Sept. 28, 2008
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Senior utility Adam Bennett totalled 11 goals in four games to lead No. 15 UC Davis to a 3-1 record at the UC Santa Cruz Slugfest men's collegiate water polo tournament on Saturday and Sunday. The Aggies posted a 12-7 win over 16th-ranked Redlands and a 19-7 victory over Cal Lutheran on Saturday, then dispatched Occidental by a 14-4 final before falling to No. 13 Santa Clara in a 10-8 decision.
UC Davis moves to 6-8 for the season. All four opponents are members of the Western Water Polo Association, bringing the Aggies' conference record to 4-2.
Bennett had three goals each against Redlands, Cal Lutheran and Santa Clara, plus two in the Sunday win over Occidental. Senior Paul Wilson added two hat tricks over the weekend for a total of eight goals, while Adam Lindsay chipped in four scores in the tournament.
However, the most unusual contributor to the scoring output was sophomore goalkeeper Erik Quinn, who hit two full-tank shots in Saturday's nightcap against CLU. He hit one at the buzzer in the first quarter to give the Aggies a 4-2 lead, then scored another late in the second period when the Kingsmen goalie strayed too far from his cage during a UC Davis counterattack.
Bennett scored the first two goals of Sunday's showdown with SCU to provide the Aggies with a 3-2 lead in the first, but Bronco junior Jack Wall totalled seven scores in his team's comeback win. After Wilson's goal tied the game at 6-6 midway through the third period, Wall converted on the next possession to give SCU the lead for good. Wall added two more goals in the fourth period to extend the lead to as much as 10-7.
The Aggies take a weekend off from competition before launching a month-long homestand on October 11.
| #16 Redlands | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 7 |
| #15 UC Davis | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | 12 |
GOALS - RU: not available. UC Davis: Danny Driscoll 3, Adam Bennett 3, Paul Wilson 3, Adam Lindsay 2, Jim Breen 1.
| Cal Lutheran | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | 7 |
| #15 UC Davis | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | - | 19 |
GOALS - CLU: not available. UC Davis: Adam Bennett 3, Paul Wilson 2, Erik Quinn 2, Mattie Stone 2, Jim Breen 1, Aaron Salit 1, Cory Lyle 1, Matt Richardson 1, Danny Driscoll 1, Russell Hampton 1, Walter Eggert 1, Dave Cooper 1, Luke Collins 1, Carlos Martinez 1.
| Occidental | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 4 |
| #15 UC Davis | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | 14 |
GOALS - OXY: not available. UC Davis: Paul Wilson 3, Adam Bennett 2, Adam Lindsay 1, Walter Eggert 1, Brendan Sigourney 1, Philippe Chordas 1, Danny Driscoll 1, Luke Collins 1, Carlos Martinez 1, Jim Breen 1, Russell Hampton 1.
| #15 UC Davis | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | 8 |
| #13 Santa Clara | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | 10 |
GOALS - UC Davis: Adam Bennett 3, Walter Eggert 1, Grant Muenter 1, Cory Lyle 1, Adam Lindsay 1, Russell Hampton 1.
