Nov. 14, 2009
DAVIS, Calif. - Senior utilty Jack Wall scored four goals while junior Nicholas Poggetti added three to lead 13th-ranked Santa Clara to a 10-4 win over No. 16 UC Davis in Western Water Polo Association men's action at Schaal Aquatics Center Saturday morning.
The Aggies slip to 13-15 for the season. The Broncos move to 20-10 overall. The contest carried seeding implications for the WWPA tournament, which starts Friday.
For UC Davis, David Cooper, Ryan Hagens, Matt Richardson and Russell Hampton each scored one goal.
Mitchell Klipa addeed two goals for Santa Clara, which led 4-2 at the halftime break. Sophomore Michael Wishart posted 11 saves for the Broncos, including seven in the first half, during which he held the Aggies to just 2-for-18 shooting.
The two teams battled to a 2-2 tie in the first quarter, then Poggetti scored on a skip shot midway in the second period to take the lead. UC Davis goalkeeper Kevin Peat initially stopped the shot, but the ball crept into the cage for the go-ahead. This ignited a run of five unanswered for SCU, which scored three goals within a span of two minutes in the third period to claim a 7-2 advantage.
Richardson broke the scoreless streak with 2:23 in the third, converting an assist from Colin Hicks, then the left-handed Hampton netted a goal from the near side at the 1:45 mark. UC Davis took a timeout to run a set play with 35 seconds left in the period, hoping to cut the deficit to just two goals heading into the fourth. But Santa Clara's defense stopped the possession, preventing Anders MacCarthy and Ryan Hagens from taking any shots.
The Broncos added to their lead early in the fourth, with Poggetti converting a 6-on-5 opportunity at 5:53 and Daley Meistrell assisting Liam Farrell on a goal with under four minutes remaining. Poggetti completed his hat trick on a 5-on-5 goal less than a minute later.
UC Davis shot just 4-for-29 in the game, including 2-for-9 on extra-man chances.
The contest was delayed by an hour due to the absence of an official. The two teams agreed to play the game with a single official.
Saturday's game also marked the home finale for Aggie seniors Jim Breen, Brendan Sigourney and Dave Cooper, who were honored prior to the contest.
The Aggies resume action at the WWPA tournament, held at Chapman University from Friday through Sunday. The seedings will arrive from the conference office early next week.
