CARLISLE, Pa. — Three-time defending Men’s National Collegiate Club Champion/No. 1-ranked the University of California-San Diego opened its quest for a record fourth consecutive National Championship by turning back Villanova University, 25-9, in the opening game of the 2025 National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Mid-Atlantic Division at the Carlisle YMCA Aquatic Center.
The 2022, 2023 and 2024 Men’s National Collegiate Club Champion, UC-San Diego is on a mission to post the program’s fourth consecutive National Championship a break a tie with Lindenwood University which claimed the 2014, 2015 and 2016 crowns.
Led by a game-high eight goals from TJ Turner (Sr., San Diego, Calif.), UC-San Diego never trailed in the game as the Southwest Division Champion Tritons outscored the Wildcats 4-3, 6-2, 8-3 and 7-1 in the first-to-fourth quarters, respectively, to overwhelm the Mid-Atlantic Division Championship runner-up.
Turner drew first blood for UC-San Diego by pumping in a penalty shot with 5:59 left in the first quarter to stake the Tritons to an early lead. Patrick Cucchiarelli (Jr., North Branford, Conn.) delivered a response at 5:39 by swishing a natural strike, but even-strength (3:48) and penalty shot (3:22) scores by Turner pushed UC-San Diego ahead 3-1.
Nicholas O’Hara (Fr., Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) (2:47 man-up) and Cucchiarelli (1:41) balanced the scoreboard a three-all, but Braden Clark (Sr., San Marcos, Calif.) spun a ball into the twine at the first quarter buzzer to put the Tritons in front to stay at 4-3.
Turner torched the Wildcats with back-to-back tallies at 6:38 and 5:57 to begin the second quarter prior to Clark converting another even-strength opportunity at 5:29 to construct UC-San Diego’s lead to 7-3.
Cucchiarelli snapped the run by stuffing in a shot at 5:01, but Clark delivered natural (4:42) and man-up (4:08) markers to further cushion the defending National Champions’ lead to 9-4.
Cucchiarelli (3:00) and Matt Spry (Sr., San Diego, Calif.) (2:00) exchanged goals in the closing minutes of the first half as the Tritons hit the midway ahead by a 10-5 count.
UC-San Diego put any doubt about the contest’s eventual outcome to rest in the first four minutes of the third quarter as Anthony Le (Fr., Encinitas, Calif.) (6:18, penalty shot), Turner (5:24, man-up) and Luke Childs (Jr., Norco, Calif.) (4:22) went back-to-back-to-back to widen their squad’s spread to 13-5.
Cucchiarelli terminated another Tritons’ tear by torquing in a stopper at 4:11 to inch Villanova back within seven at 13-6.
Spry (3:47), Turner (3:22) and Gabe Burks (Jr., Ann Arbor, Mich.) (2:48) delivered counterpoints for UCSD to push the lead to double-digits at 16-6 before Cucchiarelli snipped another Tritons’ scoring string at 2:30 to set the scoreboard at 16-7.
Spry (1:34) and Turner (1:34) made it 18-7 before O’Hara brought the curtain down on the third quarter by cashing in a man-up opportunity with 22 ticks left on the clock to shrink Villanova’s deficit down to 18-8 through three quarters of action.
UC-San Diego did not turn down the pressure in the fourth quarter as Clark (6:09), Childs (5:01, man-up; 4:41), Peter Olson (Sr., Coronado, Calif.) (4:02; 2:43), Andrew Cagney (Jr., San Diego, Calif.) (3:06, man-up) and Gonzalo Rivera (Gr., Madrid, Spain) flushed seven goals to open the final seven minutes to gain a 25-8 margin. Cucchiarelli concluded another Tritons’ scoring streak by lobbing in a man-up goal at the 1:33 mark for the 25-9 final score.
For Villanova, Cucchiarelli led the way with seven goals to accompany a pair of markers from O’Hara. Goalkeeper Evan Merkov (So., Jersey City, N.J.) stopped five shots.
Courtesy the loss, Villanova falls into the consolation side of the 16-team, 30-game championship bracket as the Wildcats will return to the water at 9:50 p.m. Eastern this evening against the loser of another first round match-up pitting Great Lakes Division Champion/No. 19 the University of Notre Dame and Rocky Mountain Division Champion/No. 19 the University of Colorado.
UC-San Diego earns the rest of the day off thanks to the win and will take on the victor of the Notre Dame-Colorado contest at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 8, with a spot in the championship’s semfinals on the line.
For the Tritons, Player of the Game Turner (eight), Clark (five), Childs (three), Spry (three) and Olson (two) combined for 21 of their team’s 25 goals. Rivera, Burks, Le and Cagney each chipped in solo scores in support of a nine save performance by goalkeeper Eric Yoon (Jr., La Crescenta, Calif.).
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 1 University of California-San Diego | 4 | 6 | 8 | 7 | – | 25 |
| Villanova University | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | – | 9 |
| Villanova Goals: | Patrick Cucchiarelli (7); Nicholas O’Hara (2) | |||||
| UC-San Diego Goals: | TJ Turner (8); Braden Clark (5); Luke Childs (3); Matt Spry (3); Peter Olson (2); Gonzalo Rivera; Gabe Burks; Anthony Le; Andrew Cagney | |||||
| Saves: | Villanova – Evan Merkov (5) ; UC-San Diego – Eric Yoon (9) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Villanova – 9 ; UC-San Diego – 5 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Villanova – 3-for-5 ; UC-San Diego – 7-for-9 | |||||
| Sprints: | Villanova – 1-for4 (3rd) ; UC-San Diego – 3-for-4 (1st, 2nd, 4th) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Geoff Deasey, Matt Turner | |||||
University of California-San Diego’s Eric Yoon (#1) prepares to make a save as Villanova University’s Dylan Ossher (#3) stretches for a pass
University of California-San Diego’s TJ Turner (#4) tangles with Villanova University’s Patrick Cucchiarelli (#6)
Villanova University’s Patrick Cucchiarelli (#6) looks for an opening as the University of California-San Diego’s Peter Olson (#11) defends
