BERKELEY, Calif. — For the second time in a week, the UC Davis men's water polo team was able to come out on the right side of a sudden victory as senior
Spencer Towill scored just 49 seconds into the decisive period, lifting the No. 7 Aggies to a 13-12 non-conference triumph over Western Water Polo Association rival UC San Diego to open the 2021 MPSF Invitational on Friday afternoon at the Legends Aquatic Center in Berkeley, Calif.
The win pushed UC Davis' record to 8-2 overall on the year and advances the Aggies to face top-seeded and No. 2-ranked USC in a rematch of their battle at last weekend's Aggie Roundup on Saturday (Sept. 25) at 8 a.m. at the Spieker Aquatic Complex.
Towill's goal — his second of the match — came after both teams quickly found the net midway through the first overtime period, but neither was able to dent the back of the cage in the second overtime.
UC San Diego won the opening sprint to start sudden victory, but the Tritons had their first attempt to win it sail wide. That set the stage for Towill, who buried the goal with 2:11 remaining to clinch the victory.
With the clock ticking down in regulation, UC Davis was able to grab a 10-9 lead with 4:05 remaining on a goal by
Aleix Aznar Beltran, but UCSD quickly tied things back up after goalkeeper
Aaron Wilson made the save, but the Tritons' Miles Wilson put it home moments later with 3:22 to go.
Both teams had shot attempts stopped on their respective next possessions, and each team followed that up with a turnover to keep the score knotted at 10. The Aggies had a
Michael Plastino shot sail wide and the Tritons were whistled for a ball under, giving possession back to UC Davis with 1:04 remaining.
Out of timeout, the UC San Diego defense was able to knock down a
Ben Fleming shot attempt on the Aggies final possession, but the Tritons were unable to get off a shot out of a timeout with 21 seconds remaining, turning the ball over on a bad pass to end regulation.
UCSD was the first to strike in the first overtime, scoring on a 5-meter penalty with 1:54 to play, but
Logan Anderson answered right back 26 seconds later, scoring off a feed from
Max Stryker to tie it at 11-all. Following a turnover, Fleming put the Aggies in front at the 1:07 mark, but the Tritons knotted things up once again 14 seconds later and UC Davis survived a late flurry as Fleming knocked down a shot and Wilson denied UCSD on back-to-back attempts before the horn, forcing sudden victory.
Fleming finished with a hat trick on eight shots to lead the Aggies, while Anderson, Towill, and Aznar Beltran, added two goals apiece.
Nir Gross,
Connor Norton,
Holden Neach, and
Hal Goulter, also found the back of the net for UC Davis, while Stryker finished with three assists to lead the team.
In the cage, Wilson went the distance, finishing with nine saves in 41 minutes while facing a barrage of 32 Triton shot attempts. The Aggies managed out-shoot UCSD, 43-32, for the match.
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