Friday, September 18
Stanford, Calif.
6 P.M.
UC Irvine
14
vs
10
UC Davis
Photo by: Jake Hamlin
No. 13 UCI Pulls Off Upset, Stuns No. 6 UC Davis, 14-10
September 18, 2026 | Men's Water Polo
STANFORD, Calif. – No. 13 UC Irvine men's water polo pulled off a statement upset on Friday night, knocking off No. 6 UC Davis, 14-10, in the opening game of the MPSF Invitational.
UCI surged out to a 5-1 lead in the first quarter, setting the tone early against No. 6 UC Davis. The Aggies battled back in the second, outscoring the 'Eaters 5-2 to cut UCI's lead to 7-6 at halftime. UCI and UC Davis traded goals in the third, with the 'Eaters maintaining a 10-9 advantage heading into the final frame. The 'Eaters pulled away in the fourth, outscoring the Aggies 4-1 to seal the 14-10 upset over No. 6 UC Davis.
BY THE NUMBERS: Gage Verdegaal led the offense with four goals. Brody Luke, Alex Lopez, and Wyley Dale each netted two.
Johann Thrall, Cole Francisco, Jayson Hubbard, and Samuel Bowman each scored one goal.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The 'Eaters and Aggies each found the back of the net to open the first period, making it a 1-1 game, with Johann Thrall scoring the opening goal for UCI. Gage Verdegaal then struck twice in quick succession, scoring at the 5:06 and 4:12 marks to give the Anteaters a 3-1 lead. Cole Francisco added another goal at 3:33 to extend the advantage to 4-1, before Jayson Hubbard capped off the scoring at 1:52. UCI closed out the first period with a commanding 5-1 lead.
The Aggies opened the second period with a goal at the 5:20 mark, but Brody Luke answered just 26 seconds later to keep the Anteaters in front, 6-2. UC Davis responded with a goal at 4:43, before Luke struck again at 4:42, converting on a five-meter attempt to restore UCI's four-goal advantage, 7-3. The Aggies then mounted a late comeback, scoring three unanswered goals at the 3:50, 1:20, and 0:01 marks to cut the Anteaters' lead to just one, 7-6, heading into halftime.
UCI and UC Davis traded goals throughout the third period, with the Aggies striking first at the 7:30 mark to even the score at 7-7. Alex Lopez answered just 19 seconds later, finding the back of the net at 7:11 to put the 'Eaters back in front, 8-7. UC Davis responded with a goal at 5:11, but Wyley Dale quickly restored UCI's lead at the 3:48 mark, making it 9-8. Samuel Bowma then added a goal at 2:52 to extend the Anteaters' advantage to two, 10-8. The Aggies scored the final goal of the period with 27 seconds remaining, trimming UCI's lead to 10-9 heading into the fourth.
The 'Eaters outscored the Aggies, 4-1, in the fourth quarter to pull away and secure the 14-10 victory. Alex Lopez opened the scoring at the 6:40 mark, extending UCI's lead to 11-9. UC Davis answered just 26 seconds later, but Gage Verdegaal completed his hat trick at 5:42 to restore the Anteaters' two-goal cushion, 12-10. Wyley Dale added another tally at the 2:27 mark to push the lead to 13-10, before Verdegaal capped off his outstanding performance with his fourth goal of the game with 55 seconds remaining. The late strike sealed the Anteaters' 14-10 win.
UP NEXT: The 'Eaters return to action tomorrow at 9:20 a.m., facing No. 4 Cal on the second day of the MPSF Invitational.
UCI surged out to a 5-1 lead in the first quarter, setting the tone early against No. 6 UC Davis. The Aggies battled back in the second, outscoring the 'Eaters 5-2 to cut UCI's lead to 7-6 at halftime. UCI and UC Davis traded goals in the third, with the 'Eaters maintaining a 10-9 advantage heading into the final frame. The 'Eaters pulled away in the fourth, outscoring the Aggies 4-1 to seal the 14-10 upset over No. 6 UC Davis.
BY THE NUMBERS: Gage Verdegaal led the offense with four goals. Brody Luke, Alex Lopez, and Wyley Dale each netted two.
Johann Thrall, Cole Francisco, Jayson Hubbard, and Samuel Bowman each scored one goal.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The 'Eaters and Aggies each found the back of the net to open the first period, making it a 1-1 game, with Johann Thrall scoring the opening goal for UCI. Gage Verdegaal then struck twice in quick succession, scoring at the 5:06 and 4:12 marks to give the Anteaters a 3-1 lead. Cole Francisco added another goal at 3:33 to extend the advantage to 4-1, before Jayson Hubbard capped off the scoring at 1:52. UCI closed out the first period with a commanding 5-1 lead.
The Aggies opened the second period with a goal at the 5:20 mark, but Brody Luke answered just 26 seconds later to keep the Anteaters in front, 6-2. UC Davis responded with a goal at 4:43, before Luke struck again at 4:42, converting on a five-meter attempt to restore UCI's four-goal advantage, 7-3. The Aggies then mounted a late comeback, scoring three unanswered goals at the 3:50, 1:20, and 0:01 marks to cut the Anteaters' lead to just one, 7-6, heading into halftime.
UCI and UC Davis traded goals throughout the third period, with the Aggies striking first at the 7:30 mark to even the score at 7-7. Alex Lopez answered just 19 seconds later, finding the back of the net at 7:11 to put the 'Eaters back in front, 8-7. UC Davis responded with a goal at 5:11, but Wyley Dale quickly restored UCI's lead at the 3:48 mark, making it 9-8. Samuel Bowma then added a goal at 2:52 to extend the Anteaters' advantage to two, 10-8. The Aggies scored the final goal of the period with 27 seconds remaining, trimming UCI's lead to 10-9 heading into the fourth.
The 'Eaters outscored the Aggies, 4-1, in the fourth quarter to pull away and secure the 14-10 victory. Alex Lopez opened the scoring at the 6:40 mark, extending UCI's lead to 11-9. UC Davis answered just 26 seconds later, but Gage Verdegaal completed his hat trick at 5:42 to restore the Anteaters' two-goal cushion, 12-10. Wyley Dale added another tally at the 2:27 mark to push the lead to 13-10, before Verdegaal capped off his outstanding performance with his fourth goal of the game with 55 seconds remaining. The late strike sealed the Anteaters' 14-10 win.
UP NEXT: The 'Eaters return to action tomorrow at 9:20 a.m., facing No. 4 Cal on the second day of the MPSF Invitational.
Players Mentioned
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