LA JOLLA, Calif. - Senior
Bernie Rogers scored 23 seconds into the sudden-victory period to lift 17th-ranked UC Davis to a 12-11 upset of No. 10 UC San Diego in a Western Water Polo Association men's thriller at Canyonview Aquatic Center Saturday afternoon.
The Aggies improve to 11-12 for the year and remain unbeaten at 3-0 in conference games.
Junior Teddy Nicholson scored four goals for UC Davis, including one in overtime. Rogers and sophomore Austin Beckwith each added two while junior Chris Richardson, junior Trevor Allen, freshman Max Vigeant and freshman Zoltan Lazar each added one. Sophomore Philip Bates recorded 10 saves in front of the Aggie cage.
Senior Joe Dietrich led UCSD with six goals, including four in the final regulation quarter. Andy Moore added two goals while junior goalie Cameron Ravanbach tallied nine saves.
UC Davis held a 3-2 lead through the first quarter and a 5-4 edge at halftime, then moved ahead to an 8-6 advantage through the third. Beckwith scored his second goal of the game two minutes into the fourth to boost the Aggies to a 9-6 lead, their largest of the contest. However, UCSD responded with four answered during the next five minutes, converting two 6-on-5 chances then hitting a five-meter penalty shot to equalize at the 1:09 mark.
After the Tritons called a timeout to set a play, Dietrich netted his sixth goal to give his team its first lead with 18 seconds left. UC Davis followed suit with a timeout play, resulting in an Allen equalizer with only nine ticks remaining in regulation. UCSD used its final break to run another set piece but could not convert, and the teams went to extra frames.
Nicholson scored the lone goal in the first overtime segment, then Luca De Vivo tied the contest at 11-11 less than a minute into the second. With just one second left in the overtime, David Higgins was called with an exclusion. The Aggies held the ball to allow the power play to carry into sudden victory; if they could win the sprint, they would maintain the 6-on-5 advantage.
UC Davis indeed controlled the sprint. Rogers hit his game-winner soon after the 20-second kickout expired.
The Aggies return home to finish the WWPA portion of their schedule at home. They host Santa Clara on Sunday then Air Force on Monday. UC Davis hosts the conference tournament on Nov. 22-24.
| #17 UC Davis | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | 12 |
| #10 UC San Diego | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 11 |
GOALS - UC Davis: Teddy Nicholson 4, Austin Beckwith 2, Bernie Rogers 2, Max Vigeant 1, Zoltan Lazar 1, Chris Richardson 1, Trevor Allen 1. UCSD: Joe Dietrich 6, Andy Moore 2, Nick Alexander 1, Chase Cockerill 1, Luca De Vivo 1.
GOALIE SAVES - UC Davis: Philip Bates 10. UCSD: Cameron Ravanbach 9.
