Sept. 10, 2011
Senior utility Ryan Hagens totaled four goals with four steals and four drawn kickouts to lead 11th-ranked UC Davis to a pair of Western Water Polo Association wins at the Inland Empire Classic tournament at Redlands Saturday. The Aggies came back to beat Whittier, 15-7, in the day's early game, then beat the host Bulldogs by a 17-5 final in afternoon action.
UC Davis improves to 3-2 for the season.
The Aggies fell behind by a 4-2 deficit early on against Whittier but managed to tie the game at 4-4 by the halftime break. UC Davis piled on 11 goals after intermission to run away with the win. Senior Aaron Salit scored four goals in the contest, while Hagens, Colin Hicks and Matt Vowell each added two.
As a team, UC Davis logged 18 assists, including five by goalkeeper Kevin Peat. Hicks nabbed four steals and Luke Collins, Bernie Rogers and Jared Clapham each had two against the Poets. Remarkably, the Aggies scored 15 goals without a single 6-on-5 opportunity.
True to his role as a utility, Hagens enjoyed a strong overall game against the host Bulldogs. He had two 6-on-5 goals, an assist, two more steals and four drawn kickouts. Russell Hampton led UC Davis offensively with four goals while freshman Chris Richardson recorded his first collegiate hat trick.
Once again, the Aggies did much of their damage defensively, getting 12 steals from their field players. Peat had a steal of his own to go with 10 saves, helping UC Davis shut down Redlands after halftime. The Aggies held a 9-5 lead at the break but scored eight unanswered in the second half to finish up the win.
UC Davis faces WWPA members La Verne and Pomona-Pitzer in Sunday's portion of the tournament. Both games will take place at La Verne.
INLAND EMPIRE CLASSIC (Redlands, Calif.)
UC Davis games only.
| UC Davis | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | - | 15 |
| Whittier | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | - | 7 |
GOALS - UC Davis: Aaron Salit 4, Ryan Hagens 2, Colin Hicks 2, Matt Vowell 2, Anders MacCarthy 1, Kevin Meisel 1, Chris Richardson 1, Michael Millstein 1. WC: not available.
GOALIE SAVES - UC Davis: Kevin Peat 7 (32:00). WC: not available.
| UC Davis (3-2, 2-0) | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | - | 17 |
| Redlands | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | 5 |
GOALS - UC Davis: Russell Hampton 4, Chris Richardson 3, Aaron Salit 2, Ryan Hagens 2, Bernie Rogers 1, Anders MacCarthy 1, Jared Clapham 1, Stuart Dooley 1, Colin Hicks 1, Michael Wright 1. RU: not available.
GOALIE SAVES - UC Davis: Kevin Peat 10 (32:00). RU: not available.
