The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's water polo team traveled to Riverside, California this weekend to open their season versus NCAA opponents.

Competing in four matches across two days, the Blue gained valuable experience ahead of the start of their NCWP season opener next weekend.

Toronto opened the weekend with a hard fought 15-9 loss to Fresno Pacific University. Despite the final score, the Blues proved themselves to be effective on the powerplay converting 4-of-7 opportunities while limiting the Sunbirds to just 1-of-6. Omer Sayli led U of T with two goals, while single markers were scored by Aidan Principe, Calan Falconer, Jumpei Ro, Colin Thomas, Andrew Reed, Daniel Gonzalez Delgado, and Tate Falconer. Both Ali Sayli and Ganni Galea Curmi appeared in goal for the Blues in the opener.

Continuing Friday (Sept. 25) action from Riverside, U of T dropped an 18-8 contest to the host California Baptist University. The Lancers came out strong, building an 11-3 lead at the half. However, the Blues did show fight in the second half, once again using five powerplay goals to showcase their ability. Both Omer Sayli and Thomas had two goals, while Principe, Reed, Tate Falconer, and Sean Gripp had individual markers. Ali Sayli and Galea Curmi both played in goal again as well.

Shifting to Saturday (Sept. 26), Toronto and CBU face off again with the home side winning 20-7. A strong start for Toronto saw just a 6-4 deficit after the first quarter. The Lancers overwhelmed Toronto as the match continued though. A hat-trick from Reed and two more goals from Omer Sayli led the way. Thomas and Gonzalez Delgado each added single goals to round out the U of T scoring. The shared duty in net also continued for the Blues.

Toronto closed out the California showcase with an 18-9 loss to Cal State Fullerton. The match featured another hat-trick for Reed, as well as three more goals for Gonzalez Delgado. Karim Salem found the scoresheet with two goals, while Tate Falconer notched a single. Ali Sayli played the full 32 minutes, making nine total saves.

The Blues will return to Toronto where they will host the annual U of T Fall Classic from Oct. 2-3 inside Varsity Pool. Along with a friendly versus the Toronto Golden Jets, the Blues will also challenge fellow NCWP opponents in Western, Carleton, McMaster, and Queen's.