LOS ANGELES — Sophomore
Nir Gross posted his ninth hat trick of the season, finishing with three goals, while senior teammates
Yurii Hanley and
Holden Tamblyn each posted four points on the day, helping lift the No. 11 UC Davis men's water polo team to a 12-9 victory over No. 12 Loyola Marymount on Thursday afternoon at the Burns Aquatic Center in Los Angeles.
The win improves the Aggies 12-7 overall and an unblemished 6-0 mark in Western Water Polo Association play, winning for the third time this season against the Lions and setting up a showdown with reigning conference champion and No. 10-ranked UC San Diego on Saturday (Nov. 9) at Noon. The winner of that game will be the top seed for the WWPA Championships on Nov. 22-24 at California Baptist in Riverside, Calif.
Led by three goals from Blazo Mitrovic, Loyola Marymount fell to 12-10 overall and 5-2 in conference play, becoming the fifth straight opponent to be held to single digits in the scoring column by the UC Davis defense.
The Aggies led 6-4 at the break and was up one at the half, 7-6, before LMU rallied to tie things up at eight apiece with three minutes to play in the third quarter. Neither team would find the back of the cage for the remainder of the period as UC Davis shut the door with a big fourth quarter.
Joseph Shaw broke the deadlock for the Lions with his only goal of the match at the 5:40 mark to give the home team a 9-8 advantage, but that would be the last time the Lions would lead. Thirteen seconds later, Hanley scored his second of the match to tie the game and Gross gave the Aggies the lead for good on the powerplay a minute later for the 10-9 lead.
Sophomore
Spencer Towill added a goal with just over two minutes remaining and Tamblyn capped the scoring with 30 seconds to play with his second of the day for the final 12-9 advantage.
The UC Davis defense shined in the fourth quarter as goalkeeper
Jonah Addington made five of his 10 saves — the 12th time he has finished in double figures in that category — in the final eight minutes and the Aggies forced four turnovers in the period.
Junior
Jack Stafford joined Gross with a three-point game as eight different UC Davis players found the back of the cage on the day. The Aggies out-shot the Lions, 33-22, for the contest and held LMU to 0-for-6 on 6-on-5 opportunities.
With his three goals, Gross — who has a hat trick in seven of the team's last nine contests — now has 82 for his career, placing him just four shy of Chris Richardson (2011-14) for fifth place on the school's career list.
#11 UC DAVIS 12, #12 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 9
UCD — 6-1-1-4 — 12
LMU — 4-2-2-1 — 9
UC DAVIS GOALS: Nir Gross 3,
Yurii Hanley 2,
Holden Tamblyn 2,
Keenan Anderson 1,
George Kuesis 1,
Spencer Towill 1,
Jack Stafford 1,
Max Somple 1
LMU GOALS: Blazo Mitrovic 3, Alexandros Athymaritis 2, Joseph Shaw 1, David Carrasco 1, Matthew Knoedler 1, Daniel Roth 1
SAVES: Jonah Addington (UCD) - 10; Zach Zemliak (LMU) - 13
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.
