Oct. 31, 2016

DAVIS, Calif. - While the singular week of the 2016 UC Davis men's water polo season remains three weeks away in the form of the Western Water Polo Association championship, the second-most crucial slot on the calendar has arrived. No. 20 Loyola Marymount visits Schaal Aquatics Center on Thursday night, then No. 15 UC San Diego takes on the No. 8 Aggies on Saturday afternoon.

Even head coach Daniel Leyson, who otherwise points his student-athlete's focus on whatever game is directly in front of them, acknowledges the importance of this week. "It's always out there on the horizon, always somewhere on our minds. Now it's come to the front of our minds, so we're looking forward to it." Of the last 25 WWPA championships, all but two titles have gone to one of those three teams. UC Davis captured the crowns in 1996 and 1997. UC San Diego has 13 titles, including each of the last three. LMU won eight championships in the 10-year span from 2001 to 2010. (The odd team out is Air Force, which took down the WWPA in 1994 and 2012.) The Aggies and Tritons are tied for first place in the WWPA standings with matching 4-0 records. The Lions are in third at 3-1, with their lone conference loss coming at UCSD back on September 21. "These are two of the perennial favorites in the conference, two of the strongest opponents. They're going to bring their best again us, and they've had time to prepare for us. We're up for a big challenge," said Leyson. UC Davis comes off its biggest win of the year and one of the most sizable in program history. The Aggies clipped Pepperdine, which shares the No. 8 position in last week's national poll. Sophomores Marcus Anderson and Ido Goldschmidt each scored two goals in the 10-9 victory, while junior goalie Spencer Creed protected the cage to the tune of 11 saves and three steals. UC Davis battled back from a deficit three times, including a 6-4 margin midway through the second half. Freshman Yurii Hanley and junior Cory Laidig came up with huge defensive plays in the second half, setting the stage for Goldschmidt's game-winner with 2:45 left in the fourth quarter. A key for Leyson is to use that victory as a propellant for the upcoming weekend. After all, beating a program like Pepperdine for the second time in three meetings both rewards and reinforces the hours and hours spent in training. It also builds the confidence that supports a team's mental age when taking on a tough foe. At the same time, that confidence-building is not without its hazards, says the veteran coach. "We always have to remember the things we need to do in order to be the team we want to be," Leyson said. "Gaining confidence then forgetting, or becoming overconfident is a huge mistake. We will not be overconfident. "We're a blue-collar team with a lot of stuff we want to work on in order to play the kind of game we want. We can't think about it. We just have to hope that all of these experiences are giving us confidence, more belief in the system, and more belief in each other. That's all we can ask for." LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (10-13, 3-1) comes off what both Leyson and Lions head coach John Loughran described as a "complete game," defeating No. 14 Cal Baptist, 10-6, in a Senior Day conference game on Saturday. Sophomore center and South Africa Junior National Team alumnus Dayne Jagga led LMU with three goals, pushing his career total across the century mark. He ranks second in the WWPA with 56 total goals, while his 2.43 goals per game leads the league. "They tend to play better as the season goes on, so I expect they will be at their best against us," said Leyson. "They have a dominant center and a lot of other guys around him who can put the ball away. Everybody will bring their best game against us, so we'll need to be ready." UC SAN DIEGO (12-6, 4-0) also hosted its Senior Day, capturing a 7-6 victory over No. 19 UC Irvine on Sunday. Freshman Cooper Milton and sophomore Cole Martinez each scored two goals, with Milton hitting the game-winner midway through the fourth. This followed a dominating 21-7 win over provisional WWPA member Concordia, during which Jack Ellinthorpe and Andy Moore led 12 Triton scorers with four goals apiece. UC San Diego's last loss was a solid October 12 showing at then-No. 6 Long Beach State, while a two-goal battle with No. 6 UC Santa Barbara back on September 17 also serves as a reminder of the team's 'A' game. To Leyson, UCSD holds a minimal space in his team's collective consciousness, as Thursday's battle with LMU remains the focus. Any thoughts about the Tritons will not take place until Thursday evening, moments after the game clock expires. "The way the schedule goes, we have to think about LMU first," he said. "We'll deal with whatever comes Friday then make some adjustments for UC San Diego on Saturday. "We try not to worry too much about who we're playing but rather how we're playing. We've done that all through the season," said Leyson. Thursday's game begins at 7 p.m. while Saturday's contest takes place at noon. Saturday's game will feature live stats via The FOSH at www.thefosh.net/livestats.php?gameid=2182. Live video streams will be available at the UC Davis men's water polo YouTube channel. Check back at www.ucdavisaggies.com for direct links later in the week. SKIP SHOTS: Through Saturday's win over Pepperdine, UC Davis has scored 306 goals while allowing 177 for a favorable scoring margin of 5.61 per game... This is by far the best differential in the recorded history of the program (1993-present)... The 2011 team scored 370 with 254 allowed in 34 games (+3.41), which surpassed the 2007 squad's favorable margin of 282-200 in 29 games (+2.83).With a 19-4 overall record, the Aggies look to crack the 20-win milestone for the first time since 2011 and just the fourth time in school history... Even Hall of Famer Jerry Hinsdale never achieved that feat during his tenure from 1961 to 1988, reaching 19 victories in 1970... A win this week would mark UC Davis' fastest to 20: the 2007 team reached it in the 26th game, while the 2011 Aggies got there in the 27th... The 2007 and 2011 teams both won a school-record 22 games.ATOP THE CONFERENCE RACE: With UC Davis and UCSD each at 4-0, and LMU right behind at 3-1, those three teams own 11 of the 16 possible WWPA wins... Claiming the top spot in the regular-season race has considerable value: the seven-team WWPA championship tournament grants a Friday bye to the No. 1 seed... Additionally, the tournament bracket gets reseeded each day, meaning the No. 1 team will always face the lowest advancing seed throughout the weekend... LMU went 7-6 in the month of October, but all six losses were either settled by a single goal or decided in overtime... In fact, the Lions are 2-7 in one-goal games, for the most such contests in the WWPA... In comparison, UCSD has had only two one-goal games: wins vs. LMU (Sept. 21) and UC Irvine (Oct. 23)... UC Davis had three in the opening weekend, plus another at The Rodeo tournament two weekends ago for a 3-1 overall record.