HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — William French (Jr., San Diego, Calif.) scored four times to earn Player of the Game recognition and lead 14 athletes from Pacific Coast Division Champion/No. 1-ranked the University of California-San Diego in scoring as the Tritons topped Mid-Atlantic Division Champion the University of Pennsylvania, 18-5, in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship.
Competing at the Huntsville Aquatics Center in a tournament hosted by the University of Alabama and the Huntsville Sports Commission, the Tritons punched their ticket to the National Collegiate Club Championship semifinals. UC-San Diego will return to the pool at 6:20 p.m. on Saturday, November 13, to face the victor of a quarterfinal game pitting Southwest Division runner-up/No. 12 the University of Southern California and Great Lakes Division Champion/Division III No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis.
Penn falls into the consolation side of the bracket and will meet the fallen from the USC-WashU game at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 13, with a spot in the Fifth Place game on the line.
- UC-San Diego never trailed in the game as the Tritons opened up a 3-0 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter and acquired a 9-0 spread prior to the halftime horn.
- Trailing 10-0 with 6:12 left in the the third quarter, the Quakers of Penn broke through as Declan Harrison sliced in a shot with 5:37 on the clock to put the Philly-based team on the board.
- The teams traded scoring blows over the remainder of the third quarter as Penn pulled ahead 12-1 and finally 13-3 prior to the conclusion of the frame and the onset of the fourth quarter.
- Pennsylvania was unable to chip its deficit below nine goals the rest of the way. The Quakers inched to within 13-4 with 5:59 remaining on the fourth quarter clock via a scoring volley by Riksen, but four consecutive strikes by the Tritons stuck a fork in Pennsylvania and provided UC-San Diego with an insurmountable 17-4 lead with 1:03 left in regulation. The teams traded goals from there to establish the 18-5 final score.
- For UC-San Diego, French notched three goals, while Graham McClone (Gr., Placerville, Calif.) and Jack Harper (Sr., San Diego, Calif.) deposited pairs. Peter Olson (Fr., Coronado, Calif.), Arthur Sefayan (Jr., Ventura, Calif.), Jackson Cassidy (Jr., San Diego, Calif.), Gonzalo Rivera (Sr., Madrid, Spain), Weston Restad (Jr., Murrieta, Calif.), Jordi Rivera (Sr., Madrid, Spain), Tyler Shaver (Sr., Martinez, Calif.), Malachi Sanders (Sr., San Diego, Calif.), Max Black (So., Seattle, Wash.), Anshul Devnani (Gr., Orlando, Fla.) and Andrew Schade (Sr., Solana Beach, Calif.) all racked solo scores in the victory.
- On the other end of the tank, five Quakers posted points as Riksen, Harrison, Benjamin Abt, Lenning Davis and Dominic Scurio tickled the twine.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| University of Pennsylvania |
0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | – | 5 |
| University of California-San Diego | 3 | 6 | 4 | 5 | – | 18 |
| UC-San Diego Goals: | William French (3); Graham McClone (2); Jack Harper (2); Peter Olson; Arthur Sefayan; Jackson Cassidy; Gonzalo Rivera; Weston Restad; Jordi Rivera; Tyler Shaver; Malachi Sanders; Max Black; Anshul Devnani; Andrew Schade | |||||
| Pennsylvania Goals: | Benjamin Abt; Sean Riksen; Lenning Davis; Dominic Scurio; Declan Harrison | |||||
| Exclusions: | UC-San Diego – 7 ; Pennsylvania – 9 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | UC-San Diego – for-9; Pennsylvania – for-7 | |||||
| Sprints: | UC-San Diego – 2-for-4 (1st, 2nd); Pennsylvania – 2-for-4 (3rd, 4th) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Victor Rarau; Val Rarau | |||||
The University of California-San Diego defense, led by Graham McClone (#3), swarms to the ball
University of Pennsylvania huddle
University of California-San Diego’s Malachi Sanders (#8)
