Oct. 6, 2001
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's water polo team was unable to overcome a first-half scoring drought as No. 20 UC Davis defeated the Broncos 10-7 this morning at the Leavey Poll. With the loss, the Santa Clara falls to 5-6 on the season while the Aggies improve to 3-5.
The Broncos outshot UCD 30-12, but saw seven of its shots hit the crossbar or posts. Additionally, Aggie goalkeeper Travis Engelman posted 13 saves on the morning.
For both squads, many first-quarter shots were hitting the crossbar, but UC Davis was able to notch a score when Peter Conlon converted a penalty throw midway through the quarter. The Aggies went on to win the match during a six-goal outburst in the second quarter, with three scores by Kevin Robertson. The Broncos were unable to convert two power play situations and could not stop the Aggie fastbreak.
A different Bronco team came out in the second half, with freshman Nick Takahashi putting the home squad on the board with three goals, including one from seven meters. Takahashi's fourth shot of the period was stopped by the Aggie goalkeeper but not contained. Unfortunately, sophomore Logan Gee's putback didn't cross the goal line before the buzzer sounded.
The Broncos continued their rally with junior Dan Figoni scoring just 13 seconds into the final quarter, on a putback from a shot by senior Jay Moorhead. UC Davis answered for a 9-4 edge. The Aggies spread out their offense, but steals by sophomores Kenny Flanagan and Logan Gee allowed the Broncos to score goals by Figoni, Moorhead and senior Dan O'Connell to shrink the lead to two. With 14 seconds remaining on the clock, Aggie Tim Rogers secured the final margin of victory.
We had a communication breakdown in the second quarter," Santa Clara head coach Steve Hanson said. "But it was the tale of two halves. The second half showed us we can play with these top teams. We just need to adjust our mindset and open every match playing hard, instead of waiting until we're forced to rally."
The Broncos head south and will face UC Santa Cruz tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.
No. 20 UC Davis def. Santa Clara 10-7
Scoring 1 2 3 4 - F
UC Davis 1 6 1 2 - 10
Santa Clara 0 0 3 4 - 7
UC Davis Goals: Kevin Robertson (3), Brook Rogers (2), George Dingeldein (2), Brian Combs, Tim Rogers, Peter Conlon
Santa Clara Goals: Nick Takahashi (3), Dan Figoni (2), Jay Moorhead, Dan O'Connell