By Carlos Reyes (@CarlosReyesSJ) – Spear Reporter
San Jose State men’s water polo (2-3, 0-0 GCC) faced off against University of the Pacific (7-1, 0-0 GCC) in the team’s second matchup of the day at the Aggie Roundup in Davis, CA on Saturday, Sept. 17. SJSU looked to build on their earlier win against CBU.
First Half
The first quarter showed a lot of back and forth between both teams, as they traded blows early in the match.
Freshman attacker Javi Ibanez continues to shine early in the season, as he is credited with two assists and a beautiful goal in the opening minutes of the match. Utility sophomore Bende Pardi joined in on the festivities with a goal and an assist to help the Spartans take a 4-3 lead with two minutes remaining in the first period.
The Tigers’ offense quickly responded with two goals of their own in order to reclaim their lead as the first period drew to an end 5-4 in favor of UOP.
SJSU opened up the second quarter with a dramatic shot from utility sophomore Laszlo Szieben that rebounded off the water, grazed the bottom of the crossbar, and found the back of the net.
Pardi and utility junior Gal Haimovich each took advantage of penalty shots in the third period to help contribute to the score sheets. The Tigers retaliated with a score from the penalty marker as well, to end the half in their favor, 9-7.
SJSU looked to even up the match before the whistle with two shots that were unfortunately denied by the crossbar.
Second Half
The Spartan’s offense stalled early in the third quarter as the Tigers quickly took advantage of a sleeping defense and went on a 3-0 run to start the half.
SJSU was forced to take a timeout in a desperate attempt to slow down UOP’s relentless attack. Head coach Bruce Watson’s words during the break motivated Pardi and Ibanez to find the back of the net to decrease the deficit to 13-9.
The offensive struggles for the Spartans trickled over into the fourth quarter, as they failed to find the net in the remaining eight minutes of the match.
At its heart, UOP dominated the entire second half with its incredible ball movement and efficient shooting. It was a field day for the Tigers’ sophomore attacker, Mihailo Vukasic, as he swam away with four goals and five assists.
SJSU hopes to find a better result against Navy on Sunday, Sept. 18th in Davis, Calif.