USAFA, Colo. - Sophomore goalkeeper Spencer Creed posted 11 saves while five Aggies scored one goal each, but No. 9 UC Davis came up short in a defensive battle with No. 16 UC San Diego, dropping the Western Water Polo Association championship game by a 6-5 final at Cadet Natatorium Sunday afternoon.

Junior Jacob Ley, senior Sean Grab, freshman Ido Goldschmidt, freshman Sasa Antunovic and redshirt freshman Brock Gordon each netted a goal for UC Davis. Junior driver Nick Alexander scored two power-play goals and two five-meter penalty shots to lead UC San Diego. Redshirt freshman Jack Turner posted nine saves for the Tritons, including two in the final 15 seconds to preserve the one-goal margin.

UC San Diego never trailed in the contest although UC Davis managed to equalize twice in the second quarter. Alexander converted 6-on-5 opportunities on his team's first and last possessions of the first quarter to give the Tritons a 2-0 lead. The Aggies broke the scoreless spell when Ley redirected a Nick Coufal pass into the cage from set, while Creed came up with three saves to hold UCSD at two goal.

Sophomore Cory Laidig assisted Grab at the X1 post to tie the game at 2-2 with 2:01 left in the half, but the Tritons regained the lead when Cockerill hit a power-play goal as the exclusion expired with 12 ticks remaining before the break. Goldschmidt tied the contest at 3-3 in the final seconds of the first half. He drew an ordinary foul more than six meters out along the right flank, turned and buried his free throw past Turner's reach into the cage.

Center Tyler Mancuso figured on two straight goals for UCSD to start the third. He drew a five-meter foul at 6:50, setting up Alexander's penalty shot. Mancuso later turned an entry pass from Andy Moore into a quick two-meter blast into the net, extending the Triton lead to 5-3.

With 2:26 left in the third, UC Davis reduced the deficit to a single goal when junior Lyle Kipp assisted Antunovic on another 6-on-5 goal, setting the board at 5-4. The Aggies suffered an unfortunate break in the final minute of the frame: Antunovic was called for an exclusion in the backcourt, allowing the Tritons a power play in transition. While the WWPA Freshman of the Year was on his way to the exclusion area, he was struck by a UCSD outlet pass along the right side of the pool. Antunovic was charged with a five-meter foul, sending Alexander to the five-meter line for a penalty shot. Creed blocked the attempt, but the ball caromed to the goalie's right and crawled across the plane of the goal. The Tritons went to the fourth with that 6-4 lead.

Brock Gordon scored the only goal by either team in the fourth, finding a shooting lane on a 6-on-5 chance with 6:37 remaining in the contest. The finale proved to be a battle of the two goalkeepers. Creed had four saves in the quarter, including a stop with 26 remaining that gave UC Davis one final chance to force overtime. Ley fired from two meters with 15 seconds left and Goldschmidt put a skip shot on frame in the final seconds, but the 6-foot-7 Turner got a hand on each to protect the win.

After the championship, Goldschmidt and Creed were announced to the WWPA All-Tournament first team while Grab made the second team.

Sunday's final marked the second time in head coach Daniel Leyson's three years at UC Davis that the Aggies have advanced to the WWPA title game. Goldschmidt finished the year as the team's leading scorer with 50 goals while Grab tallied 44. Grab finishes his two-year UC Davis career with 108 goals.

The Aggies had last captured the conference title in back-to-back years in 1996 and 1997.

GOALS - UCSD: Nick Alexander 4, Chase Cockerill 1, Tyler Mancuso 1. UC Davis: Jacob Ley 1, Sean Grab 1, Ido Goldschmidt 1, Sasa Antunovic 1, Brock Gordon 1.

GOALIE SAVES - UCSD: Jack Turner 9. UC Davis: Spencer Creed 11.