PALO ALTO, Calif. — The No. 6 UC Davis men's water polo team wrapped up the 2022 MPSF Invite with a 9-5 victory over No. 8 UC Santa Barbara, securing a seventh-place finish in the tournament Sunday at Avery Aquatics Center.
 
"I'm proud of our effort today and of the work our team did all weekend," head coach Daniel Leyson said. "Conditions were especially adverse this morning and we showed resilience in finishing the weekend with a win."
 
The Aggies went 2-2 over the course of the weekend tournament, finishing with wins over UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara. UC Davis now sits at 5-3 at neutral sites and 8-4 overall on the season.
 
Dominant offensive heroics from senior attacker Connor Norton and a stellar defensive performance by redshirt junior goalkeeper Aaron Wilson propelled the Aggies in the victory over the Gauchos.
 
Redshirt junior Logan Anderson sparked a three-goal first period for the Aggies with a penalty-shot marker, followed by tallies from junior utility Aleix Aznar Beltran and Norton. The Aggies did not allow a goal to the Gauchos in the first eight minutes.
 
Anderson secured his second goal with another penalty shot into the corner of the net, extending the Aggies' lead to 4-0 in the second period. A short, swift 6-on-5 goal from redshirt junior central defender Aaron Voggenthaler and a long-range snipe from Norton put the UC Davis goal total to six while surrendering just a pair to the visitors in the first half.
 
Norton netted his third and fourth goals of the match in the third period, providing the only offense in the frame for the Aggies, giving UC Davis an 8-3 lead after three quarters.
 
Freshman utility William Fosselman found the back of the net in the fourth period, padding the UC Davis lead to 9-3. Wilson, who made eight saves on the day, collected a few key stops late to deny any hopes of a Gaucho comeback as the Aggies ultimately held on to a 9-5 win.
 
The Aggies return home to Schaal Aquatics Center for their next match, facing Stanford on Oct. 2 at 1 pm PT.