Score: UC Davis 16, Air Force 11
Location: Davis, Calif. (Schaal Aquatics Center)
Records: UC Davis 12-7 (4-0), Air Force 16-11 (0-3)
DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men's water polo finished up the weekend with another conference win, taking down Air Force 16-11 on Sunday, Oct. 18.
Thomas Kiesling led the way with his sixth hat trick while Oriol Viñas collected a career-high seven points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A hard fought first quarter saw the first score come two minutes in from Austin Quick, who would be followed by Kiesling for an early 2-0 lead.
- The Falcons responded to knot up the action at 2-2. With 30 seconds left in the period, Oleg Shatskikh scored to put his team up before Air Force's Tom Leggett tied things at three at the end of the quarter.
- 38 seconds into the second, Air Force took its first lead.
- Unfettered, Viñas sparked a seven goal period for the Aggies, getting two in the period to go along with scores by Kiesling, Quick, Timothy Kerr, Luka Palavra, and Lucas Wulfhorst, securing a 10-7 advantage at halftime.
- In a third quarter that saw five total exclusions and scrappy play all throughout, Davis shut out their opponent and extended the lead to six off scores by Kiesling, Palavra, and Wulfhorst.
- Two more goals by Leggett led a Falcons offense that put the team within five late.
- Viñas, Cassius Wolf, and Gabe Bensen made up the rest of the scoring for the home side, giving the team a 16-11 win and keep them undefeated in the WCC at 4-0.
UP NEXT: Davis will have one final tournament for the 2026 season when they travel to the Bay Area for the Julian Fraser Memorial on Oct. 24 & 25. Action will begin in Santa Clara against UC Merced on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 10:20 am PT.
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS:
UC Davis Athletics represents one of the nation's premier public universities on the NCAA Division I stage, with more than 650 student-athletes competing across 25 sports, including 16 programs in the Mountain West Conference. Located in California's quintessential college town, UC Davis combines championship-level athletics with the academic excellence of the nation's #8 public research university and is home to the nation's No. 1 programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine and sustainability. With a growing national media presence, bold investments in facilities and the student-athlete experience, and a tradition of developing champions in competition, in the classroom and beyond, the Aggies are elevating UC Davis on a national stage.
