Though the No. 9-ranked Long Beach State men’s water polo team hasn’t played any Top 25-ranked opponents just yet, it couldn’t have asked for a better start to its regular season, especially considering the circumstances last year.
The 49ers have maintained a perfect record of 7-0 in nonconference action while outscoring their opponents, 109-35, after going winless (0-8) in their conference (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) last season. Not to mention, The Beach lost 12 of its last 13 matches to close out that year.
To the ‘Niners credit, all eight of the opposing teams in their conference are the highest-ranked programs in the nation, namely 2010 NCAA Tournament champion USC.
Head coach Gavin Arroyo, who is entering his fifth season with the program, said he is looking forward to having a better season than in years past, which is something LBSU seems to have a head start on.
“It’s time to turn the corner,” Arroyo said in a statement. “Last few years were rebuilding seasons. I think we have great young team with experience.”
Sophomore attacker Nick Rascon, who is expected to make a significant impact on LBSU’s frontline, returned to the team this past weekend after playing for the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team at the 2011 FINA Junior World Championships in Greece.
“Playing in Greece was a great opportunity for me; it was fun,” said Rascon, who has scored two goals since returning for the team’s 16-5 victory over Vanguard last Saturday. “Playing in a higher level helped me with my performance going into the season.”
Rascon, who was the 49ers’ top scorer last season with 37 goals, is coming off a freshman year when he made it to the All-MPSF team as an honorable mention. As a freshman, he finished 13th in the MPSF in goals-per-game, averaging 1.68, and scored in 20 of LBSU’s 22 games, including a season-high of five goals against Fresno Pacific.
“Nick is big piece of our team,” Arroyo said. “I expect a lot from him.”
Senior attacker Aleksandar Petrovic, who leads the team with 22 goals through seven games this season, said that the team has grown significantly since last year and realizes that this is his last chance to bring a title to LBSU.
“It’s almost done; I have like three months left,” Petrovic said. “We look better this season. With the young team, I have higher expectations than last season.”
The 49ers will return to action to participate in the NorCal Tournament at Stockton, Calif. The ‘Niners will face UC Irvine on Saturday at 8:20 a.m. followed by a team to be announced on Sunday.
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