No. 1 University of California-San Diego Eludes No. 19 University of Virginia, 12-8, to Reach 2024 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship Semifinal
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — TJ Turner (Jr., Escondido, Calif.) and Joseph Holloway (Sr., Rocklin, Calif.) both scored three times to finish with hat-tricks to notch Player of the Game recognition as 2022 and 2023 National Champion/Sierra Pacific Division Champion/No. 1-ranked the University of California-San Diego survived a challenge from Atlantic Division Champion/No. 19 the University of Virginia, 12-8, in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Florida.
Competing at the Ann Marie Rogers Swimming & Diving Pool in the O’Connell Center, the Tritons moved one step closer to joining Lindenwood University (2014, 2015, 2016) as the only programs to record back-to-back-to-back National Championships.
UC-San Diego – which holds prior First (2022, 2023), Second (2021), Third (2019), Fifth (2018) and Ninth (2013) Place finishes at the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship and is now guaranteed to place no lower than Fourth Place at the 2024 event – will next be in action at 5:10 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, November 9, in the semifinals against the victor of a quarterfinal pitting Pacific Coast Division Champion/1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007 National Champion/No. 2 California Polytechnic State University and Texas Division Champion/No. 11 Texas A&M University with a spot in the National Championship game on the line.
Virginia – which previously placed Ninth (2023), 13th (2022) and 15th (2003) in three prior trips to the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship – is guaranteed to garner the program’s all-time best finish at the event as the Cavaliers will meet the loser of the Cal Poly-Texas A&M game at 4:00 p.m. later today with a berth in the Fifth Place game on the line. If Virginia loses the game, the squad will appear in the Seventh Place game guaranteeing the team at worst an Eighth Place finish in the final 16-team championship standings.
Facing the two-time defending National Champions, the Cavaliers held their own throughout the length of the contest and were within a goal prior to the 1:37 mark of the fourth quarter.
Willem Palmer (Sr., Mill Valley, Calif.) broke the ice in the contest by pumping in a shot with 5:57 left in the first quarter to stake Virginia to an early 1-0 margin. Graham McClone (Gr., Placerville, Calif.) responded at 5:48 to balance the scoreboard prior to Roberto Carbone (So., Genova, Italy) (5:01, penalty shot) and Nick Hoffs (Jr., Laguna Beach, Calif.) (4:18) twirling home shots to push Virginia ahead 3-1.
The duo of Gonzalo Rivera (Gr., Madrid, Spain) and Braden Clark (Jr., San Diego, Calif.) erased the lead, however, by denting the twine at 3:10 and 2:39, respectively, to level the scoring at three-all. Virginia regained a two-goal lead as Palmer (2:20, man-up) and Penn Clay (Fr., Manhattan Beach, Calif.) (1:16) swished shots to rebuild the Cavaliers lead to 5-3. UC-San Diego got one back prior to the opening quarter’s concluding horn as goalkeeper Bryce Elsner (Gr., Carlsbad, Calif.) lobbed home a response with one second on the clock to move his team within 5-4 after seven minutes of action.
Elsner’s goal proved to be a turning point in the contest as Turner (6:21, man-up; 5:08) and Holloway (4:14 man-up) combined for a 3-0 output in the second quarter to push the two-time defending National Champions ahead 7-5 by halftime.
Virginia refused to go away silently as Hoffs (4:53) and Palmer (3:30) ripped in shots to make it a seven-all game in the third quarter. UC-San Diego reacquired the lead prior to the conclusion of the frame as Clark connected on a shot with 1:44 on the clock to put the Tritons back in front for good at 8-7.
In the fourth quarter, Rivera insulated the lead to 9-7 by lining a ball into the twine with 3:44 on the clock. Clay responded at 3:28 to close the gap back to one at 9-8, but the defending National Champions mustered up one final run as Holloway notched man-up (1:37) and natural (four seconds) goals to sandwich an even-strength strike from Turner (34 seconds) for the 12-8 final score.
For UC-San Diego, Turner (three), Holloway (three), Rivera (two) and Clark (two) all accounted for multi-goal contests, while McClone and Elsner slipped home solo scores. Elsner finished with six saves in earning the win guarding the cage.
Across the tank, Palmer (three), Clay (two), Hoffs (two) and Carbone combined for the Cavaliers’ offensive attack in support of a five save performance from netminder Pranay Vittal (Sr., Princeton, N.J.).
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 19 University of Virginia |
5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 8 |
| No. 1 University of California-San Diego | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | – | 12 |
| UCSD Goals: | TJ Turner (3); Joseph Holloway (3); Gonzalo Rivera (2); Braden Clark (2); Bryce Elsner; Graham McClone | |||||
| Virginia Goals: | Willem Palmer (3); Penn Clay (2); Nick Hoffs (2); Roberto Carbone | |||||
| Saves: | UCSD – Bryce Elsner (6) ; Virginia – Pranay Vittal (5) | |||||
| Exclusions: | UCSD – 9 ; Virginia – 7 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | UCSD – 4-for-7 ; Virginia – 2-for-9 | |||||
| Sprints: | UCSD – 2-for-4 (1st, 4th) ; Virginia – 2-for-4 (2nd, 3rd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Ted Bresnahan, Michael Schofield | |||||
University of Virginia’s Pranay Vittal (#1) makes a save
University of Virginia’s Roberto Carbone (#10) scopes an opening as the University of California-San Diego’s Gonzalo Rivera (#12) defends
University of California-San Diego’s Graham McClone (#3)
