\nLocation: Irvine, Calif. (Anteater Aquatics Complex)
\nRecord: UC Davis 15-12, Long Beach State 17-9
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\nThe short story: A tournament MVP performance from Baxter Chelsom<\/a> gave UC Davis men’s water polo a victory in the Big West Finals over Long Beach State on Sunday, Nov. 23. The Aggies advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022, the eighth appearance in program history.<\/p>\n
![\"MWP](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/MWP_Champs.jpg\")
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POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
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HOW IT HAPPENED
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UP NEXT: UC Davis now turns their attention to the NCAA Tournament selection show, which will be broadcast live on Monday, Nov. 24, at 9:00 a.m. PT. The 2025 Men’s Water Polo Championship will take place Dec. 5-7 at Avery Aquatics Center in Stanford.
\n\tTwo minutes into the game, Thomas Kiesling<\/a> and Thomas Marr<\/a> went back-to-back to open things up for the Aggies.
\n\tAfter a pair of responses from the Beach, Oriol Vi\u00f1as found the back of the net before another from Kiesling gave Davis a 4-2 lead after the first.
\n\tColin Nicholls<\/a> and Will Stryker<\/a> matched two Long Beach State goals in the second period, with Aggie defense keeping the Beach out of the net and giving the team a 6-4 lead into halftime.
\n\tBoth clubs continued to battle back and forth into the third quarter, with Vi\u00f1as, Oleg Shatskikh<\/a>, and Kiesling all responding to goals from the opposition to keep a slim two-goal lead, 9-7, heading into the final period.
\n\tAfter a goal from Kapragkos put the Beach within one, William Fosselman<\/a> took a strike on the advantage to give Davis a 10-8 lead.
\n\tTwo minutes later, Shatskikh’s second extended the lead to three for the Aggies.
\n\tLong Beach got one back, but the dagger came from Andrew Hitchcock<\/a>, whose turnaround goal put his team up three with only two minutes left.
\n\tThe Beach took two quick strikes into the back of the net, threatening to tie the game with only a minute remaining.
\n\tBut Chelsom remained stout in net, racking up eight saves to become Big West Tournament MVP and help lead his team to a 12-11 victory.
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\n Read Full Article<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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