SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The No. 16 Santa Clara University men's water polo team battled back and took a second-half lead Saturday, but one late miscue and key net-minding by No. 9 UC Davis allowed the Aggies to escape with a 17-15 non-conference win at Sullivan Aquatic Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The No. 16 Broncos (6-5) and No. 9 UC Davis (6-6) stayed tied at 14-14 late into the fourth quarter, with neither team scoring for two minutes after the Broncos had knotted it up. Santa Clara came up with a key defensive stop under the two-minute mark, but a miscommunication when securing the ball sent a routine toss back toward the goalie directly into the net. The own goal put UC Davis ahead 15-14, and the Aggies held on from there—adding an empty-net goal in the final seconds for the 17-15 win.
   
• Riccardo De Simon tied for the game high with four goals. He also had an assist and drew four exclusions. Imme van der Schaaf scored three goals and had an assist, while Reese Jenican tallied three goals and drew three exclusions.
   
• Santa Clara came out of halftime with three consecutive goals to tie it at 11-11, though the equalizer came after several missed opportunities. The Broncos had five chances to tie the game before finally converting. De Simon made it 11-10 on a penalty shot, and Santa Clara followed with a defensive stop. A missed shot led to a fresh 30-second clock after the ball deflected off the UC Davis goalie, but the Broncos couldn't capitalize. They earned another power play but missed again, then recovered their own rebound for a new possession. UC Davis regained the ball but turned it over, giving Santa Clara a fifth chance—Ashton Brown finally scored on a quick turn and shot to tie the game.
   
• Each side added another goal to close the third period tied at 12-12. Santa Clara briefly reclaimed the lead with the first goal of the fourth quarter, 13-12, but back-to-back scores from UC Davis flipped the lead again. De Simon tied it at 14-14 on a breakaway, set up by van der Schaaf, with four minutes to play.
   
• Santa Clara struck first on Saturday with an early goal from Jenican, who was named to the Cutino Award Watch List on Thursday. The Broncos went up 3-1 after another score from Jenican and one from van der Schaaf. UC Davis responded with four unanswered goals to take a 5-3 lead, and the teams traded the next four goals to end the first period with the Aggies up 6-5.
   
• UC Davis opened the second quarter with another goal to go up 7-5, but Luke Baird cut it to one. Two more goals by the Aggies gave them their largest lead of the game at 9-6.

COMING UP

• Santa Clara's four-game home stand continues with two games next weekend. The Broncos host No. 17 UC Santa Barbara in a rematch of last weekend's clash at the Overnght MPSF Invitational in Los Angeles, then open West Coast Conference play on Sunday versus No. 11 Pacific. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.