IRVINE, Calif. — The UC Davis men's water polo team capped off a 4-0 weekend with a come-from-behind victory against No. 7 Long Beach State in the Big West-WCC Clash Championship match on Sunday evening at UC Irvine's Anteater Aquatics Complex.
Aaron Voggenthaler and Will Nomura turned the tide of the game late in the fourth quarter to propel the Aggies to victory. The duo went back and forth assisting the other for UC Davis' final three goals, taking the game from a 9-9 tie to a 12-9 controlled affair.
Long Beach State scored three of the game's first four goals, finishing the first quarter with a 3-1 advantage. Tyler Mrkaich led the UC Davis response, firing in back-to-back goals to even the score.
A Holden Neach hat trick helped the Aggies respond to Long Beach's steady offense and UC Davis entered the final quarter leading by a goal, 9-8.
Logan Anderson and Max Stryker combined for five assists and Colin Nicholls drew three exclusions.
Aaron Wilson was imposing in the goal, warding off two of the Beach's four penalty shots and finishing the game with 12 saves and two steals.
The Aggies narrowly defeated No. 11 UC San Diego, 13-12, in the early game.
The Tritons never led by more than one, and spent the entire second half working with a deficit after UC Davis took a two goal lead into the five-minute break.
Nomura and Aleix Aznar Beltran each scored hat tricks, while Anderson, Neach and Voggenthaler added two goals apiece.
This weekend is the end of tournament play this season. Regular conference matches begin next week, with the Aggies traveling to Long Beach for a rematch on Friday, Oct. 6 at noon.
