DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men's water polo will battle for the top spot in the Big West Conference on Saturday, Nov. 8, when they take on Long Beach State at 12:00 p.m. PT.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Nov. 8  — vs. #9 Long Beach State | Live Stats | @ucdavismwp (X/Instagram)

GAME NOTES

• Last Time Out: The Aggies are 12-11 on the season and 3-1 in The Big West. The team dropped its first conference game on Saturday, losing 13-16 against UC Santa Barbara before bouncing back in the final home game of the season on Sunday, beating UC Merced 21-5.
• Top Goal Scorers: Five goals from former Big West All-Freshman nominee Thomas Kiesling on Saturday extended his lead at the top of the Aggie scoring list, now up to 59 goals on the season. This mark has also put Kiesling in a four-way tie for first in the conference in scoring. Close behind him with 62 points is Oleg Shatskikh. The team's leader in assists is captain Timothy Kerr, who has 30 assists, pacing the team and is good for fifth in the Big West.
• The goalkeepers: With 188 saves and 37 steals, primary goalkeeper Baxter Chelsom has been solid for the Aggies in his first year as the starter in net. In Saturday's matchup against the Tritons, he willed his team to the win with a season-high 17 saves. Getting his first start of the year against Merced on Sunday, Brady Simon had a good day with seven saves and a .583 save percentage in an Aggie win.
• 2024 Recap: UC Davis went 10-14 and finished their season with a Big West Semifinals defeat to UC San Diego.
• 2025 Poll: The Aggies were picked fourth in the Big West preseason coaches' poll, receiving 13 points.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

• Long Beach State is 14-8 on the season with a perfect 4-0 record in conference play. The team is coming off of a 13-12 win over then #15 UC Irvine on Thursday, Oct. 30.
• Gabi Acosta is the offensive leader for the Beach with 59 goals, tying him for the best mark in the Big West.
• Goalkeeping duties have been split between William Whitstone and Joe Jenness throughout the season. Whitstone leads all goalkeepers with 104 saves and a .402 save percentage.
• The Aggies and Beach last played each other at the MPSF Invite on Sept. 20, with UC Davis pulling out a 15-11 win. The winner of Saturday's game will secure the top spot in the conference and earn an automatic bye in the Big West Championships two weeks from now.

SEASON NOTES

• This season marks year 13 for UC Davis head man Daniel Leyson.
• Leyson's coaching staff features the return of assistants Nick Alden and Joey Frantz. Alden, a 4th-year coach out of Southern Oregon, works as the primary operations and recruiting coach. Frantz, who returns for his sixth season, acts as the goalkeepers' coach.
• The roster blends a strong returning core of players, including Thomas Kiesling, Andrew Hitchcock, Brody Crouch, William Fosselman, and Adam Ting.
• Additionally, the team has built a strong 2025 recruiting class, with 10 players coming out of places such as Spain, Croatia, and Canada. The new players include Mateo Ruano, Oriol Viñas, Luka Palavra, Jacob Carrera, Jaden Joemtree, Lyle Weitz, Max Prokhin, Oliver Wilmink, William McKeon, and Cassius Wolf.
• With UC Davis making the move to the West Coast Conference in 2026, this year marks its last in the Big West.