No.1 ranked UCLA was too much for the Long Beach State men’s water polo team to handle on Sunday, as they suffered a crushing 11-4 loss on Senior Day.
The Bruins improved to 24-0 on the season while making a powerful statement that a second consecutive title is a very likely possibility.
“UCLA is a great team and they showed it,” LBSU head coach Gavin Arroyo said. “We played well, minus the second quarter when they went on their run. We had some solid opportunities that we couldn’t convert on.”
The 49ers (9-13) entered the contest with UCLA, knowing it would take a perfect performance to pull off the upset.
In the first period, senior goalie Pavo Ljepopio managed to hold the explosive Bruins offensive attack to two goals, but his teammates failed to generate any offense. In the second period, the wheels fell off for LBSU.
A barrage of seven goals from UCLA quickly killed any hopes of a 49er victory. Back-to-back goals from juniors Ryder Roberts and Patrick Fellner widened the gap to 4-0 before LBSU freshman Chandler Kaltenbach’s goal in the frontcourt finally got the 49ers on the board.
However, three consecutive goals from UCLA’s Alex Roelse, Max Irving and Daniel McClintock killed the brief momentum. A goal from 49ers senior Josh Tice was a quick afterthought when the Bruins tacked on two more goals to make it 9-2 at halftime.
Opening up the second half, UCLA’s McClintock would net his third goal, giving him a hat trick on the day. The lone bright spots for LBSU in the second half would be a goal for senior Zacchary Kappos and some amazing defensive saves from Ljepopio.
The third and fourth periods were more of a defensive showcase with very few goals being scored by either team. UCLA All-American Garrett Danner ended the day with 15 saves and the 49ers goalie Ljepopio would end the day with five.
It was an emotional final home game for many of the seniors, especially the Croatian goalie, Ljepopio.
“I had a lot of exciting days playing water polo at CSULB’s pool and I am definitely going to miss all of that,” Ljepopio said. “I’m not happy with the score at the end of our game, but I’m proud of my teammates for giving a lot of effort in the pool.
“Right now we need to put our heads up and get ready for LMU and two conference games this weekend [in Northern California] against Pacific and San Jose. I’m sure we can make this a good season if we do our best.”
Long Beach State will travel to Los Angeles to take on Loyola Marymount this Thursday at 3 p.m. before heading upstate for games against Pacific on Saturday at noon and San Jose State on Sunday at noon.