DAVIS, Calif. - Senior utility Chris Richardson scored nine total goals while sophomore Lyle Kipp posted his second hat trick of the season in highlighting No. 10 UC Davis in Sunday's portion of the Aggie Shootout collegiate men's water polo tournament at Schaal Aquatics Center. The Aggies eked out a 12-10 win over Chapman in their morning contest, then pulled away late for a 16-12 victory against No. 19 Whittier in the tournament finale.

With a 4-0 record at the tournament, UC Davis evens its season record to 7-7.

Junior Sean Grab led the Aggies with four goals against Chapman, with Richardson adding three more. Richardson then piled up six goals with four assists in the nightcap with the Poets while Kipp netted all three of his goals in the fourth quarter. Senior center Teddy Nicholson scored two goals in each end of Sunday's doubleheader.

Despite converting each of its 6-on-5 opportunities before halftime, UC Davis chased the Panthers for the entire first two quarters. Richardson converted a power play and hit a five-meter penalty shot in the first quarter, then completed his hat trick on a counterattack to begin the second, but the Aggies fell behind by a two-goal margin on two separate occasions in the first half. Goals by Grab and freshman Talon Gay gave UC Davis its first lead with 5:25 to go in the third period, but that advantage lasted a scant 30 seconds -- Chapman senior Chase Middlesworth hit a skip shot at the 4:55 mark to tie the contest for sixth time.

Grab restored the lead when he converted an assist from Spencer Galli with 2:24 to go, but the Panthers equalized yet again with Middlesworth's fourth goal in the final seconds of the third frame. UC Davis regained the lead early in the fourth with a Nicholson goal out of two meters, then added an insurance goal when Galli advanced a pass to sophomore Jacob Ley in front of the Chapman cage. Both Kipp and freshman goalkeeper Spencer Creed blocked shots down the stretch to protect that two-goal margin.

Middlesworth led the Panthers with four goals but fouled out in the fourth quarter when he was excluded at the 4:46 and 4:00 marks. For its part, Chapman proved to be the surprise performer of Sunday's action, later battling to within a three-goal margin against No. 3 California before the Golden Bears could break loose in the final five minutes.

In contrast to the Aggies' comeback run in the opener, they held the lead throughout the win over Whittier despite numerous threats in the second and third frames. Galli scored a goal from two meters then assisted Michael Wright on a 6-on-5 goal during a 3-0 UC Davis start. Senior center Goran Mataic scored twice to put the Poets within reach later in the first quarter, with a Massimiliano Mirarchi bar-in goal cutting the Aggie lead to 5-4 with nine seconds left in the period.

The two teams continued to trade goals through the second, with a Richardson fast-break goal setting the board at 8-6 with 2:10 left in the half. UC Davis managed to pad its advantage to three goals in the third quarter, the first time when Richardson's no-look pass assisted Gay for a goal at 6:10 in the third. Nicholson and Richardson also had third-quarter goals that put the differential at three, but Whittier hung tight: a rebound and putback by senior attacker Kyle Catino narrowed the gap to 11-9 to close the third.

Catino struck again early in the fourth to pull the Poets within two before Kipp's three goals helped the Aggies pull away for good. He scored his first from long range to beat the shot clock at 4:16. Kipp took a free-throw from Nicholson near the two-minute mark and sent a missile past Whittier goalie Christopher Ibarra for his second. He completed his hat trick -- his first since the season-opening weekend -- on a power play with 1:21 remaining to set the board at 16-12.

The win over Whittier marked the Aggies' third against a Top 20 team this season, and ended a 4-0 performance in its home-opening weekend. UC Davis returns to action on Sunday, Oct. 5 with a home tilt against Stanford.

2014 AGGIE SHOOTOUT, DAY 2
Schaal Aquatics Center • UC Davis games only.

GOALS - CU: Chase Middlesworth 4, Mark Alvarado 2, Dor Apffel 1, Drew Moyer 1, Jake Gross 1, Garrett Aanestad 1. UC DAVIS: Sean Grab 4, Chris Richardson 3, Teddy Nicholson 2, Wes Lincoln 1, Talon Gay 1, Jacob Ley 1.

GOALIE SAVES - CU: Brody Zachary 6 (24:00), Stephen Neil 2 (8:00). UC Davis: Spencer Creed 5 (32:00).

GOALS - WC: Massimiliano Mirarchi 5, Kyle Catino 3, Goran Mataic 2, Justin Pratt 1, Wedge Molthen 1. UC DAVIS: Chris Richardson 6, Lyle Kipp 3, Teddy Nicholson 2, Spencer Galli 1, Cory Laidig 1, Austin Beckwith 1, Michael Wright 1, Talon Gay 1.

GOALIE SAVES - WC: Christopher Ibarra 6 (32:00). UC Davis: Spencer Creed 8 (32:00).