Nov. 2, 2014 DAVIS, Calif. - Junior Sean Grab scored four goals while freshman goalkeeper Spencer Creed tallied 11 saves to lead 14th-ranked UC Davis to a 12-7 win over 18th-ranked Loyola Marymount in Western Water Polo Association action at Schaal Aquatics Center Sunday morning.
The Aggies improve to 13-15 overall and even their conference record to 2-2. The Lions slip to 6-15 for the year, also moving to 2-2 in WWPA play.
Grab scored three of his four goals in the fourth to help UC Davis pull away from what had been a close battle throughout. Creed has seven saves in the third, including three against LMU power-play attempts. Kipp's two goals came on 6-on-5 chances in the third, the second of which helped the Aggies climb to a 9-6 lead with 2:12 left. Richardson scored in each of the first two quarters.
For LMU, junior attacker Emanuel Di Stasio scored two goals before fouling out of the game midway through the third period. Five other Lion players had one goal each.
The first half was marked by numerous exclusions: 11 total in the first quarter, nine in the second. Grab and Richardson broke UC Davis to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of man-up goals in the first two minutes. LMU junior Vuk Cvetkovic quickly put his team on the board with a 6-on-5 goal, then UC Davis failed to convert on three extra-man chances, including a 6-on-4 opportunity. The Aggies then extended their lead at the 1:25 mark when Grab assisted Nicholson at two meters on yet another power play.
DiStasio cut the margin back to one in the final minute of the first quarter, then Milutin Mitrovic scored the game's first natural goal to start the second, tying the contest at 3-3. Aggie center Teddy Nicholson posted a steal at two meters to set the stage for a Shawn Welch goal less than a minute later, but a five-meter foul against UC Davis set up Di Stasio's penalty shot at 5:59, again tying the game.
The Aggies regained the lead when sophomore Max Vigeant scored on a fourth-chance attempt against goalkeeper Dominick Beaudine, who had three of his 10 total saves on one long UC Davis possession. Richardson's second goal, again on a 6-on-5 chance, extended the lead to 6-4, but Jon Beck halved the margin back to one with his goal a minute later. The Aggies managed one more shot after the ensuing restart but Beaudine made his sixth save of the frame to hold the halftime score at 6-5.
Kipp played a major role in the Aggie offense during the third, assisting Michael Wright with an "alley-oop" play while scoring two extra-man goals of his own. The second of his two goals set UC Davis to a 9-6 lead, and LMU never challenged to within less than two goals the rest of the way.
Grab netted three goals in the final quarter while freshman Cory Laidig had two steals and a field block to highlight the Aggies' defensive effort, which held the Lions scoreless in the frame.
UC Davis returns to action for a non-conference game against UCLA on Sunday, November 9. The team will honor its seniors Richardson, Nicholson and Wright.
| No. 18 LMU (6-15, 2-2) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | 7 |
| No. 14 UC Davis (13-15, 2-2) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | 12 |
GOALS - LMU: Emanuel DiStasio 2, Vuk Cvetkovic 1, Milutin Mitrovic 1, Jon Beck 1, Matt Cuozzo 1, Liam Jennis 1. UC Davis: Sean Grab 4, Chris Richardson 2, Lyle Kipp 2, Teddy Nicholson 1, Max Vigeant 1, Shawn Welch 1, Michael Wright 1.
GOALIE SAVES - LMU: Dominick Beaudine 10 (32:00). UC Davis: Spencer Creed 11 (32:00).
11.02.14 Scoresheet
