IRVINE, Calif. - Leave it to the Golden Eagles to bring the energy! On Friday Sept. 29, the Concordia University Irvine men's water polo team competed against UC San Diego at William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center. It was a home opener like no other with over 200+ fans in attendance. Students, fans, and athletes alike showed up with hand-made signs and contagious spirit. It was no surprise to see the team pumped up and ready for competition.

Whether it was the excitement for the first home game or the palpable energy from the crowd, Concordia caught UCSD off guard and junior Stan De Mey scored the first goal of the game. It wasn't long before Jacob Stuart followed suit and Sam Diamond made two more goals. Fueled by the team's efforts, the Golden Eagles, specifically Carlos Olat, kept making momentum shifting steals against the Tritons.

It was a match worth watching. By the end of the second period, the score was 4-7. The great atmosphere continued throughout the first half even though the Triton's applied more pressure and maintained possession over the ball. Many exclusions happened on both sides, but at some point, the Tritons got two penalty goals into the Golden Eagles' cage. 

Tanner Powell took it upon himself to block every possible shot that came his way. The crowd went wild with each CUI save and block. At some point, UCSD had to switch their offensive strategy to combat it. The Tritons found their groove and eventually widened the gap between the two teams. By the end of the game, Leo Erickson added 3 goals to the board as well as Stuart and Luke Addington with a goal each. 

UC San Diego won the game with a final score of 19-9. 

The Green and the Gold are just getting started. After Friday's home opener, CUI heads to Los Angeles on Saturday, Sept. 30 for a double header against Occidental College (12 p.m.) and Ottawa University (3:30 p.m.) to finish the weekend. The next home game for men's water polo will be Friday, Nov. 2. 

CLICK HERE for the full men's water polo schedule.