A slow start doomed the No. 14-ranked Long Beach State men’s water polo team as No. 2 UC Berkeley went on to win, 14-6, Saturday at the 49er Aquatics Center.
Sophomores Nick Rascon and Dan Matulis led the 49ers with two goals apiece. Sophomore Robert Robinson and freshman Devin Mefford added goals in the loss.
The 49ers surrendered five unanswered goals to open the game, and the rout was on as The Beach (11-5, 0-2 MPSF) remained winless in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play. Bears senior Luka Saponjic beat junior goalkeeper Matthew Kubeck twice in the first quarter on his way to a game high four goals. Kubeck made two saves in the game before being replaced at halftime by freshman John Mroch.
“Our problem is the first quarter,” Rascon said following the wipeout. “It’s tough to play catch up in water polo.”
The Beach trailed 5-1 after one period. Cal scored three more times in the second quarter to extend its lead to 8-2 at the break. The Bears (13-2, 2-0 MPSF) would outscore the 49ers in every quarter.
Long Beach has struggled offensively since beginning the conference schedule. The 49ers have managed just nine goals in their past two games against No. 4 USC and Cal after the team exploded for 23 goals in the final two games of the So Cal Tournament.
“It’s going to be tough to score on [USC and Cal] especially with a younger team,” 49ers coach Gavin Arroyo said of his squad’s offensive struggles.
An ineffective power play can shoulder much of the blame for The Beach’s inability to climb back into the game. The 49ers capitalized on just one of their 10 6-on-5 man advantages in the game.
Losing the first two games within the MPSF conference is far from what Arroyo and his players wanted, but the 49ers are still on pace to be leaps and bounds better than last year. The Beach sported a record of 7-8 two games into conference last season. Early season success has the 49ers exuding confidence as the team prepares for their next MPSF match Oct. 22 at home against No. 5 UC Santa Barbara.
The Gauchos are 10-5 despite the loss of their all-time leading scorer Milos Golic, who amassed 272 goals in a four time All-American career.
“We can definitely take them,” said Rascon, adding that the team cannot afford to bury themselves in the first quarter again.
The Beach has nonconference games against UC San Diego and Concordia this week. The 49ers will take on the Tritons on Wednesday at the 49er Aquatics Center. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
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