The ninth-ranked Long Beach State men’s water polo team faced its first splash of adversity at the NorCal Tournament this weekend at Stanford University.
Pepperdine became the first team to defeat the 49ers this season after the team got off to a 6-0 start. The Waves entered the tournament ranked just ahead of The Beach at No. 8 nationally.
In what promised to be the most anticipated matchup thus far in the young season, the Waves fended off a late charge by the 49ers and pulled out a 9-8 victory. The loss sent LBSU to the consolation bracket, delaying further opportunity for The Beach to square off with its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rivals.
The ‘Niners (9-1) managed to rattle off victories in the final three games of the tournament, bouncing back strong from defeat to secure the ninth spot in the field of 16. They crushed Pomona-Pitzer for the second time this season before defeating No. 12 UC Davis and No. 10 Loyola Marymount on Sunday.
In the match against Pepperdine, the 49ers fell behind early, as they conceded the first four goals of the game. Nolan McConnell’s goal with 26 seconds remaining in the first half cut the deficit to 5-3, giving his team a chance to stage a second half comeback.
The Waves (5-2) were in no rush to let The Beach back into the game. After a Spencer White goal brought LBSU to within two for the second time, Pepperdine responded with another 4-0 run. The Waves lead reached five by the midway point of the fourth quarter. A late scoring run resulted in an instance of too little, too late for the 49ers.
Following their decisive victory against Pomona-Pitzer (0-10), the ‘Niners narrowly defeated UC Davis (5-3), 10-9, in a game that saw them escape after building a sizable lead. Dan Matulis led the 49ers with four goals, the last of which gave the team an 8-3 advantage just minutes into the third quarter.
LBSU held a similar five-goal lead midway through the fourth, but four unanswered goals by the Aggies inside the final three minutes made for a less-than-comfortable end to the
game.
The Beach pulled out another close win in its final match against LMU (3-3), as the Lions gave the 49ers all they could handle. John Mikuzis’ goal with 5:37 remaining tied the game at 7 and Matulis provided the heroics, firing home the game-winning shot with 3:30 left. McConnell scored on the 49ers next possession, giving the team a 9-7 lead that stood up as the final tally.
The Beach will break in the campus pool on Saturday at noon, when it hosts its alumni game. Regular season action will resume Sept. 27, when the 49ers play their home opener against Navy.