Nov. 20, 2010
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Four Aggies scored two goals each and junior Kevin Peat tallied nine saves to lead 12th-ranked and second-seeded UC Davis to a 10-6 victory over 11th-ranked and third-seeded UC San Diego in the semifinal round of the Western Water Polo Association tournament at Santa Clara's Sullivan Aquatics Center Saturday.
The Aggies improve to 18-9 and will face Loyola Marymount in Sunday's championship game. The Lions have won the WWPA title in seven of the past nine seasons.
Sophomore Colin Hicks, junior Aaron Salit and seniors Matt Richardson and Carlos Martinez each netted two goals for UC Davis. Senior attacker Cory Lyle and junior utility Ryan Hagens accounted for the balance of the Aggie offense.
Junior driver Graham Saber posted a hat trick for UCSD.
The Tritons took an early 2-1 lead when Saber converted a 6-on-5 opportunity with two minutes remaining in the first period. However, Richardson immediately tied the game on the next possession, then UC Davis scored three unanswered through six minutes in the second quarter to craft a 5-2 lead. The Aggies held a 5-3 edge at the break.
Senior driver Ryan Allred scored the first goal after halftime to close the gap to a single goal. The Tritons had three straight extra-man chances in the third period but the Aggies' five-man defense protected the cage. Richardson hit his second goal in the final minute of the third and Salit connected early in the fourth to extend the UC Davis advantange to 7-4. The Tritons never approached any closer than that three-goal margin.
Loyola Marymount defeated Santa Clara, 11-4, in the opposite semifinal on Saturday. The Aggies and Lions will square off in the conference title game at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. The winner earns the WWPA's automatic qualifier to the National Collegiate Championship, hosted by California in December.
2010 WESTERN WATER POLO ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIP - SEMIFINAL
Sullivan Aquatics Center, Santa Clara University
| #11 UC San Diego (13-12) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | 6 |
| #12 UC Davis (18-9) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | - | 10 |
GOALS - UCSD: Graham Saber 3, John Butler 2, Ryan Allred 1. UC Davis: Aaron Salit 2, Matt Richardson 2, Carlos Martinez 2, Colin Hicks 2, Cory Lyle 1, Ryan Hagens 1.
GOALIE SAVES - UCSD: David Morton 8 (32:00). UC Davis: Kevin Peat 9 (32:00)
