George Washington University
No. 15 UC Santa Barbara
Water Polo Defeats No. 15 UC Santa Barbara, Occidental on Opening Day
8/29/2025 9:17:00 PM | Water Polo
The Revolutionaries never trailed on Friday
LA JOLLA, Calif. - The George Washington water polo team began its 2025 campaign on Friday with a 2-0 record at the Triton Invitational. The Revolutionaries claimed their first ranked win of the season in a defensive battle vs. No. 15 UC Santa Barbara, before moving to 2-0 on the year by defeating Occidental.
GW 8, No. 15 UC Santa Barbara 4
GW led wire-to-wire in the season opener, opening the scoring just over a minute in and never ceding the lead. GW took a 4-2 lead into halftime before the Gauchos cut it to 4-3 early in the third quarter, but that's the closest UC Santa Barbara would come, as the Buff & Blue rattled off a 4-1 run to close the game and secure the win.
Adonis Vlassis, GW's leading scorer from a year ago, led the Buff & Blue with five goals, while Antonio Florena supported with two goals. Graduate transfer Vasilije Marinkovic rattled off 18 saves in his first start in goal. It's GW's first ranked win since taking down No. 20 Navy on Oct. 25, 2024.
GW 20, Occidental 8
The Revolutionaries had the recipe for success with another quality start that led to victory in game two. After leading 5-2 through the first eight minutes, GW tore a 6-0 run vs. Occidental that spanned the entire second quarter, commanding an 11-2 lead at halftime. GW kept its foot on the pedal in the second half, outscoring the Tigers, 9-6, to complete its unbeaten opening day.
Vlassis led the charge again with six goals and five steals. First-years Anthony Ferneini (three goals), Andrea Forno (three goals), and Evan Agapiou (one goal) each registered their first career points.
UP NEXT
GW returns for two games tomorrow on day two of the Triton Invitational. The Revolutionaries will first face No. 2 USC at 12:20 p.m. (ET), before matching up against No. 6 Long Beach State at 4:20 p.m. (ET).
