DAVIS, CA – Despite a stellar 19 saves from goalkeeper Chelsom, the UC Davis men’s water polo team suffered defeats against Stanford and San Jose State during the aggie Round Up on Saturday, September 13. Stanford won the first game 12-6, while San Jose State took the second 11-7.
The Aggies faced a tough challenge against a strong Stanford team, falling behind early and unable to close the gap. In the second contest against San Jose State, UC Davis battled back and forth, but ultimately conceded the lead in the third quarter and couldn’t recover. These early-season matchups provide valuable experience as the Aggies prepare for a challenging schedule, including a road game against California on Saturday, Sept. 13 and a home exhibition against Pacific on Sunday, Sept. 14.
GAME 1 vs. Stanford
Stanford controlled the first half, building a 4-2 lead by halftime. The Cardinal extended their advantage in the third quarter with a 4-0 run, before a late goal from Colin Nicholls brought the score to 8-3. Stanford continued to dominate, adding three more goals, before ned Ginoti scored his first of the day, followed by Max prokhin’s first collegiate goal, making it 11-5.Stanford scored once more, but Ginoti beat the buzzer for his second goal, finalizing the score at 12-6.
GAME 2 vs. San Jose State
The second game saw a quick start from UC Davis, with Shatskikh scoring just 15 seconds into the contest. The game remained competitive, with Timothy Kerr and Adam ting also finding the back of the net, giving the Aggies a 3-2 lead after the first quarter. Goals from Oriol Viñas and Prokhin continued the scoring in the second, but San Jose State responded to tie the game 6-6 at halftime.
San Jose State took the lead in the third with three consecutive goals, before Kerr scored to make it 9-7. Despite strong defensive play in the fourth quarter, the Aggies were unable to overcome two quick scores from San Jose State, resulting in an 11-7 defeat.
