IRVINE, Calif. - No. 19 UC Irvine men's water polo is back at home on Friday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m., as they host No. 9 UC Davis at Anteater Aquatics Complex for their first Big West match of the season. 

ANTEATER TIDBITS
• UCI moved to 12-6 on the season after splitting their games, 1-1, at the Gary Troyer Invitational (Oct. 3).
• The 'Eaters have had two win streaks of five or more games this season.
• Wyley Dale recorded a career-high six goals against Wagner, boosting him to the 'Eaters third leading scorer.
• Jack Stevens notched a career-best five against the Seahawks, making him the sixth 'Eater to reach the 20-goal mark. 
• The 'Eaters won back-to-back Big West regular season titles in 2023 and 2024.
• The Anteaters are 9-1 in conference during that stretch, including a perfect 5-0 mark last year.
• UC Irvine's last conference loss came on Oct. 13, 2023, in a 9-11 decision against Long Beach State. 
• They also claimed the Big West Championship title and made their first NCAA appearance in 30 years in 2023.
• UCI returns nearly 80% of its scoring from a 2024 squad that netted a single-season school record 400 goals.

IN THE RANKINGS
UCI came in at No. 19 in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association rankings released on October 8. The Anteaters drop out of the top 15 for the first time this season. 

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
No. 9 UC Davis (6-9) dropped their last two matches at the SJSU Tournament heading into their Big West matchup with the 'Eaters. The Aggies fell to tournament host No. 6 San Jose State, 8-9, before dropping to No. 11 LMU, 12-16. Redshirt Sophomore Thomas Kiesling leads the Aggies with 34 goals and seven assists, followed closely by Sophomore Oleg Shatskikh with 27 goals and 13 assists. 

SERIES HISTORY
UC Irvine holds a 3-1 edge in its last four meetings with UC Davis, all of which were decided by two goals or fewer, with two requiring overtime. Their last matchup in 2024 was decided by a game-winning-goal by Johann Thrall to boost the 'Eaters over the Aggies, 12-11. The Big West rivals faced off twice in the 2023 season, with the Anteaters claiming both contests. UCI secured a 13-12 overtime thriller during the regular season and a narrow 11-10 victory in the Big West Championship semifinals. The 'Eaters most recent loss to the Aggies came in the 2022 season in a double-overtime showdown that saw UCD edge out UCI, 14-12. 

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine split their games, 1-1, at the Gary Troyer Invitational, on Oct. 3. The 'Eaters defeated Wagner, 21-10, before falling to tournament host No. 19 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 11-12. Wyley Dale netted a career-high six goals while Jack Stevens also recorded a career-best five to lead the 'Eaters over the Seahawks. Johann Thrall and Tyler Laymon each found the back of the net twice in the Anteaters loss to CMS. 

ON THE ATTACK
UC Irvine has scored 11+ goals in 16 of its 18 outings. The Anteaters' two single-digit goal games this year came against No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 USC. The 'Eaters, who are averaging 15.0 goals per contest, have six players with 20+ goals on the season. Luka Krstic leads the squad with 34 tallies on the year. Johann Thrall is UCI's second-leading scorer with 33, followed by Wyley Dale (27), Ethan Spoon (24), Jack Stevens (23), and Cole Francisco (22). Stevens' six goals for the weekend makes him the sixth 'Eater to reach the 20-goal mark, while Wyley Dale's six-goal weekend makes him the third leading scorer for UCI. 

MINDING THE NET
Senior goalkeeper Zayd Mahmoud started 13 of UCI's 18 games this year, logging over 380 minutes in the cage. He has compiled 106 saves and a 11.97 goals against average. Mahmoud stopped a season-high 12 shots vs. No. 19 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Oct. 3. Junior Blake Borders earned the start against Cal Lutheran (Sept. 6) and Biola (Sept. 27), finishing with seven and nine saves. Redshirt freshman Vincent Vega got the nod vs. UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 20) and Occidental (Sept. 27), logging nine saves against the Tigers. Redshirt Sophomore Nolan Cary got his first start against Concordia and stopped a season-best 11 shots. 

COLLEGIATE FIRSTS
Freshman Dylan Rosmann recorded his first multi-goal game in a 16-7 win over Biola (Sept. 27). Freshman Samuel Bowman scored his first collegiate goal with 1:35 left in the third quarter of a 21-7 victory over Concordia. Bowman struck again one minute later to cap a seven-goal period for the Anteaters. Rosmann also connected for his first career goal in a 13-12 win over UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 20). Sophomore Keegan McGann had the first multi-goal game of his collegiate career with two tallies against Cal State Fullerton, while sophomore Maddox McEwen netted a career-high four goals vs. Cal Lutheran. 

WEEKLY ACCOLADES
Ethan Spoon was named the Big West Player of the Week for the first time in his career, on Oct. 1. Spoon recorded 10 goals at the Lancer Joust and netted a career-high six against Occidental. His career-best performance led the 'Eaters to a season-high 23 goals against the Tigers. Luka Krstic was named the Big West Player of the Week for the first time this season, and fifth time in his career, on Sept. 17. Krstic had a pair of multi-goal games against the top-two ranked teams in the country, finishing with two at No. 1 UCLA and three vs. No. 2 USC. He was the only Anteater to find the back of the net multiple times against the Trojans. 

PRESEASON HONORS
Seniors Luka Krstic and Jack Stevens were named to the eight-member Preseason All-Big West Team as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Krstic is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he led the Anteaters with 80 points on 52 goals and 28 assists. He is a two-time All-American and first-team All-Big West selection. Stevens finished with 30 goals and 12 assists a year ago. He is a two-time All-Big West honoree. As a team, UCI was picked to finish third in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll. The 'Eaters received 18 points to come in behind Long Beach State (29) and UC San Diego (20).

ALL-BIG WEST RETURNERS
The Anteaters return five All-Big West honorees from a 2024 squad that won their second-straight regular-season title. Luka Krstic was named to the first team, and Johann Thrall garnered second-team distinction. Cole Francisco and Jack Stevens were both honorable mention selections, while Francisco and Ethan Spoon made the All-Freshman Team.

STORIED HISTORY
UC Irvine men's water polo is in its 60th year as a program, and 59th season of competition (2020 season canceled). Since 1965, the Anteaters have put together 17 seasons with 20 or more wins, including a perfect 30-0 campaign in 1982 when they won the second of their three NCAA Championships (1970, 1982, 1988). The 'Eaters, who earned a spot in each of the first 10 NCAA tournaments, have made 22 postseason appearances.

HOME SWEET HOME
UCI is set to host the 2025 Big West Championships at Anteater Aquatics Complex, November 21-23. The conference tournament will make its way to Irvine after being held in La Jolla in 2023 and in Davis