UC Davis Athletics

Score: UC Davis 13, Santa Clara 8
Location: Santa Clara, Calif. (Sullivan Aquatic Center)
Records: UC Davis 9-7 (1-0), Santa Clara 8-7 (0-1)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Hat tricks from Lucas Wulfhorst and Oleg Shatskikh opened the West Coast Conference era for UC Davis men's water polo, giving the team a 13-8 conference opening win over Santa Clara on Friday, Oct. 9.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

• As Santa Clara got on the board to begin the match, Wulfhorst took the Aggies first WCC conference goal on a penalty shot two minutes in.
• After a counterattack from the Broncos, Wulfhorst's second generated a 3-0 run through the middle part of the first, with scores by Shatskikh and Thomas Kiesling following the freshman.
• Santa Clara came back within one with 30 seconds remaining, but Cassius Wolf beat the quarter clock with his first score, with Davis ending the period up 5-3.
• The second goal from Shatskikh opened quarter number two, extending the road team's lead to three.
• But the Broncos wouldn't back down quietly, evening up the score over the last seven minutes of the half.
• Tied at six as both teams jumped back in the pool, the Aggies flipped the script, shutting out their opponent in the third while tacking on four goals.
• Austin Quick, Thomas Marr, Oriol Viñas, and Gabe Bensen all got on the board for Davis, with Bensen's goal coming with one second left in the quarter.
• Up 10-6 heading to the fourth quarter, Wulfhorst and Shatskikh each secured their hat-tricks, while Quick added on his second goal off a tip pass from Kiesling.
• Two scores from Santa Clara's Charlie Engs wasn't enough for the Broncos, who saw the Aggies go on to win 13-8 and start their first WCC campaign 1-0.

UP NEXT: Davis will wrap up the weekend with a matchup against San Jose State on Sunday, Oct. 11. The game against the Spartans will be at 12:00 pm PT with all of the action streaming on ESPN+.

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.