Oct. 2, 2011
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Despite four goals from junior attacker Russell Hampton, No. 9 UC Davis was unable to complete a fourth-quarter comeback against No. 12 UC San Diego, falling by a final of 11-10 in the 10th-place game of the SoCal Invitational men's water polo tournament. The Aggies dispatched No. 14 Princeton, 11-7, to advance to the contest with the Tritons.
UC Davis moves to 16-5 overall and falls to 10-1 in Western Water Polo Association play.
Hampton scored two goals in the final quarter, helping the Aggies reduce an 11-8 deficit at the 7:02 mark. The Aggies had taken a 6-5 lead on Hank Dickey's goal with 55 seconds remaining in the first half, but UCSD freshman Matthew Michalko netted the equalizer on the next possession to bring the contest to a 6-6 halftime deadlock and spark a run of three unanswered.
Senior Walter Eggert and redshirt freshman Chris Richardson each scored goals in the third, both times bringing the Aggies to within a goal. But the Tritons maintained their lead for the remainder of the half, extending it to three when senior Graham Saber completed his hat trick early in the fourth.
Richardson scored two goals against UCSD in support of Hampton's four.
In Sunday morning's win over Princeton, senior center Aaron Salit posted three goals and senior goalkeeper Kevin Peat tallied 14 saves to lead UC Davis to the four-goal win. Redshirt freshman Trevor Allen added two goals: the first as which highlighted a run of five straight during the second and third frames.
Salit's third goal came as part of a 3-0 start to the fourth quarter, extending UC Davis' lead to its apex of seven. The Tigers scored three straight down the stretch to bring the score to its final of 11-7.
2011 SOCAL INVITATIONAL WATER POLO TOURNAMENT, DAY TWO
Long Beach State Campus Pool • October 2
UC Davis games only.
| #14 Princeton | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | - | 7 |
| #9 UC Davis | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | - | 11 |
GOALS - Princeton: Thomas Nelson 2, Kurt Buchbinder 2, Matt Weber 2, A.J. Galainena 1. UC Davis: Aaron Salit 3, Trevor Allen 2, Walter Eggert 1, Anders MacCarthy 1, Luke Collins 1, Russell Hampton 1, Chris Richardson 1, Bernie Rogers 1.
GOALIE SAVES - Princeton: Ben Dearborn 4 (16:00), Tyler Amina 1 (16:00). UC Davis: Kevin Peat 14 (32:00).
| #12 UC San Diego | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | - | 11 |
| #9 UC Davis | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | 10 |
GOALS - UCSD: Graham Saber 3, Josh Stiling 2, David Higginson 1, Lukas Syka 1, Brian Donohoue 1, John Butler 1, William Brown 1, Matt Michalko 1. UC Davis: Russell Hampton 4, Chris Richardson 2, Luke Collins 1, Aaron Salit 1, Hank Dickey 1, Walter Eggert 1.
GOALIE SAVES - UCSD: David Morton 8 (32:00). UC Davis: Kevin Peat 6 (32:00).
