UC San Diego's men's water polo team hosts No. 8 Loyola Marymount at Canyonview Aquatic Center on Saturday, Oct. 24, in a top-10 rematch in La Jolla.
The No. 8 Tritons (13-6, 1-1 Big West) and Lions (13-6, 4-0 West Coast Conference) carry identical overall records into the matchup, The UCSD Guardian reported. The game is a rematch of the annual Battle of the Kings, which LMU won 10-9 on Sept. 23 at the same pool in front of 982 fans, according to UC San Diego athletics.
UCSD had won the Battle of the Kings in 2024 and 2025 and led 4-2 after the first quarter before LMU stormed back. Sophomore utility player Jackson Boettner scored four goals in the loss. His third tied the game at 8-8 with 2:49 remaining, but LMU's Gabrijel Burburan scored twice in the final period to seal it. Boettner's fourth goal with nine seconds left cut the deficit to 10-9.
"Credit to LMU … They stuck to their game plan and made it a fight for us all the way through," head coach Matt Ustaszewski told The UCSD Guardian after the Sept. 23 loss.
Since then, the Tritons have rebuilt momentum. Boettner scored four goals in each of UCSD's wins against the University of Redlands and Pomona-Pitzer on Oct. 2 in Claremont, according to The UCSD Guardian. Through Oct. 15, Boettner had scored in all 16 games this season, according to UC San Diego athletics.
Senior utility player Landon Akerstrom has been another factor. He returned from an injury that sidelined him since September 2025 and scored in the win over the Bulldogs on Oct. 2. On Oct. 9, Akerstrom posted a season-high five points with four goals and an assist in a Big West road win at No. 7 Long Beach State, the preseason conference favorite, according to UC San Diego athletics. His goal with 2:38 remaining proved to be the game-winner. The performance earned him Big West Player of the Week honors on Oct. 14.
The LMU game is the middle leg of a three-game weekend. UCSD will travel to No. 6 UC Irvine for Big West play before hosting the Lions, then welcome No. 1 Stanford on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Beyond the weekend, a bigger stage awaits at the same pool. UC San Diego will host the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship (NCAA Championship) at Canyonview Aquatic Center from Dec. 4 through Dec. 6, according to UC San Diego athletics. The Tritons last hosted the event in 2014 as a Division II program. The 2026 championship will be the first time UCSD hosts as a Division I squad.
Ustaszewski, the fifth-year head coach who took over in 2022 after Denny Harper retired following 42 years at the helm, won his 80th career game on Oct. 2 when the Tritons beat Pomona-Pitzer 16-10.
UCSD hosts Stanford at Canyonview on Oct. 25, then turns its attention to the NCAA Championship at the same venue Dec. 4 through Dec. 6.
