KEARNS, Utah — Florida Division Champion/No. 6-ranked the University of Florida built a 7-3 lead by halftime and never looked back to down Pacific Coast Division Champion/No. 2 the University of California-Los Angeles, 10-6, in the quarterfinals on Day Two of the 2023 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Utah at the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center.
Florida – which previously placed Third (2001, 2011), Fourth (2008), Sixth (2019), Eighth (2000), Ninth (2003), 10th (2018, 2023), 11th (2002), 12th (2017) and 13th (2009) in prior trips to the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship – is guaranteed the team’s fourth Top Four finish thanks to the win. The Gators will return to the water at 6:20 p.m. Mountain this evening in the semifinals against the victor of a quarterfinal matching Big Ten Division Champion/No. 5 Michigan State University and Rocky Mountain Division Champion the University of Colorado.
A three-time National Champion (2009, 2010, 2013), UCLA – which returned to the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship this year for the first time in a decade after previously finishing First (2009, 2010, 2013), Fourth (2005) and Fifth (2012) – will have a chance to notch the program’s second Fifth Place finish with two wins. The road to Fifth Place begins a 7:30 p.m. this evening as the Bruins face the fallen from the Michigan State/Colorado game with a spot in the Fifth Place contest on Sunday, November 12, on the line.
The Gators never trailed against UCLA as Luke Carey (Sr., Orlando, Fla.) (6:24, man-up) and Nicky Borden (Fr., Danville, Calif.) (4:53) staked Florida to a 2-0 lead slightly over two minutes into the contest. Brandon Case (Fr., San Diego, Calif.) cut the Bruins’ deficit in half by converting a man-up chance at 4:26, but Player of the Game Gabriele Bassani (Gr., Parma, Italy) returned the lead to a pair by swishing his own six-on-five opportunity at 4:07.
The margin continued to fluctuate from two-to-one as Case lined in a five-meter penalty shot at 3:50 to make it 3-2 before Borden axed home his second of the first frame to again provide Florida at two-goal lead at 4-2 with 2:01 on the clock.
Bassani pushed the margin to three by arching in a shot (4:43) to start the second quarter’s scoring. August Blatney (Jr., Philadelphia, Pa.) shaved Florida’s lead down to a pair (5-3) by finding the back twine at 4:25, but Carey (1:50) and Micah Bayle (So., Hudsonville, Mich.) (41 seconds, man-up) widened the chasm between the programs to 7-3 heading into halftime.
The Gators pulled ahead by five to start the third quarter as Carey (6:18, penalty shot) tossed in his team’s eighth strike. However, Nikolai Haines (Sr., Ventura, Calif.) and Blatney put the Bruins back in the game by bounding balls into the cage at 1:12 and 47 seconds, respectively, to inch UCLA within 8-5 with seven minutes left to play in regulation.
Bassani secured the victory in the fourth quarter by scoring at 4:51 and 4:19 (man-up) to double-up UCLA at 10-5 before Zane LaBute (So., Brentwood, Calif.) tossed in one final tally for the Bruins with 3:10 remaining to establish the 10-6 final score.
For UCLA, Blatney and Case both scored twice with LaBute and Haines accounting for the other pair. Kellan Grant (Gr., Claremont, Calif.) took the loss in cage for the Bruins.
Florida received multi-goal games from Bassani (four), Carey (three) and Borden (two) with Bayle putting away a solo marker. Goalkeeper Adriano Zunino (Gr., Lima, Peru) earned the win.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 6 University of Florida |
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | – | 10 |
| No. 2 University of California-Los Angeles | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | 6 |
| UCLA Goals: | August Blatney (2); Brandon Case (2); Zane LaBute; Nikolai Haines | |||||
| Florida Goals: | Gabriele Bassani (4); Luke Carey (3); Nicky Borden (2); Micah Bayle | |||||
| Exclusions: | UCLA – 10 ; Florida – 11 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | UCLA – 2-for-11 ; Florida – 5-for-10 | |||||
| Sprints: | UCLA – 1-for-4 (2nd) ; Florida – 3-for-4 (1st, 3rd, 4th) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | YC – UCLA (Head coach Doug Merkel, 6:06 left in 2nd Q); MAM – Florida (Gabriele Bassani, 3:37 left in 1st Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Jeremy Mauss, Victor Nguyen | |||||
University of Florida’s Luke Carey (#14)
The University of California-Los Angeles’ August Blatney (#3) goes for a loose ball as the University of Florida’s Tyler Conti (#7) defends
University of Florida’s Luke Carey (#14) tries to get a pass off as the University of California-Los Angeles’ Nikolai Haines (#2) defends
The University of Florida’s Adriano Zunino (#1) attempts to stop a shot by the University of California-Los Angeles’ Brandon Case (#9)
