Box Score Score: UC Davis 16, Cal Baptist 17
Location: Stanford, Calif. (Avery Aquatics Center)
Records: UC Davis 8-6, Cal Baptist 11-3

STANFORD, Calif. — Thomas Kiesling led the way with six goals for UC Davis men's water polo in the 13th place game against California Baptist on Sunday, Sept. 20. The Aggies went toe-to-toe with the Lancers but ultimately fell 16-17.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• A minute into the first quarter, Kiesling set the tone with his first goal of the day before Timothy Kerr followed him up less than a minute later.
• The Lancers responded with three straight goals to take a lead before Ned Ginoti tied it up at three.
• With one minute remaining, Max Prokhin responded to another CBU goal, leading this matchup to stay tied at four apiece after one.
• On the first possession of the second, Austin Quick scored his first of the weekend to give the Aggies another lead.
• Back and forth both clubs continued into halftime. After Quick's goal, the Lancers responded with a score. Kiesling and Lucas Ruano went back-to-back moments later for a two point advantage, but Cal Baptist again had a response, tying the contest at seven.
• With just a second remaining in the first half, Kiesling secured the hat trick with his third goal, leading the Aggies to an 8-7 lead.
• Coming back out for second half action, Kiesling added number four onto his tally off a penalty shot.
• Prokhin also stacked another goal on his total, giving Davis its biggest lead of the day at 10-7.
• This lead would be short lived however, as a 3-0 run put the Lancers right back in it.
• With 46 seconds left in the third, Oleg Shatskikh went to the back of the net to give his club an 11-10 lead heading into the final period.
• Another goal by Quick and Shatskikh pushed the Aggie lead back up two to open the fourth quarter.
• Two more from Kiesling and the first by Gabe Bensen would make up the rest of the Davis scoring, but seven total by the Lancers would make the difference in the final period, as they would go on to win 17-16.

UP NEXT: With the Invitational wrapped up, UC Davis returns home on Sunday, Sept. 27 for a match against Stanford at 12:00 pm PT. All of the action will be streamed live on ESPN+.

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: 

UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked #1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as #1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27. 

For more information, visit https://ucdavisaggies.com/.