DAVIS, Calif. — Eamon Hennessey scored with one second remaining in the game to lift 12th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo over No. 11 UC Davis, 12-11, Saturday in Big West action at Schaal Aquatics Center.

With their third-consecutive win, the Tritons secured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big West Championship.

UC San Diego improved to 15-10 overall and 3-2 in the Big West. The Aggies fell to 9-13 on the season and are now also 3-2 in the conference. Today's head-to-head victory was the tie-breaking factor between the Tritons and Aggies.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
There were three goals scored in the final 48 seconds of the contest. With UC San Diego ahead, 11-9, UC Davis was able to score two-straight times, once on a power play at :48 and again with six ticks left to put the game in a deadlock at 11-11.

The Aggies led 4-3 after the opening eight minutes. In the second quarter, the Tritons scored twice and held UC Davis scoreless, making it 5-4 UC San Diego going into halftime. Lucas Romaguera and Landon Akerstrom had the goals.

The Tritons returned after the break and padded their lead big time by scoring four-consecutive goals that made it 9-4 with 3:53 remaining in the third quarter. Romaguera netted his second penalty shot goal of the game during that run.

The Aggies mounted a run as Tyler Mrkaich scored three straight goals - two in the third period and another on a fourth-quarter penalty shot that had the Aggies back within two at 9-7.

Romaguera's fourth goal of the game on a power play with just under seven minutes left put UC San Diego back up by three, 10-7. However, the Aggies netted the game's next two goals to draw back within a single goal at 10-9 with 3:18 left. 

The teams exchanged power play goals - Finn Bugelli for UC San Diego and Thomas Kiesling for UC Davis - bringing the score 11-10 Tritons. 

Colin Nichols equaled the game at 11-11 with a strike with just six seconds left, setting up Hennessey for the game-winner five seconds later.

Romaguera totaled six points on four goals and a pair of assists. The goal and point totals both equaled his career-high. Felipe Ferreira collected four points on two goals and two assists. Ante Buzov (two goals), Christian Hammonds (two assists), and Mason Presley (one goal, one assist) each had two points.

Logan Estes made eight saves in net for UC San Diego.

For UC Davis, Mrkaich led all players with seven points on five goals and two assists. Aleix Aznar Beltran had two goals and a helper. Frank Laptin made 10 saves.

The Aggies were ineffective on the power play, scoring just twice in nine opportunities.
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WHAT HEAD COACH MATT USTASZEWSKI HAD TO SAY
"It was a thrilling game and a testament to the competitiveness of the Big West. Every game is such an amazing opportunity for us and we hope this experience will carry us forward into the conference tournament. Eamon's goal came in a quick seven versus six sequence, providing an epic prequel to the excitement that we anticipate seeing at the tournament."
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TRITON TIDBITS
• The seeds for the Big West Championship are set: 1: UC Irvine (5-0), 2. UC San Diego (3-2), 3: UC Davis (3-2), 4. UC Santa Barbara (2-3), 5. Long Beach State (2-3), 6: Cal State Fullerton (0-5).
• UC San Diego had wins over UC Davis, Cal State Fullerton, and UC Santa Barbara with losses to Long Beach State and UC Irvine.
• Landon Akerstrom extended his scoring streak to 16 games.
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays at non-conference foe Stanford on Sunday, Nov. 10, at noon. The Cardinal are the consensus No. 2 team in the nation. 

The Tritons then return home to close out the regular season. They host Westcliff for Senior Night on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. Tickets for home games are available through the Triton Box Office.

The Big West Championship is slated for Nov. 22-24 at UC Davis.
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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.