DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men's water polo returns to Northern California for a pair of matchups this weekend. The team begins the weekend in Santa Clara on Saturday, Sept. 27, against the Broncos at 1:00 p.m. PT. They will then return to Schaal Aquatics Center to take on the No. 3-ranked USC Trojans on Sunday, Sept. 28, at 12:00 p.m. PT.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Sept. 27  — vs. #16 Santa Clara | Watch Live | Live Stats | @ucdavismwp (X/Instagram)
Sept. 28  — vs. #3 USC | Live Stats | @ucdavismwp (X/Instagram)

GAME NOTES

• Last Time Out: UC Davis is 5-6 on the season after claiming sixth place in last weekend's Overnght MPSF Invitational.
• Top Goal Scorers: Seven goals in three matches for Thomas Kiesling last weekend keeps him in the lead for Aggie goal scorers this season. His 20 goals and five assists on the year also give him the top spot in total points with 25. With nine goals last weekend, Oleg Shatskikh ranks in second place with 18 total goals through 11 games.
• Best in The (Big) West: Playing all but 16 minutes in goal this season, Baxter Chelsom has produced a fantastic season in his first year as the primary goalkeeper. With a save percentage of .446, he currently leads the Big West in save percentage while being just one of two goalies to produce 100 or more saves in the league.
• 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

• Santa Clara is 6-4 on the season, going 2-2 in the Overnght MPSF Invitational last weekend.
• The Broncos are led by goal scorer Riccardo De Simon, whose 32 goals rank second in the West Coast Conference.
• In goal, third-string goalkeeper Harrison Labrosse has emerged as one of the best in the conference, grabbing 84 saves to rank second in the WCC.
• The Aggies own a 27-5 record over the Broncos, with the teams facing off twice last season.
• The Trojans are 10-1 in 2025. They will play Pacific on Friday before heading to Davis for Sunday's matchup.
• Robert López Duart leads the charge for USC, leading the team with 31 goals while scoring in all 11 games for his team.
• USC leads the all-time series 25-0; both teams last faced each other last season down in Southern California.

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.