IRVINE, Calif. — The UC Davis men's water polo team travels to UC Irvine to take on the ninth-ranked Anteaters at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28.

The Aggies have two games remaining this season, both Big West conference matchups that will help decide the team's seed going into the Conference Championship in mid-November. The Aggies currently lead the Big West conference standings with a 3-0 record, which includes wins over Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Fullerton.

UC Davis lost in their last time out, falling 17-12 at No. 3 Stanford on Sunday. It was the team's first loss in three weeks, snapping an eight-game winning streak that began in September. 

GAME INFORMATION
What: No. 7 UC Davis at No. 9 UC Irvine
When: 12:00 p.m.
Where: Irvine, Calif. - Anteater Aquatics Center
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: TheFOSH

ABOUT THE AGGIES
UC Davis (15-7, 3-0) sports four of the last six Big West Players of the Week, with Aleix Aznar Beltran, Logan Anderson, Max Stryker and Will Nomura taking home the weekly honor.

Beltran leads the Aggies in scoring, with 42 goals this season, while Stryker leads the team and the conference in assists with 44. 

Anderson's 23 steals leads all Aggie field players and his 34 sprints won is also best on the squad. Nomura is fourth in scoring with 34 goals, and has drawn 36 exclusions.  

Aaron Wilson was recently named to the 2024 Cutino Award Watchlist by USA Water Polo and the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches. The Watchlist is made up of the top 20 players in the country, with the award going to the best men's water polo player in the nation this season.

Wilson is second in the conference with 179 saves, and is sixth in steals with 26.

ABOUT THE ANTEATERS
UC Irvine (13-7, 2-1) enters Saturday's matchup coming off a narrow victory over No. 10 UC Santa Barbara that pushed their conference record out to 2-1, good for a second place conference standing. A loss to Long Beach State and a win over UC San Diego rounds out their Big West progress so far.

Johann Thrall leads the Anteaters in scoring this season, with 35 goals, while Gage Verdegaal leads the team in total points, 54, with 30 goals and 24 assists. Tyler Padua has racked up 22 goals and 42 drawn exclusions as their big man in the middle, while Jacob Pyle has 90 saves this season protecting the cage.

Luka Krstic won this week's Big West Player of the Week award after logging a well-rounded week with six goals, two assists, three steals and two field blocks in two games played. He is the second weekly award winner for the Anteaters so far this season, after Samuel Otta won in September.