No. 6 UC Irvine Heads to California Baptist for Big West Showdown

Saturday, October 17

Riverside, Calif.

12 P.M.

UC Irvine

California Baptist

Photo by: Jacob Thompson/UC Irvine Athletics

No. 6 UC Irvine Heads to California Baptist for Big West Showdown

October 15, 2026 | Men's Water Polo

By: Leah Fitzpatrick

IRVINE, Calif. - The No. 6 UC Irvine men's water polo team heads to Riverside, Calif., to face Big West newcomer No. 14 California Baptist on Friday, Oct. 17, at noon.

ANTEATER TIDBITS
UC Irvine picked up their first Big West win against Cal State Fullerton last weekend.
The Anteaters defeated the Titans, 19-6, on Friday night.
Junior Cole Francisco led the way with a career high five goals, while senior Wyley Dale netted four.
Senior Johann Thrall recorded two goals and three assists for a five point outing.
Freshman Nico Assalian logged 24 minutes in net with 12 saves and one steal.
UC Irvine 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 in 2024.
They also claimed the Big West Championship title and made their first NCAA appearance in 30 years in 2023.

IN THE RANKINGS
UC Irvine remained at No. 6 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association's national rankings released Oct. 14. The Anteaters held the sixth spot for the third consecutive week after climbing two places from No. 8 in Week 4. UCI opened the season at No. 13 and remained there through the first four polls, spanning the preseason through Week 3, before breaking into the top 10.

SCOUTING THE LANCERS
No. 14 California Baptist enters the matchup with a 20-5 overall record and a 1-0 mark in Big West play. The Lancers opened conference action on Oct. 10 with a statement 14-12 victory over No. 12 UC Santa Barbara, securing their first Big West Conference win. California Baptist followed with a challenging matchup against No. 2 UCLA, falling 21-9 later that day. Junior Andrea Nuzzo leads the Lancers' offense with 109 points, recording 52 goals and 57 assists this season. Sophomore Whitley Beamon ranks second on the team with 73 points, contributing 34 goals and 39 assists. In goal, senior Tanner McCreary anchors the Lancers' defense, totaling 376 minutes played and 99 saves. McCreary has posted a .436 save percentage and an 10.89 goals-against average, making him a key presence in the net as California Baptist continues its Big West campaign.

SERIES HISTORY
UC Irvine holds a 22-4 all-time record against California Baptist, with the 'Eaters winning two of the three meetings between the teams during the 2025 season. UCI claimed the most recent matchup on Sept. 26, 2025, earning a 17-11 victory over the Lancers. California Baptist secured a 15-13 win over the Anteaters earlier that season on Sept. 21, while UCI opened the season series with a narrow 15-14 victory on Aug. 29. The two programs split their meetings in 2024, with California Baptist taking a 12-11 win on Oct. 9 before UC Irvine responded with a 17-15 victory on Sept. 21. Prior to the October 2024 loss, the 'Eaters had won six consecutive matchups against the Lancers, dating back to 2019. Friday's contest marks the first conference meeting between the two programs, as California Baptist joins the Big West as a full conference member beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
The 'Eaters have scored at least 11 goals in 18 of their 20 games this season, averaging 14.7 goals per game. Seven players have reached the 20-goal mark, led by Johann Thrall with 37 goals. Alex Lopez follows closely with 34, while Cole Francisco has scored 31. Wyley Dale has tallied 30, while Brody Luke has added 23 goals, and Ethan Spoon and Gage Verdegaal round out the group with 22 and 20, respectively. Thrall has recorded a team-high seven hat tricks this season, followed by Dale with six and Verdegaal with four. Lopez has three hat tricks, while Francisco has three and Luke has two.

MINDING THE NET
Freshman Nico Assalian has started 15 of the team's 20 games this season, compiling an 11-3 record. He has played 464 minutes in goal, recording 123 saves, 11 assists, and 19 steals while posting an 9.72 goals-against average and a .466 save percentage. Sophomore Vincent Vega has appeared in seven games, including three starts, totaling 128 minutes in goal. He has recorded 38 saves, two assists, and two steals, along with an 8.75 goals-against average and a .466 save percentage. Junior Nolan Cary has seen action in four games, making two starts and playing 48 minutes. He has tallied 14 saves, two steals and posted a .412 save percentage and a 13.33 goals-against average.

COLLEGIATE FIRSTS
UCI's freshmen made an immediate impact during their first season of collegiate action. Ryan Fresca has led the group with 16 points on 15 assists and one goal. He opened his career with three points on one goal and two assists against Chapman on Aug. 28 and has recorded two or more assists in five of UCI's first eight games. River Davis ranks second among the newcomers with 11 points on eight goals and three assists. He scored his first collegiate goal against George Washington on Aug. 28 before adding his second goal and first assist against Concordia the following day for his first multi-point game. Davis became UCI's first freshman this season to record a hat trick, accomplishing the feat against Cal Lutheran on Sept. 4. Aiden Sexton also made an immediate impact, scoring twice and adding two assists against Chapman on Aug. 28 before netting his third goal of the season against Concordia on Aug. 29. He has totaled five points on three goals and two assists. Luke Kalynij scored the first goal of his collegiate career against Chapman on Aug. 28, while Noah Jurgensen recorded his first collegiate assist in his first career minutes against the Panthers. Charlie Jones capped a strong opening weekend for UCI's freshmen with the first two goals of his career, scoring against Chapman and George Washington on Aug. 28 after sitting out the 2025 season. He added two more goals against Cal Lutheran on Sept. 4 for the first multi-goal game of his career. Jones also recorded his first career hat trick against Whittier on Oct. 2.

PRESEASON HONORS
Junior Cole Francisco was named to the eight-member Preseason All-Big West Team as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Francisco is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he totaled 69 points on 31 goals and a team-high 38 assists. He is a three-time All-Big West honoree, a two-time Big West Player of the Week selection, and landed on both the CSC Academic All-District At-Large Team and the ACWPC All-Academic Team in the 2025 season.

UP NEXT
The Anteaters continue Big West play and return to Anteater Aquatics Complex on Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. as they host No. 8 UC San Diego.