RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Junior
Jack Stafford finished with a hat trick as part of a four-point day — including the eventual game-winning goal with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter — and the top-seeded UC Davis men's water polo team outscored host and No. 4-seeded California Baptist by a 9-2 count in the second half en route to a 14-9 victory over the Lancers and a berth in the Western Water Polo Association championship game on Saturday afternoon at the Lancer Aquatics Center in Riverside, Calif.
The Aggies won their eighth consecutive contest in improving to 15-7 overall, reaching the WWPA title tilt for the fifth consecutive season. UC Davis faces either No. 2 UC San Diego or No. 6 Santa Clara for the league crown on Sunday (Nov. 24) at Noon.
California Baptist fell to 16-15 overall and will meet the loser of the Tritons-Broncos match for third place on Sunday at 10 a.m.
Trailing by as many as three goals in the first half, and down a pair, 7-5, at the break, UC Davis roared back in the third to tie the match thanks to goals from
Holden Tamblyn and
Nir Gross in the first 70 seconds to make it 7-7.
The Lancers answered with goals by Christian Britton and Logan Mena over a two-minute span to rebuild their lead back to two, but those would be the final scores of the day for California Baptist, which was shutout for the final 12:29 of the second half on Saturday.
Stafford got one of the goals back on the powerplay 30 seconds later and
George Kuesis added the tying score 39 seconds later before UC Davis scored on the counterattack following a save by
Jonah Addington. Stafford then put home his second of the day for the 10-9 advantage and the Aggies never looked back.
Addington, who finished with 10 stops on the day, then came up with saves on shots by Britton and Angel Sanchez as UC Davis entered the fourth with a one-goal advantage.
A tug-of-war ensued to start the fourth as both teams went back and forth forcing turnovers before the Aggies began to inch away. Stafford finished off the hat trick with a goal at the 4:30 mark and
Ian Ambidge converted after a shot clock violation by the Lancers for the 12-9 lead.
Keenan Anderson scored off an offensive foul by California Baptist and brother
Logan Anderson turned a turnover into a score at the 1:13 mark to cap the scoring.
After shooting just .263 (5-for-19) in the first half, UC Davis finished the day shooting 9-for-15 (.600) in the second half combined, ending the match shooting .412 for the game.
Addington, meanwhile, made seven of his 10 stops in the second half as the Aggies' defense limited the Lancers to just 2-for-14 (.143) shooting in the second half, forcing five turnovers and drawing three offensive fouls in the final two periods.
#10 UC DAVIS 14, #17 CALIFORNIA BAPTIST 9
CBU — 3-4-2-0 — 9
UCD — 2-3-5-4 — 14
UC DAVIS GOALS: Jack Stafford 3,
Nir Gross 2,
Kyle Reilly 2,
Keenan Anderson 1,
George Kuesis 1,
Eric Martel 1,
Spencer Towill 1,
Ian Ambidge 1,
Holden Tamblyn 1,
Logan Anderson 1
CBU GOALS: PJ McDonough 3, Kyle Christian 1, Kyle Johnson 1, Logan Mena 1, Christian Britton 1, Joseph Galgani 1, Riley Bumgardner 1
SAVES: Jonah Addington (UCD) - 10; Gabe Thorne (CBU) - 12
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.
