LA JOLLA, Calif. — The No. 15 UC Santa Barbara Men's Water Polo team got their 2025 season off to a slow start on Friday. After a surprising, 8-4 loss to George Washington in the first game of the day, the Gauchos were unable to bounce back against No. 10 San Jose State in the evening, falling by a score of 10-3.
 
No. 15 UC SANTA BARBARA 4, GEORGE WASHINGTON 8
Santa Barbara found themselves behind early against the Revolutionaries, as George Washington tallied the first two scores of the game, but the Gauchos were able to respond. Ryan McManigal got a goal back before the first quarter ended, and Kai Ross scored first in the second to tie the game. However, two more George Washington goals, one of them just 10 seconds before halftime, gave the Revolutionaries the advantage in the break.
 
Danilo Dragovic scored 30 seconds into the second half to bring the deficit down to just one, taking advantage of a 6-on-5 powerplay. But Dragovic's goal was one of just two the Gauchos converted from their 18 6-on-5 opportunities in the game, and those missed opportunities would cost Santa Barbara. By the end of the third quarter, George Washington was back ahead by two, 6-4, and the Revolutionaries were the only team to score in the fourth quarter.
 
No. 15 UC SANTA BARBARA 3, No. 10 SAN JOSE STATE 10
The Gauchos' evening matchup with the Spartans provided both a good test and an opportunity to change their fortunes, and Santa Barbara kept right with San Jose through the first seven minutes, Dragovic scoring again as the scores stayed low, tied at 1-1. But with a minute left in the first quarter, things started to get out of hand for the Gauchos. The Spartans scored the next five goals of the game, while Santa Barbara did not find the net again until the third quarter, when Brock Zamanian scored with two minutes left in the period. And that goal failed to start a comeback, as San Jose State rattled off four more unanswered scores before Landon Lassahn could get the Gauchos back on the scoresheet.
 
UP NEXT
Santa Barbara will look to make the most of a favorable matchup against La Verne on Saturday morning before taking on No. 2 USC Saturday afternoon. Start times are set for 10:40 a.m. against the Leopards and 2:40 p.m. against the Trojans from Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla.