Two minutes. That was all the No. 12-ranked Long Beach State men’s water polo team needed to turn a disappointing loss into a momentous win.
The Beach (12-5) stole victory from the jaws of defeat with a 9-8 triumph over visiting No. 9 UC San Diego on Wednesday afternoon at 49er Aquatics Center.
The 49ers received a timely goal from sophomore Nick Rascon with seven seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime, and freshman Conner Reilly scored the game- winner in the first overtime as The Beach rallied to snap its two-game losing streak.
“It was the push we needed,” Reilly said after his team completed the comeback. “I think this gives us momentum for the rest of the season.”
Sophomore Nathan McConnell and freshman Milos Vrzic led the 49ers with two goals each. Five other 49ers also tallied a goal in the win.
Game clock malfunctions delayed the game for about half an hour, but when the game started, the offenses found early success. Only one shot clock was working, keeping the defenses from playing aggressively and allowing for a nine-goal first quarter.
The 49ers led 5-2 after Aleksandar Petrovic beat Tritons goalkeeper David Morton on a power play to give Long Beach its biggest lead of the game.
San Diego (11-5) came storming back with three unanswered goals to tie the game, capped by a backdoor pass to Graham Saber who found himself with a wide open net to shoot at.
“Five goals is great,” Rascon said of the first quarter scoring streak, adding that his team has to improve on putting teams away by halftime.
Leading 6-5 coming out of the break, the 49ers continued their surge with a goal from Vrzic to extent their lead, 7-5.
Saber scored for the Tritons on the ensuing possession, and things began to take a turn for the worse for The Beach. San Diego tied the game at 7 two minutes into the final regulation period and took the lead with 3:37 left in the game.
Down the stretch, the officiating became really tight. Both coaches were issued yellow card warnings for their lip service, and Vrzic was given a game misconduct for arguing with the referee. Vrzic was the third 49er to be removed from the game with McConnell and Dan Matulis having been ejected for drawing three exclusions in the match.
“We did a great job of playing 5-man defense,” Rascon said. “That won the game for us.”
With the 49ers going deep into their bench, Long Beach made the defensive stops needed to give themselves a chance on the final possession.
LBSU head coach Gavin Arroyo then called a full timeout with 16 seconds remaining, drawing up a play for Rascon before the sophomore standout converted to send the game into overtime.
Reilly scored in the extra period and the 49ers defense held on late as junior Matthew Kubeck stopped three shots in the second overtime to preserve the victory. Freshman John Mroch had three saves for The Beach in the first half.
“We had to go to the bench and the guys came through,” an enthusiastic Arroyo said following the win.
The 49ers will remain home Saturday as they will welcome Concordia University to the 49er Aquatic Center. Game time is set for noon.
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