UCSB is off to a rip-roaring start to the men’s water polo season.
The Gauchos knocked off Cal (8-5) and Long Beach State (12-9) to go undefeated at the Triton Invitational and finish in first place in the UC San Diego tournament.
Cal and Long Beach State are both higher ranked than No. 7 UCSB in the national poll.
The 8-5 over the No. 4 Bears was the Gauchos’ first since 2004.
Goalie Danny Roland made nine saves, including four on power plays and a penalty shot, to key the upset.
Cal went up 3-1 early in the first quarter, but goals from sophomore drivers Nathan Puentes and Ryan Brosnan evened the score.
The teams were tied 4-4 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Gauchos scored four unanswered goals, with the first coming 43 seconds into the third period via senior utility Ivan Gvozdanovic. Sophomore utility Connor Moynihan added another to make the score 6-4 with 5:35 left in the quarter, and Puentes picked up his second of the game with just under three minutes to go.
Senior attacker Jacob Halle scored the Gauchos’ final goal in the historic win.
UCSB capped off its successful weekend by beating Golden Coast Conference rival Long Beach State.
The Gauchos used a five-goal second quarter to take a commanding 8-3 lead into halftime.
The Beach clawed its way back into the game after outscoring UCSB 4-1 in the third quarter to narrow the deficit to 9-7.
Long Beach tied the score early in the fourth period
A crucial goal from redshirt freshman center Adam Lott put the Gauchos back on top 10-9 with just over two minutes to go.
No more than 22 seconds later, the Beach would concede a penalty shot opportunity that was converted by Puentes to extend the lead.
With 33 seconds left, senior driver Tommy Fellner sealed the victory and the first-place finish for the Gauchos.
Roland was tremendous in the cage, making a whopping 18 saves.
The Gauchos will play at the Inland Empire Classic in Redlands on Saturday and Sunday.
— Noozhawk Sports Editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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