Nov. 19, 2016

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Junior Cory Laidig scored two goals with five steals to lead top-seeded and eighth-ranked UC Davis to a 5-4 win over fourth-seeded Cal Baptist in the semifinal round of the Western Water Polo Association men's championship at Sullivan Aquatics Center Saturday.

The Aggies improve to 22-5 for the year, tying their school record for wins. The Lancers, ranked a program-best 15th nationally, slip to 21-10 overall. UC Davis never trailed in the contest, but allowed CBU to equalize midway through the second quarter. Senior captain Tennyson May, freshman center Eric Martel and sophomore utility Sasa Antunovic also had goals for the Aggies. Four different Lancer players scored one goal each. The Aggies forged a 3-1 lead after the first quarter, with May drawing first blood in the opening minutes, then Martel answering a Jonathan Lotero equalizer at 4:20. Laidig finished the frame with his 6-on-5 conversion. However, UC Davis went scoreless for almost five full minutes, while Thomas Henline and Daniel Laverne scored for CBU at the 6:44 and 4:02 marks, respectively. Antunovic then broke the tie with his power-play goal with 3:36 to go on the half, boosting UC Davis to a 4-3 halftime lead. Laidig converted an assist from Marcus Anderson just past the five-minute mark of the third to stretch the Aggie margin back to two, only to have CBU sophomore Tanner Shore answer on the other end, bringing the score to 5-4. UC Davis had several opportunities to stretch its lead in the second half, including a five-meter penalty shot at the 2:12 mark in the third. However, Lancer senior Joseph Moorman came up with the save. Likewise, the Aggie defense clamped down on CBU down the stretch, holding off two power-play chances. Junior goalie Spencer Creed had four saves and a steal in the final quarter while Laidig came up with two timely thefts to keep the Lancers off the board. UC Davis will face the winner of the Loyola Marymount-UC San Diego semifinal at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The WWPA champion earns the NCAA Championship automatic qualifier. The Aggies last won the conference title in 1996 and 1997.

(4) Cal Bapist (21-10)	1	2	1	0	-	4
(1) UC Davis (22-5)	3	1	1	0	-	5

GOALS - CBU: Jonathan Lotero 1, Thomas Henline 1, Royce Daniel Laverne 1, Tanner Shore 1. UC DAVIS: Cory Laidig 2, Tennyson May 1, Eric Martel 1, Sasa Antunovic 1.