No. 8 UCI Holds Off No. 17 Santa Clara, 14-13

Saturday, September 26

Irvine, Calif.

3 P.M.

UC Irvine

11-5

Santa Clara

8-6

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Santa Clara	2	2	5	4	13
UC Irvine	4	4	2	4	14

Photo by: Jacob Thompson

No. 8 UCI Holds Off No. 17 Santa Clara, 14-13

September 26, 2026 | Men's Water Polo

Box Score

By: Leah Fitzpatrick

IRVINE, Calif. – No. 8 UC Irvine men's water polo defeated No. 17 Santa Clara, 14-13, in its final game of the UCI Mini Tournament on Saturday afternoon to finish the tournament 2-0.

The 'Eaters outscored the Broncos, 4-2, in the first quarter to take an early lead into the second frame. UCI matched that scoring output in the second quarter, outscoring Santa Clara, 4-2, to take an 8-4 advantage into halftime. The Broncos responded with a 5-2 edge in the third quarter to cut the 'Eaters' lead to 10-9 heading into the final frame. Both teams scored four goals in the fourth quarter, but UCI held on to secure the 14-13 victory.

BY THE NUMBERS: Cole Francisco, Samuel Bowman, Brody Luke, and Johann Thrall each scored twice. Francisco added two assists to lead the offense with four points, while Luke added one assist for three points.

Alex Lopez contributed one goal and three assists for four points. Ben Atkinson added one goal and one assist for a two-point performance.

Keegan McGann, Ethan Spoon, River Davis, and Tyler Laymon each scored once, while Jayson Hubbard dished out two assists.

Nico Assalian recorded eight saves and one steal in goal.

Riccardo De Simon led Santa Clara with four goals.

HOW IT HAPPENED: Ethan Spoon opened the scoring at the 5:11 mark, finding the back of the net to give UCI an early 1-0 lead. The Broncos evened the score at 4:47 before Cole Francisco drew an exclusion, leading Johann Thrall to convert on the ensuing power play off a pass from Brody Luke at 4:14. Samuel Bowman added to the lead at 3:31, assisted by Ben Atkinson, to make it 3-1. Santa Clara answered at 1:25, but River Davis netted the final goal of the frame with 57 seconds remaining, assisted by Alex Lopez, to give UCI a 4-2 lead after one.

The Broncos opened the scoring in the second period, adding a tally at 5:20 to pull within one, 4-3. Keegan McGann answered at 4:46, with an assist from Jayson Hubbard, to push the lead back to two. Francisco added to the advantage at 3:50, finding the back of the net off a pass from Ryan Fresca to make it 6-3. The Broncos responded at 2:28 to cut the deficit to 6-4. The 'Eaters answered at 1:53 when Spoon drew an exclusion and Atkinson converted on the ensuing power play, with help from Hubbard, to extend the lead to 7-4. UCI scored the final goal of the period when Spoon drew a penalty and Brody Luke capitalized on the five-meter at 1:11, sending the 'Eaters into halftime with an 8-4 lead.

Alex Lopez opened the scoring in the third at the six-minute mark, finding the back of the net off a pass from Francisco to extend the lead to 9-4. The Broncos responded with a 4-0 run, scoring at 5:36 and 4:39 before converting on a power play at 3:25 and adding another goal at 2:52 to pull within one, 9-8. Tyler Laymon ended the run with 31 seconds remaining, assisted by Francisco, to push the advantage to 10-8. Santa Clara scored the final goal of the period with two seconds remaining to make it a one-goal game, 10-9, heading into the fourth.

Santa Clara opened the fourth-quarter scoring at 5:26 to tie the game at 10-10. Thrall answered at 4:45, assisted by Gage Verdegaal, to put UCI back in front, 11-10. Bowman added to the lead at 1:48, scoring off a pass from Lopez to make it 12-10. The Broncos answered at 1:33, but Francisco quickly responded with a goal, assisted by Lopez, at 1:08 to restore the two-goal advantage, 13-11. Santa Clara went 7-on-6 and converted with the extra attacker with 58 seconds remaining to pull within one, 13-12. Brody Luke then netted the deciding goal with 41 seconds remaining to give the 'Eaters a 14-12 cushion. The Broncos added one more goal with 32 seconds remaining to pull within one, but UCI held on for the 14-13 victory.

UP NEXT: The 'Eaters return to action tomorrow at Anteater Aquatics Complex to take on No. 18 Navy at 10:20 a.m.