RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Sophomore
Matthew Whipple finished with a career-high four goals, while
Jack Stafford and
Max Somple each added hat tricks on Friday morning, lifting top-seeded and No. 10-ranked UC Davis to a 21-3 victory over No. 8-seeded Fresno Pacific in the opening round of the Western Water Polo Association Tournament at the Lancer Aquatics Center in Riverside, Calif.
The Aggies won their seventh straight contest overall, improving to 14-7 overall on the year and advancing to face either No. 5-seeded Concordia or host and No. 4-seeded California Baptist in Saturday's first semifinal at 12:30 p.m.
The Sunbirds fell to 6-22 overall and will play for seventh place against the next lowest seed that did not advance on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m.
UC Davis' 21 goals are the second-highest total for the Aggies this season, trailing only the 22 scored against Chapman in the season opener, while their eight third-period goals are also a season high, surpassing the seven scored in the second against Air Force in a 16-9 victory on Sept. 28. The 18-goal margin of victory is also tied for the third-largest in school history and the largest since a 24-2 win over Fresno Pacific on Oct. 28, 2017.
Whipple, who entered the match with only three goals on the season, scored once in the second, twice in the third to complete the hat trick, and added his final score in the fourth, needing only four shots to better his season goal total.
Somple added his third hat trick of the season to go along with his season-high four goals against California Baptist (Sept. 20) and three against No. 5 California (Sept. 14), while Stafford chipped in his second hat trick of the year — his first since finishing with three goals in the opener against Chapman.
Sophomore
Michael Plastino and senior
Yurii Hanley added three assists apiece — the latter increasing his team-high total to 41 on the year. Sophomore
Nir Gross added a team-high six shot attempts, finishing with a pair of goals — one of five UC Davis players to finish with multiple scores on the day.
Defensively, junior goalkeeper
Jonah Addington finished with eight saves and a pair of steals before giving way to freshman
Duncan Creed in the fourth. Creed finished with three stops as the Aggies allowed their fewest goals since a 20-3 win over the Sunbirds on Oct. 25 of last season.
Overall, UC Davis shot 62 percent for the game, scoring on 21 of its 34 shots, while limiting Fresno Pacific to just 14 percent (3-of-22).
Kyle Reilly,
Ian Ambidge, Gross, Stafford, and Somple, staked the Aggies to a 5-1 lead after just one quarter, and extended that advantage to 9-2 at the break as Gross, Somple, Whipple, and
Stefan Venne, added scores in the second period.
UC Davis poured it on in the third as six different players found the back of the cage, including scores by
Keenan Anderson (twice),
Eric Martel, and
Seif Elmankabadi, for the 17-3 lead, and finished the match with goals by senior
Holden Tamblyn, Stafford,
George Kuesis, and Whipple.
#10 UC DAVIS 21, FRESNO PACIFIC 3
FPU — 1-1-1-0 — 3
UCD — 5-4-8-4 — 21
UC DAVIS GOALS: Matthew Whipple 4,
Jack Stafford 3,
Max Somple 3,
Keenan Anderson 2,
Nir Gross 2,
George Kuesis 1,
Kyle Reilly 1,
Eric Martel 1,
Ian Ambidge 1,
Seif Elmankabadi 1,
Stefan Venne 1,
Holden Tamblyn 1
FPU GOALS: Curtis Vidinoff 1, Uros Pelemis 1, Zach Zetz 1
SAVES: Jonah Addington (UCD) - 8,
Duncan Creed (UCD) - 3; Josh Ramage (FPU) - 5, Michael Hicks (FPU) - 2
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 Times Higher Education, and among the top 15 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
Launched 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.
MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE
Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit https://give.ucdavis.edu/ATHG/324041 for more information.
