Showers poured down as the final seconds ticked off the clock, but the 49ers would let neither the weather or the opposition rain on their parade as Long Beach State defeated No. 4 Pepperdine, 12-7, Thursday night at the Campus Pool.
The win gave the eighth-ranked 49ers (20-7, 2-4 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) their second win against a top-five program this season and their second such victory in MPSF play. Long Beach dropped No. 5 Cal for their first conference victory.
The five-goal differential marked the largest margin of victory for The Beach in an MPSF game since 2008.
With its upset victory over the Waves (11-9, 3-4 MPSF), the 49ers closed their magic number to just one game. One LBSU win or one loss by UC Irvine would give the 49ers their first postseason berth since 2008. The Beach will have its first opportunity to clinch when it takes on UCI (14-10, 0-6 MPSF) in its final home game this Sunday at noon.
Dan Matulis, Milos Vrzic, and Dimitrios Lappas each recorded multi-goal games for The Beach in Thursday’s match. Balint Meszaros had six saves in the win.
In their previous contest, the 49ers stayed neck-and-neck with Pacific (11-7, 2-2) before dropping the game in sudden-death overtime period. LBSU head coach Gavin Arroyo mentioned that his team had added motivation to play a strong game against the Waves.
“The UOP loss hurt a lot,” Arroyo said. “We didn’t want to feel that way again.”
This time around, the 49ers gained separation early, as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead after one period.
The 49ers expanded on their lead with three goals in the second quarter. Spencer White capped it off when he used an evasive spin move to get past his defender and fire a shot near-side to beat Waves goalkeeper Bence Valics.
The 49ers remained in control in the second half, owing to their defense. The Beach never let the Waves close to within three goals after Nick Rascon opened the second half scoring.
After the UCLA game on Nov. 3, Arroyo had jokingly suggested that the only way to fix the 49ers transition defense was for his players to swim faster. It seems now that the team has found its stopper. Lappas got in the face of Waves perimeter attackers, pushing the Pepperdine offense backward and limiting its scoring chances.
Arroyo was glad to see his Greek recruit get comfortable with his own game with a new team.
“There’s always a transition period in coming to a new country,” Arroyo said. “It’s good to see him come out of his shell.”
For months, the players have been talking about being hungry for a playoff spot, and now they can taste the impending fulfillment of that goal.
“I’m very excited just like the rest of the team,” Lappas said. “We’re going to try to close it out.”
If the 49ers are unable to defeat the Anteaters, the 49ers would need a win at UC Santa Barbara next Saturday, or an Anteaters loss at UCLA.