The No. 12-ranked Long Beach State men’s water polo team shut the door late against No. 10 Concordia as 11 saves by Matthew Kubeck helped preserve an 11-9 victory Saturday afternoon at the 49er Aquatics Center.
Senior Aleksandar Petrovic led all scorers with five goals, and freshman Milos Vrzic scored twice in the decisive frame to power the 49ers past the Eagles. Four other 49ers tallied single goals in the win.
Stefano Ragosa paced the Eagles with three goals.
The two teams combined for 20 goals, but Kubeck’s play in the cage and the Long Beach defense headlined the scrap between these squads.
“It was probably his best game this season, maybe of his career,” Petrovic said of Kubeck’s performance.
The match featured 26 exclusionary penalties, as the teams fought physical one-on-one battles all over the pool. The Beach held an 8-5 lead heading into the final frame, but Concordia rallied behind its well-traveled fan base to tie the game at 8.
An undisciplined Eagles squad worked to the 49ers advantage down the stretch. Concordia spotted the 49ers two penalty shots in the last three minutes, and Petrovic and Vrzic netted their opportunities to put Long Beach out in front for good.
“We’re usually the team that gets into it physically,” Kubeck said after his team kept their emotions in check in the waning moments. “I’m proud to see our guys stay disciplined and stay out of [foul] trouble.”
Long Beach (13-5, 0-2) found out early on that they were going to be in dogfight with the Eagles. The 49ers held three one-goal leads in the first quarter, and Concordia responded with an equalizer each time. Things started to get physical toward the end of the quarter as Concordia’s Caleb Hamilton was called for an ejection for taunting following his second goal of the period.
LBSU kept a clean sheet defensively in the second quarter and beat Eagles goalkeeper Ryan Freerks three times in the period to extend their lead to 6-3. The Beach kept the Eagles off the board by sacrificing their bodies and recording field blocks before opposing shots could make it to Kubeck.
“It was a whole team effort,” head coach Gavin Arroyo said of his squad’s defensive execution. “That’s the definition of a team.”
Kubeck echoed his coach’s sentiments, “We have some guys out there making better saves than me.”
The teams played an even third quarter, leaving the 49ers with a three-goal edge heading into the fourth quarter. The final period was highly contested. Six players were ejected from the game. The fans competed almost as passionately as the players did, urging their teams on with the game in the balance. Concordia’s late rally was foiled by a steady stream of exclusions in the final minutes, and The Beach capitalized on the ensuing possessions to capture the win.
Two fourth quarter victories in the past week have the 49ers heading into next week’s matchup against No. 5 UC Santa Barbara with a lot of belief.
“It’s on,” Arroyo said in anticipation of playing the conference rival. “We have to get some results.”
The Gauchos are 12-6 this season. The Beach lost last year’s meeting, 11-10.
UCSB will make its way to the 49er Aquatics Center to face LBSU on Saturday at noon.
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