some really big wins, and for us to come out like we did in the first quarter, that first shot by Luke Redoutey was as good as it gets, perfect bar-down. That set the tone, and the guys were just pumped. I thought the first quarter, the score was only 4-2, but we played really well. Some games you get lucky goals, but every goal was earned, the guys made right decisions, played great defense and we kept that going. They got a couple loose balls in front of the goal, kind of disappointing, but we never wavered and finished out the game well. I was super impressed with the team, we're way ahead of where I thought after the first weekend of the year. It has been a great ride so far, we just have to keep working hard and hopefully this will motivate the guys even more."
 
"You get all the guys back (for alumni weekend) and they want to see a good game, and either way it was going to be a good game, but to have the win, that pumps everyone up. I'm really happy that the alumni came and got to see that game."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos started the game so strongly that they had a lead before the Tritons even touched the ball. Charlie Johnson won the opening sprint, and 26 seconds later, Luke Redoutey fired a howitzer from beyond six meters out, off the crossbar and down into the net to put Santa Barbara on top. The Tritons answered by winning and converting a five-meter penalty shot on their next possession, but they never got the lead from the Gauchos. Sam McKenzie's goal put the home team back on top, and a minute later, Zamanian had his first of the day to make it 3-1. After the Tritons got a goal back, Camren Simoncelli put home a nifty backhand from his center position to re-establish Santa Barbara's two-goal advantage.
 
Zamanian's second score of the day extended that advantage to three to start the second quarter, but UC San Diego responded with two goals as the Gaucho offense seemed to go cold. With two minutes until halftime and Santa Barbara now nursing just a one-goal lead, Dragovic breathed life back into the attack. The Montenegrin slammed home goals number 49 and 50 on the season, the latter coming just 14 seconds before the buzzer, to give the Gauchos their three-goal cushion back, leading 7-4 at halftime.
 
However, Santa Barbara had to hold on for dear life in the third quarter as all of their hard work threatened to vanish. The Tritons scored the first three goals after halftime, tying the game at seven before Dragovic restored order from a five-meter penalty shot. The Gaucho lead lasted for all of 25 seconds before UC San Diego re-tied the game. What was now a back-and-forth battle continued, with Landon Lassahn scoring on a 6-on-5 powerplay to put Santa Barbara in front again, up 9-8 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Gaucho defense buckled down in the final frame, keeping the Tritons off the scoreboard for the first 4 ¾ minutes of action, only conceding from a five-meter penalty shot. It took until the final 90 seconds of the quarter before UC San Diego was able to score from open play, a goal which made those final 90 seconds a nervy prospect for all in attendance. Goals from Simoncelli and Zamanian had brought the Gauchos' total to 11, and that final Triton goal was the visitors' 10^th, putting them within one score. On UC San Diego's penultimate possession, Lentin was aggressive, racing out to make a steal before a Triton could get a shot off. On the visitors' final possession of the day, with the final seconds ticking off, it was the Gaucho defense coming up big, blocking the Tritons' last shot before it could even trouble Lentin and securing the 11-10 victory.
 
UP NEXT
Santa Barbara remains at home next weekend, hosting No. 19 UC Irvine on Oct. 18 at 12 noon from Dos Pueblos High School. Admission is free and open until the venue's capacity is reached, and fans can catch all the action from anywhere live on ESPN+ or by following along with live stats.