LA JOLLA, Calif. — The No. 9 UC Davis men's water polo team opened the 2019 campaign with a resounding 22-5 win over Chapman, then almost pulled off the upset of the day, taking No. 5-ranked Long Beach State to double overtime before falling, 13-12, to complete day one of competition at the Triton Invitational on Saturday in La Jolla, Calif.

Finishing with a split, the Aggies will now get an early season look at reigning Western Water Polo Association champion and rival UC San Diego to open day two, facing off against the Tritons at 9:20 a.m. at Triton Pool on the UCSD campus.

The winner then plays the winner of No. 14 Loyola Marymount and No. 7 Pepperdine at 1:50 p.m., with the losers matching-up at the same time at Canyonview Pool.

No 9-ranked UC San Diego defeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 12-2, in its tournament opener before dropping a 5-4 heartbreaker to No. 13 UC Irvine later in the day.

The afternoon clash pitted a pair of top-10 programs against one another and the match up did not disappoint. Senior Holden Tamblyn, just 28 seconds into the contest, and senior Yurii Hanley staked the Aggies to the early lead against Long Beach State, and UC Davis extended its lead to 4-0 with the first two goals of the second quarter as junior Jack Stafford and sophomore Nir Gross scored 22 seconds apart for the 4-0 advantage.

Long Beach State broke up the shutout with a pair of goals midway through the period, but the Aggies' defense held strong, carrying a 4-2 advantage into the break.

Senior Max Somple's only score of the day was the difference in the third, giving UC Davis the 7-6 advantage heading into the final period, as Gross added two more scores, but Long Beach State proved up to the task in the fourth, taking a two-goal lead with 1:38 remaining in regulation.

Undaunted, UC Davis rallied to tie the match and force overtime on Gross' fourth of the day with 1:33 remaining and the tying score from junior Kyle Reilly with 57 seconds to play.

Reilly's second score of the day was a big one, tying things up once again with 1:40 remaining in the first overtime, before a flurry of scoring in the second three-minute overtime decided the contest. Long Beach State's Jonathan Wong put his team ahead 54 seconds in before Gross' final tally of the day evened things up 18 seconds later.

The final dagger came off the hand of Matt Morris, who scored with 1:20 to play, and Long Beach State held strong, fighting off a pair of 6-on-5 opportunities for UC Davis to close out the game.

In the opener, 11 different Aggies found the back of the net in the rout of the Panthers, led by four goals from Reilly, and hat tricks from both sophomore Ian Ambidge and Stafford. The Aggies scored five of the first six goals of the match and led 9-2 at the break, before scoring seven times in the third and shutting Chapman out, 6-0, in the fourth en route to the win, scoring the final eight goals of the game.

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 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
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.