Senior attacker Marcus Anderson scored five goals while senior goalkeeper R.J. Quigley posted 10 saves and four steals in three quarters in front of the cage, leading No. 9 UC Davis to a 14-8 victory over Air Force in Western Water Polo Association men's action at Schaal Aquatics Center Saturday.
The Aggies improve to 13-5 for the year and 4-0 in conference play, extending their streak of consecutive WWPA wins to 26. The Falcons slip to 6-12 overall and 2-3 in league contests.
Junior Yurii Hanley, junior Jack Stafford and sophomore Kyle Reilly added two goals apiece for UC Davis, which led 6-2 at the halftime break. Nick Coufal, Nir Gross and Matthew Whipple each tallied a goal, the latter of whom recorded his first as an Aggie.
For Air Force, Justin Harrison, Edward Smet and Henry Yavitt each scored two goals, with goalkeeper James Burke posting 11 saves and a pair of steals in net.
UC Davis continues WWPA action at Fresno Pacific on Thursday at 6 p.m.
NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS
• Marcus Anderson's five goals matches his career high, set on two previous occasions: vs. Harvard in the 2018 season opener at the Bruno Invite, and against Harvard at the 2017 Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament.
• UC Davis converted 6 of 13 power-play opportunities, while Air Force scored on one of its seven 6-on-5 chances... However, the Falcons did score on the lone five-meter penalty shot of the game.
• Anderson completed his hat trick by the 3:33 mark of the second quarter, having scored the game's first goal (at 5:39 in the first) followed by a power-play goal out of a timeout (at 5:05 in the second)... This took part in a 4-0 start for UC Davis.
• Smet, a local product from nearby Jesuit High School, netted two goals in a 4-1 Air Force run that closed a 5-1 deficit late in the second quarter to a 6-5 margin at the midpoint of the third... However, Stafford converted a Holden Tamblyn assist for an exclusion goal on the next possession, igniting a 4-1 Aggie finish for the remainder of the quarter.
• Stafford enjoyed perhaps the most complete statistical line of any player in the game: two goals, an assist, four steals and five drawn exclusions.
| Air Force (6-12, 2-3) |
0 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
- |
8 |
| No. 9 UC Davis (13-5, 4-0) |
2 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
- |
14 |
GOALS - AFA: Justin Harrison 2, Henry Yavitt 2, Edward Smet 2, Campbell Harris 1, Reagan Pittman 1. UC DAVIS: Marcus Anderson 5, Jack Stafford 2, Yurii Hanley 2, Kyle Reilly 2, Nir Gross 1, Nick Coufal 1, Matthew Whipple 1.
GOALIE SAVES - AFA: James Burke 11 (32:00). UC DAVIS: R.J. Quigley 10 (24:00), Jonah Addington 0 (8:00).
ABOUT UC DAVIS: Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO: Established in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
