BERKELEY, Calif. — Stefan Venne and
Connor Norton each netted a pair of goals in a rematch with No. 2 USC to start the day, while
Aleix Aznar Beltran finished with a hat trick to go along with
Logan Anderson's four assists in a nailbiter with No. 5 UC Santa Barbara, to lead the No. 7 UC Davis men's water polo team on day two of the MPSF Invitational hosted by California on Saturday at the Spieker Aquatics Complex.
The Aggies fell to 8-4 overall on the year and will face No. 6 Long Beach State in the seventh-place match on Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m.
In its second meeting against the Trojans in the span of a week, UC Davis battled back from an early deficit to tie the match at four apiece late in the second, but a goal by USC with seven seconds remaining gave the Trojans a 5-4 advantage.
The Aggies made it a two-goal contest at the end of three, using goals by
Hal Goulter and Norton to make it a 9-7 contest with eight minutes to play, but the Trojans outscored UC Davis, 4-1, in the final quarter to inch away.
Beltran,
Nir Gross, and
Holden Neach, found the back of the net for the Aggies, while Anderson racked up a pair of assists. Goalkeeper
Aaron Wilson finished with four steals, while
Aaron Voggenthaler added three more to lead the UC Davis defensive effort.
That match preceded a nailbiter with the Gauchos that came down to the last possession, with UC Santa Barbara scoring the go-ahead goal with 43 seconds remaining in a 12-11 victory.
UCSB grabbed a 6-5 lead at the break and both teams went back-and-forth the rest of the afternoon, with neither team leading by more than two. Back-to-back scored by
Spencer Towill and Aznar Beltran, gave the Aggies a 10-9 lead, but the Gauchos answered with two straight of their own to regain the lead at 11-10.
Gross responded with his second goal of the year at the 1:29 mark to tie the match back up at 11-all, and the Aggies had a chance to take the lead after a Wilson save, but the shot wide out of a timeout, giving UCSB another shot. UC Davis was whistled for an exclusion on the next trip down the course and Tommy Hawkins did not miss for the Gauchos, scoring the eventual game-winner.
Anderson's ensuing attempt on the Aggies' next possession was then stuffed by UC Santa Barbara goalkeeper Connor Macdonald, giving the Gauchos the win.
NCAA MEN'S WATER POLO
#2 USC 13, #7 UC DAVIS 8
Spieker Aquatic Complex • Berkeley, Calif.
UCD — 1-3-3-1—8
USC – 3-2-4-4–13
USC GOALS: Hannes Daube 2, Chris Sturtevant 2, Jake Ehrhardt1, Jacob Mercep 3, Marcus Longton 1, Max Miller 2, Wyatt Barker 2
UC DAVIS GOALS: Aleix Aznar Beltran 1,
Nir Gross 1,
Stefan Venne 2,
Connor Norton 2,
Holden Neach 1,
Hal Goulter 1
UC DAVIS SAVES: Aaron Wilson (32:00) 3
#5 UC SANTA BARBARA 12, #7 UC DAVIS 11
Spieker Aquatic Complex • Berkeley, Calif.
UCD — 3-2-3-3–11
UCSB – 1-5-3-3—12
UCSB GOALS: Ryan Brosnan 1, Cole Brosnan 7, Sam Nangle 2, Tommy Hawkins 1, Dash McFarland 1
UC DAVIS GOALS: Spencer Towill 1,
Aleix Aznar Beltran 3,
Nir Gross 2,
Michael Plastino 2,
Connor Norton 1,
Hal Goulter 2
UC DAVIS SAVES: Aaron Wilson (32:00) 8
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.
Ranked annually in the nation's top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis and its innovative Aggie EVO System helps student-athletes develop passions, connect with a comprehensive network of alums and industry leaders, gain real-world experience and thrive as a young professional following a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school.
