Score (Game 1): UC Davis 17, Harvard 13
Score (Game 2): UC Davis 17, UC Merced 6
Score (Game 3): UC Davis 24, American River College 3
Location: Davis, Calif. (Schaal Aquatics Center)
Records: UC Davis 7-2, Harvard 2-5, UC Merced 0-3, American River College 2-4
DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men's water polo wrapped up the 2026 Aggie Roundup with a trio of wins. The Aggies opened the day with a victory over No. 18 Harvard, followed by an 11-point win against UC Merced, before ending the day with a 24-3 win over American River College.
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1)
- The Aggies set the tone early against Harvard, with Lucas Wulfhorst and Thomas Kiesling going back-to-back in the first two minutes of the first period.
- Crimson scores were met with responses by Oleg Shatskikh and Timothy Kerr before a buzzer beater put them within one, 4-3, at the end of the quarter.
- Wulfhorst secured a hat trick in the second quarter, getting the first two goals of the period.
- Ned Ginoti and Austin Quick followed him up with their first of the game. Harvard would tack on two more before the end of the half, with Davis leading 8-5.
- Coming back into the pool for the second half, both teams put on an offensive showcase with nine total goals.
- Davis led the way with two more from Wulfhorst to put his total up to five on the contest, being flanked by Quick, Shatskikh, and Andonis Petroutsas to give their team a 13-9 advantage heading into the fourth.
- Kiesling and Oriol Viñas opened the fourth with scores before Wulfhorst was unleashed once again with a pair of scores. His seven goals tied him for the second most in a single game in program history.
- Harvard would attempt a late comeback with four goals, but the Aggies would claim a 17-13 victory in a Top 20 matchup.
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2)
- Davis continued its momentum from the first game in the opening period against Merced, outsourcing the Bobcats 4-1 on goals from Wulfhorst, Viñas, and Gabe Bensen.
- The offensive landslide continued with seven in the second. Wulfhorst grabbed another hat trick while Cameron Hellar, Cassius Wolf, Jaden Joemtree, and Max Prokhin each had their first of the day.
- Matthew King from UC Merced would be the lone scorer in the second quarter, with Davis leading 11-2 after the first half.
- As Bensen and Wolf set the tone with scores to start the second half, Merced would go back-to-back-to-back in the final three minutes to outscore the home team 3-2 in the third. The Aggies would enter the fourth up 13-5.
- Petroutsas, Prokhin, Quick, and Shatskikh would be the Aggie scorers in the final quarter of action, putting the finishing touches on a 17-6 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 3)
- Over the first 23 and a half minutes of action against American River College, Davis would score the game's first 12 goals.
- Andrew Bonelli and Lyle Weitz would find the back of the net for their first of the day, but the Beavers would tack one on with 13 seconds left in the half, giving the Aggies a 12-1 lead.
- The offensive onslaught continued into the second half, with Wolf and Hellar finding two goals each while Jacob Carrera would get on the board at the end of the third quarter.
- With two minutes left in the fourth, Lucas Ruano became the 16th Aggie to score on the day.
- Ginoti scored the last goal for Davis, putting a 24-3 victory on ice and securing a sweep of the day for Davis.
UP NEXT: The Aggies stay home on Sunday, Sept. 13 when they welcome Cal back to Schaal Aquatics Center at 12:00 pm PT. The match 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/.
