CLOVIS, Calif. -- Senior utility
Ido Goldschmidt scored a team-leading three goals while senior attacker
Marcus Anderson added a goal and three assists, but No. 8 UC Davis could not completely erase a five-goal deficit in the fourth quarter, ultimately losing to No. 10 UC San Diego, 11-10, in the Western Water Polo Association title game Sunday afternoon at Clovis Olympic Swim Complex.
The Aggies, seeded second in the tourney, end their season with an 18-8 record. The top-seeded Tritons improve to 19-5 in claiming their 19th conference championship and their first since 2015. UC Davis won the previous two crowns in 2016 and 2017.
Goldschmidt and goalkeeper
R.J. Quigley were subsequently announced on the WWPA All-Tournament first team while another senior, utility
Riley Venne, earned a spot on the second team. Junior
Yurii Hanley supplied another two goals for UC Davis, with
Kyle Reilly,
Nir Gross and
Keenan Anderson also adding a goal apiece.
UC San Diego was led by a pair of fourth-year juniors: goalkeeper Jack Turner tallied 15 saves en route to tournament MVP honor while utility Kacper Langiewicz netted a game-high four goals.
The Tritons never trailed in the contest, although the Aggies did manage to equalize on two occasions in the second quarter. After a 30-second timeout, Hanley converted
Jack Stafford assist on a power play out of two-meters to make it 4-4 with 3:38 to go. Then after Langiewicz sent a shot into an open net to put UCSD back on top at the 1:20 mark, Gross drew an exclusion then scored the ensuing 6-on-5 goal thanks to a
Marcus Anderson entry, evening the tally at 5-5.
However, on the next trip down, Alessandro Valania scored an extra-man goal with 21 ticks left in the half, sending the Tritons back up by a 6-5 margin at halftime. Turner had three saves in the final 70 seconds before the break. UCSD scored two more goals early in the third to take an 8-5 lead, then later enjoyed another 3-0 run to craft a 11-6 advantage with 6:39 in the fourth.
The Aggies scored four straight down the stretch to cut into the lead. Reilly walked up and buried a perimeter shot with 6:13 left, then Stafford got a friendly bounce for UC Davis' eighth goal at 4:25 to make it 11-8. Quigley had three of his four saves down that stretch to keep the Tritons at bay, but time ultimately ran out for the Aggies. Turner stopped three shots of his own in the final two minutes, and UCSD surrendered goals by each Anderson brother despite its efforts to kill the clock. By the time Marcus assisted Keenan on the final goal, only 20 seconds remained in the contest.
Sunday's game marks the career final for six UC Davis seniors: Goldschmidt, Quigley, Venne,
Marcus Anderson,
Colter Knight and
Nick Coufal. Goldschmidt finishes his career with 212 career goals, second in the program's modern era (since 1993). The older Anderson ends up with 137 career goals, just ahead of Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Famer Pat Foster for eighth on the school list. Sunday's game also marked the fifth time UC Davis has reached the WWPA title game in the six-year career of Child & Meisel Families Director of Men's Water Polo
Daniel Leyson, who now has a career Aggie record of 111-58.
| No. 8 UC Davis (18-8) |
1 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
- |
10 |
| No. 10 UC San Diego (19-5) |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
- |
11 |
GOALS - UC DAVIS:
Ido Goldschmidt 3,
Yurii Hanley 2,
Nir Gross 1,
Kyle Reilly 1,
Marcus Anderson 1,
Keenan Anderson 1. UCSD: Kacper Langiewicz 4, Cooper Milton 2, Jack Ranj 2, Connor Turnbow-Lindenstadt 1, Alessandra Valania 1, Cooper Milton 1.
GOALIE SAVES - UC DAVIS:
R.J. Quigley 3 (32:00). UCSD: Jack Turner 15 (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.
