DAVIS, Calif. — Redshirt sophomore utility Will Nomura and redshirt freshman center Andrew Hitchcock scored their first hat tricks of the season, lifting the No. 6 UC Davis men's water polo team over No. 10 San Jose State, 13-8, in a thrilling home opener at the Schaal Aquatics Center on campus on Sunday.
 
"It was really exciting to have our first home game," head coach Daniel Leyson said. "We overcame some nerves once we settled into the game. I think we got stronger as the game went on. All the hard work we've been doing showed, especially in the second half. Overall, it was a great team effort with lots of contributions from different people.
 
The win pushed UC Davis' record to 4-1 overall on the year while the San Jose State dropped to 1-2.
 
A five-goal third period and key saves by redshirt junior Aaron Wilson, who made 14 saves in the afternoon, propelled the Aggies to their second consecutive win and first home victory of the 2022 campaign.
 
In a back-and-forth start to the match, UC Davis and San Jose State traded a pair of goals in the opening period. It looked as if the score would be knotted at five going into halftime, however a power-play buzzer-beater by junior utility Aleix Aznar Beltran gave the Aggies a 6-5 lead and some energy, too.
 
The floodgates opened for the Aggies in the third period, featuring a pair of tallies from redshirt junior attacker Logan Anderson as well as goals from Hitchcock, Nomura, and freshman center Brody Crouch to extend UC Davis' lead to 11-7.
 
Wilson made a couple big saves in the fourth quarter that ultimately shut the door on the Spartan offense. Two more goals by the Aggies sealed the deal as UC Davis secured the victory by a final score of 13-8.
 
UC Davis returns to action on Friday, Sept. 16 at 12 pm PT when they host Cal Baptist for the start of the 2022 Aggie Roundup over the course of the weekend.