Sept. 29, 2007

DAVIS, Calif. -

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Senior driver Nick Arrigo scored on a fadeaway lob with 25 seconds remaining to lift ninth-ranked UC Davis to a 7-6 win over Santa Clara in a Western Water Polo Association men's game at Schaal Aquatics Center Saturday afternoon. Arrigo's goal capped a comeback run from a 6-3 deficit early in the second half.

The Aggies improve to 11-4 overall, 10-0 against WWPA opponents. The Broncos, among the teams receiving votes in the National Collegiate Top 20, fall to 8-7 for the year.

Arrigo was one of three UC Davis players with two goals. Senior Joseph Smith shot 2-for-5 in the game, while senior defender Matt MacLachlan was 2-for-3 with a man-up goal. For Santa Clara, Liam Farrell scored a pair of goals on five attempts.

In the respective nets, Bronco goalkeeper Robert Callahan recorded 12 saves, including five in the first quarter. Aggie senior Mike McGee had seven saves, three of which came down the stretch of the fourth quarter during his team's comeback effort.

Both teams fought to a defensive struggle in the first half, combining for just five goals on 27 total shots. McGee assisted MacLachlan on a long outlet pass at the midway point in the second quarter to put the Aggies up by a 2-1 margin, then freshman Cory Lyle assisted Smith's cross-cage goal at 2:22 to bump the lead to 3-1. SCU junior Josh Early sent a mid-range attempt into the high right corner of the cage in the final seconds of the half, cutting the UC Davis lead to 3-2 at the break.

Santa Clara outshot its host by an 8-2 edge in the third period, piling on three goals to take a 5-3 lead. Defender Tommy Kelly hit an outside shot early in the third period to tie the game at 3-3, then Stephen Hobbs and Farrell won 2-meter battles at the 4:46 and 1:09 marks to put the Broncos ahead heading into the fourth. Andrew Fitch then scored on a bar-in attempt along the right post to extend the lead to 6-3, completing a run of five unanswered SCU goals.

Arrigo snapped the UC Davis scoreless drought on a counterattack at the 6:09 mark in the fourth, cutting the Broncos lead to 6-4. McGee picked off a steal down low then sent a long assist to Smith for another counter, moving the Aggies within one score at 3:14.

On another key counterattack, hole setter Adam Lindsay drew an exclusion against junior driver Tommy Hendrickson with less than two minutes remaining. MacLachlan scored on a long 6-on-5 shot from beyond the former 7-meter mark to equalize the game with 1:42 on the game clock.

McGee posted big saves against Kelly and Early in the final minute, then Arrigo hit his game-winner on his team's penultimate possession. He elevated over the Bronco defense, then put a well-placed finesse shot just out of reach of Callahan's fingers for the game-winner. Hendrickson had one last chance to tie the game for SCU but McGee collected the save then raised his fist in victory.

UC Davis returns to action at Pacific on October 5.

GOALS - SCU: Liam Farrell 2, Josh Early 1, Tommy Kelly 1, Stephen Hobbs 1, Andrew Fitch 1. UC Davis: Joseph Smith 2, Matt MacLachlan 2, Nick Arrigo 2, Danny Driscoll 1.

GOALIE SAVES - SCU: Robert Callahan 12 (32:00). UC Davis: Mike McGee 7 (32:00).