By Anthony Lucido — Reporter
San Jose State men’s water polo (16-15) was stopped in its tracks 8-4 in its second game of the Golden Coast Conference Tournament semifinal against CSU Long Beach (21-5) on Saturday.
Splashing in the dark waters of Irvine, the Beaches struck quickly and gained the first goal a few minutes into the first period.
Historically, Long Beach ended its seasons with a positive ratio and this season is no different with it holding a prodigious score of 21-5.
Likewise, the Spartans have never won a single match against the Beaches.
With Long Beach being such an oppressive opponent, SJSU played a slow game of defense with senior goalkeeper Yahav Fire staving off the Beaches’ offense.
In the second minute of the second period, SJSU got on the board 1-1 during a powerplay from freshman utility Laszlo Szieben.
The game continued at a slow and defensive pace with the Spartans holding a 5-2 lead at the end of the third period.
The flood gates broke loose by the fourth period after Long Beach took control of the game by making four goals and ending the match 8-4.
Notable SJSU athletes in this game were Szieben with two goals under his belt and senior 2-meter defender Neil Arnett and sophomore utility Gal Haimovich making one goal each.
Fire also did an excellent job this game defending and matching the Beaches’ junior goalkeeper Andrej Bosanac’s 11 saves.
The Spartans end their 2021 season being defeated by Long Beach in the second round of the Golden Coast Conference Tournament semifinals and ending their overall 2021 season with a positive scoring ratio of 16-15.
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