By Austin Badzik (@austinbadzik15):
San Jose States men’s water polo (11-12, 1-3) team had a wild shootout with Long Beach State(12-11, 2-2) on Friday night where the Beach took down the Spartans in the final seconds of a 10-9 thriller.
The Spartans were plenty motivated coming into this one as the Beach beat the Spartans in both contests last year. Scoring was found early in this one as the first period was filled with back and forth action. Totalling in seven goals scored between the two teams.
Two of Long Beach State’s best got on the board early. Redshirt sophomore Austin Stewart and sophomore attacker Nemanja Bakic both had goals of their own in the first period, giving the team a 4-3 lead after one period.
At the 2:38 mark in the second period, Spartans’ star Freshman Jacob Mercep slinged one through the back of the net and tying things up at 5-5.
Just a minute later the freshman assisted junior utility man Bendeguz Toth, giving the Spartans their first lead in the game.
The Spartans lead didn’t last for long as Senior center Duncan Lynde tied the game with just over a minute left in the period.
Nobody could seem to pull away as the game was tied 6-6 through two periods. Goals were exchanged within the first minute of the second half. Sophomore Giacomo Lovatelli tied the game 7-7 on a one-timer at the 5:01 mark. Lovatelli had three goals on the day giving the utility player a hat trick.
It was a back and forth battle all the way up until the final seconds of the game until Bakic rifled in a game-winning goal for the Beach with just eight seconds left.
Following a disappointing game against Long Beach, the team had a day to rest before they faced off against powerhouse UCLA.
The Bruins were looking to get back on track after a 7-5 loss to Stanford. UCLA was in charge of this game from start to finish as they didn’t waste much time as they got off to a an early 2-0 lead and didn’t look back.
Bruins senior center Matt Farmer had a perfect shooting percentage, with three goals on three shots to carry his team to victory. Senior Alex Roelse had a big game as well with two goals and an assist.
Despite the Bruins handling the Spartans from start to finish in this one, there were a few bright spots for the team.
Junior driver Cade Baldridge assisted Luka Cupic on a one timer at the end of the first period. Baldridge wasn’t done as he slinged one through the back of the cage at the 3:19 mark in the third period, the junior had two points on the day.
Freshmen Luka Cupic also had a good game, scoring two goals on two shots. Mercep led both teams with six shots on the game, the driver had a goal and an assist on the day.
The Spartans have now dropped four tough matches and will look to find themselves back in the win column when they face off against Pacific Friday, November 10th.