The No. 9-ranked Long Beach State men’s water polo team overtook No. 8 UC Irvine, 8-7, in dramatic fashion Thursday night, courtesy of a game-winning goal from Justin Koeppen with 1:09 remaining in the match.
Joe Sherrin sealed the victory with 25 seconds remaining by deflecting UCI’s final shot attempt out of play.
The match was competitive throughout. Alexsandr Petrovic gave The Beach an early 1-0 lead only to watch the Anteaters answer with two goals of their own. Kevin Mundia scored with 13 seconds remaining in the first period to even the match at two goals apiece.
The second period was controlled by UC Irvine’s Tom Kruip who accounted for all three Anteater goals. LBSU’s Joe Sherrin was able to add a goal of his own, allowing the ‘Niners to enter the second half facing a manageable 5-3 deficit.
The Beach dominated the third period, shutting out UCI and adding two goals to its total. Petrovic tied the game with 1:26 remaining on a five-meter penalty shot that found the top right corner of the goal.
The final period began with LBSU’s Jeff Greenwood scoring on an outlet pass from goalie Derek Wiebe-Bailey, giving the 49ers a 6-5 lead. The Anteaters rebounded quickly, scoring consecutive goals to regain the lead 7-6 with 5:11 remaining in the match.
The 49ers rallied with a goal from Patrick van der Linde to draw even once again. Wiebe-Bailey followed the goal with a crucial steal at the 1:36 mark that led up to the game-winning score from Koeppen.
The Beach entered the match riding a three- game win streak and looking for revenge having suffered its last defeat at the hands of the rival Anteaters.
LBSU head coach Gavin Arroyo acknowledged that the two teams are familiar with one another.
“A lot of our players play together on ODP [Olympic Development Program], and know each other well,” Arroyo said.
The 49er coach categorized the relationship between the teams as a “classy rivalry.”
The Beach (4-2) travels to Marina Del Rey, Calif. to face No. 5 Loyola Marymount on Saturday, Sept. 26 at noon. The next 49er home game is scheduled for Oct. 24 against UC Santa Barbara.