DAVIS, Calif. — The No. 7 UC Davis men's water polo team fought hard, but ultimately fell to No. 1 Stanford, 12-7, Sunday afternoon at Schaal Aquatics Center on UC Davis campus.
 
"We got to learn how to play against teams like that," head coach Daniel Leyson said. "They put a ton of pressure on us in all facets of the game. We did have some good moments."
 
The Aggies dropped to 3-2 at home and 8-5 overall on the season.
 
Redshirt sophomore utility Tyler Mrkaich scored a team-leading four goals in the contest, tallying his first career goal and hat trick as an Aggie.
 
"I think it's great," Leyson said. "Tyler has experienced a lot of personal growth this season, so I'm happy he was able to do that today. We've known he could do it for a long time."
 
Redshirt senior attacker Levi Murtaugh, senior attacker Connor Norton, and junior utility Holden Neach rounded out the rest of scoring for the Aggies in the hard-fought effort.
 
The first frame saw the defenses step up with the Cardinal taking a 2-1 lead through eight minutes. Redshirt junior goalie Aaron Wilson, who recorded 11 saves on the day, made two remarkable stops in the frame to keep the Aggies within reach.
 
Stanford put the pedal to the metal in the second quarter, scoring four times while not allowing any UC Davis tallies, ultimately shifting the momentum in favor of the visitors at the end of the first half.
 
UC Davis would not go away quietly. Mrkaich scored three times in the third quarter, cutting into Stanford's lead. The Cardinal would eventually level the scoring for the frame to make the score 10-5.
 
The Aggies and Cardinal exchanged a pair of goals in the fourth quarter and despite a late rally by the Aggies, the Stanford defense held on for a 12-7 win.
 
UC Davis hits the road for their next match, facing Air Force at the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Oct. 8.