Sept. 20, 2010
DAVIS, Calif. - Junior center Aaron Salit scored three goals and drew a key five-meter exclusion while senior Cory Lyle also performed a hat trick, lifting 15th-ranked UC Davis to a 7-4 win over No. 19 Air Force in a men's Western Water Polo Association contest at Schaal Aquatics Center Monday afternoon.
The Aggies, playing in their home opener, improve to 9-3 overall and 8-0 against WWPA opponents. The Falcons fall to 3-8 for the year.
Salit scored his first goal on an assist from senior Matt Richardson to tie the game at 3-3 in the second period, hit a backhander from two-meters to open the third, then completed his hat trick on another backhanded missile with four minutes remaining in the fourth. Lyle hit a 6-on-5 shot from 1-spot in the second period, converted Salit's drawn penalty shot with 1:16 left in the third, then tacked on his third goal in two minutes left in the game. The five-meter penalty shot gave UC Davis the 5-4 lead heading to the final frame.
Anders MacCarthy also tallied a goal for UC Davis. He rebounded a failed 6-on-5 shot in front of the cage, then netted the putback for the game's first goal. Junior Kevin Peat tallied 11 saves for the Aggies, including one against Bobby Geiger's penalty shot in the final minutes.
For Air Force, freshman Josh Stedman scored equalizing goals in each of the first two quarters before foul trouble limited his action shortly before halftime. Matt Versage hit a penalty shot and Cruz Smithson converted an extra-man opportunity to account for the rest of the Falcon goals.
The Aggies host Santa Clara, California, American River College and Redlands during the Aggie Shootout on Saturday and Sunday.
| No. 18 Air Force (3-8) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 4 |
| No. 15 UC Davis (9-3) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 7 |
GOALS - AFA: Josh Stedman 2, Matt Versage 1, Cruz Smithson 1. UC Davis: Aaron Salit 3, Cory Lyle 3, Anders MacCarthy 1.
GOALIE SAVES - AFA: Mike Fish 9 saves, 7 goals against (32:00). UC Davis: Kevin Peat 11 saves, 4 goals against (32:00).
