DAVIS, Calif. -- Senior goalkeeper
R.J. Quigley posted 13 saves, including one against a five-meter penalty shot, and added two steals and an assist to lead 10th-ranked UC Davis to a 12-7 upset of No. 7 Pacific in non-conference men's water polo action at Schaal Aquatics Center Sunday.
The Aggies improve to 16-7 for the year. The Tigers even their overall record to 11-11. Sunday's game also served as the home regular-season finale for six UC Davis senior student-athletes: Quigley,
Colter Knight,
Nick Coufal,
Ido Goldschmidt,
Marcus Anderson and
Riley Venne.
The contest also marked UC Davis' first win over Pacific since November 13, 2009, a streak of 11 straight series losses that includes last year's NCAA quarterfinal battle.
"This feels good. We've had close games with Pacific. They are an outstanding program and their coach does a great job. To beat them, you really have to do something special," said
Daniel Leyson, the Aggies' Child & Meisel Families Director of Men's Water Polo.
Venne, Goldschmidt and freshman center
Nir Gross each scored two goals, with six other Aggies each adding one. Junior
Yurii Hanley and sophomore
Jack Stafford each had three total points: Hanley with three assists, Stafford with a goal and two assists.
All seven Pacific tallies came from two players. Luke Pavilliard netted four goals to go with two assists and three steals, while Engin Ege Colak completed a hat trick.
The Aggies never trailed in the contest, scoring four unanswered in the first 12 minutes before Pavillard put the Tigers on the board with a five-meter penalty goal. Anderson made it 5-1 at the halftime break with his goal at the 0:36 mark in the second.
The two teams battled for nine goals in the third. Aggie junior
Holden Tamblyn made it 6-1 early in the frame when he buried a shot from well beyond the five-meter line. However, the Tigers closing the gap to as few as three goals on three separate occasions. Pavillard converted a 6-on-5 opportunity to bring the score to 9-6 entering the fourth.
The Aggies answered with three straight goals in the opening minutes of the fourth, including one on an unlikely shot from junior
Max Somple. Pressed way out to almost midtank with his back to the cage, Somple sent a desperation lob as the shot clock wound down. It found an open space in the high right corner, just out of reach of Tiger goalkeeper John Hodges.
Quigley also enjoyed an individual highlight reel during that fourth-quarter Aggie outburst. He blocked Luis Araya's penalty shot in the opening minute of the frame, then later stole a ball from the Tigers at two meters. Quigley then sent a long outlet pass to Venne, who completed the counterattack with 5:44 to go. Almost exactly a minute later, Somple hit his long goal.
Pavillard ended the UC Davis run in the fourth with his goal at the 4:39 mark, but the Aggies largely went into clock-management mode for the last half of the quarter, freezing the score at 12-7.
UC Davis converted all three of its power plays on goals by Stafford, Venne and Goldschmidt. Meanwhile, the Aggies successfully defended on 10 of 12 Pacific 6-on-5 chances.
The Aggies head to the Western Water Polo Association championship as the No. 2 seed. UC Davis will face Concordia in the first round of the tourney, which is hosted by Fresno Pacific at the Clovis Olympic Swim Center from Friday through Sunday.
| No. 7 Pacific (11-11) |
0 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
- |
7 |
| No. 10 UC Davis (16-7) |
2 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
- |
12 |
GOALS - PAC: Luke Pavillard 4, Engin Ege Colak 3. UC DAVIS:
Ido Goldschmidt 2,
Riley Venne 2,
Nir Gross 2,
Jack Stafford 1,
Colter Knight 1,
Eric Martel 1,
Marcus Anderson 1,
Holden Tamblyn 1,
Max Somple 1.
GOALIE SAVES - PAC: John Hedges 10 (32:00). UC DAVIS:
R.J. Quigley 13 (32:00).
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.
