Nov. 5, 2015 LA JOLLA, Calif. - Senior Sean Grab, junior Lyle Kipp and freshman Sasa Antunovic each tallied two goals to lead 10th-ranked UC Davis to a 8-7 win over 16th-ranked UC San Diego in a Western Water Polo Association thriller at Canyonview Aquatic Center Thursday night.
The Aggies improve to 16-7 overall and 5-0 in conference play. The Tritons slip to 11-12 for the season and 4-2 in WWPA action.
Senior center Wes Lincoln and freshman attacker Ido Goldschmidt also scored goals for UC Davis in a contest that featured six ties. Sophomore goalkeeper Spencer Creed notched eight saves. For UCSD, senior two-meter and UC Irvine transfer Tyler Mancuso scored a game-high three goals.
The Aggies crafted a 3-1 lead during the first five minutes of play, with Lincoln drawing first blood with his 6-on-5 goal at the 6:47 mark, Goldschmidt converting on a second chance midway through the first, and Kipp connecting on the next trip down with 2:49 remaining. However, senior two-meter Tyler Mancuso scored back-to-back goals in a run of three unanswered Triton goals to start the second frame, putting the hosts on top by a 4-3 margin.
Creed stopped a power-play attempt to hold the UCSD lead at one, then Kipp equalized on the other end with 2:47 to go in the half. The Aggies reclaimed the lead after Brock Gordon's steal led to a Grab counterattack goal at the 1:18 mark, but Triton junior Jack Ellinthorpe tied up the contest at 5-5 with 36 ticks left before the break. UC Davis had a chance to take a halftime lead with its fourth power-play opportunity, but Kipp's shot barred out. The two teams went to the break in that 5-5 deadlock.
After a scoreless battle to start the third, junior driver Nick Alexander assisted on a third goal, this time by utility Nassim Hmeidan, to restore the Triton lead to 6-5 with 4:20 to go. UC Davis drew two exclusions down the stretch, converting the second when Goldschmidt assisted fellow freshman Antunovic with 42 seconds remaining. The two teams locked up at 6-6 heading into the fourth.
Antunovic struck again for the Aggies' go-ahead with 4:45 left in the fourth, only to have Mancuso answer after the next restart, tying up the contest for a sixth time. Two minutes later, Gordon assisted Grab for a second time, propping UC Davis up to an 8-7 lead. The Aggies held up defensively for the final two minutes en route to the win.
UC Davis returns to action at Loyola Marymount on Saturday, looking to lock up an undefeated conference season plus the No. 1 seed at the WWPA Championship. First sprint at Burns Aquatic Center is at noon.
| No. 10 UC Davis (16-7, 5-0) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | 8 |
| No. 16 UC San Diego (11-12, 4-2) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 7 |
GOALS - UC Davis: Lyle Kipp 2, Sean Grab 2, Sasa Antunovic 2, Wes Lincoln 1, Ido Goldschmidt 1. UCSD: Tyler Mancuso 3, Jack Ellinthorpe 2, Cole Martinez 1, Nassim Hmeidan 1.
GOALIE SAVES - UC Davis: Spencer Creed 8 (32:00). UCSD: Jack Turner 9 (32:00).
