By Austin Badzik (@austinbadzik15):
San Jose State men’s water polo team (13-10, 1-2) brutal schedule continues at home this weekend on November 3, as they take on No.7 Long Beach State, and No.3 UCLA.
The Spartans are coming off a tough weekend as the team failed to pick up a win against No 7 Pepperdine or No. 1 USC. The team suffered a heartbreaking loss to Pepperdine 9-8, then got handed a 24-8 loss to the nation’s best team.
It was a back and forth battle until the Waves started to get some separation with three unanswered goals to take a 9-6 lead.
The Waves held off the Spartans in the final minutes, to secure the victory. Pepperdine remains No.8 overall.
The Spartans got flat out manhandled by USC suffering a 16 point loss, however breakout freshman Jacob Mercep continued his greatness as he had four goals on the day.
The team’s schedule doesn’t getting any easier as it faces off against two top 10 teams this weekend. The Spartans will face No.7 Long Beach State at 7:00 pm Friday and face off against No. 3 UCLA at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
UCLA has been of of the more dominant teams in the this year as the team has accumulated 89 points. The Bruins are 16-2 on this season and is going to be one of the toughest challenges for the Spartans all season.
A player to watch for in this one is senior Matt Farmer who was just named the MPSF/KAP7 player of the week. Farmer is coming off a four goal performance in a wild shootout against No.5 ranked Pacific.
First up for the Spartans is Long Beach State (11-11,1-2).
Sophomore attacker Austin Stewart is the team’s biggest threat in the water, the star player leads the team with 39 goals and 5 assists. Not only does Stewart like to score but he likes to shoot. a lot.
The sophomore has taken 97 shots on this season which is 30 more than teammate sophomore Nemanja Bakic who has 32 goals on just 67 shots. Bakic has a scoring percentage of .478, second highest to senior Duncan Lynde who 29 goals with an absurd shooting percentage of .558.
The Spartans Took on Long Beach State twice last season and failed to come away with victory. Long Beach State has yet to see the young phenom, as Mercep plans to lead the Spartans to victory.
This is going to be one of the more difficult challenges the Spartans will face all year as they face not one but two potent offences. The Spartans have a lot to prove this weekend as they face off against the nation’s best.