Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme) – Spear Reporter
San Jose State men’s water polo (10-13, 0-4 GCC) lost to Long Beach State (18-8, 3-1 GCC) on Saturday afternoon at the Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center 13-10.
Junior utility player Nikola Nikolic scored early in the game, starting the Spartans off on the right foot.
A flurry of goals ensued between the Spartans and the Beach, and as the water settled the score was tied at 3-3. The final play of the period was a save by SJSU sophomore goalkeeper Jamie Steingraf.
Senior utility player Garrett Zaan kicked off the second period for Long Beach State with a quick goal.
The following four possessions were a series of turnovers by both teams.
Sophomore utility player Bende Pardi found the back of the net to make the score 4-4.
The rest of the period played out closely with goals coming from both sides. Nikolic found twine again in the game to give the Spartans a 6-5 lead.
The momentum shifted entirely in Long Beach State’s favor as junior goalkeeper Andrej Bosanac made a series of key saves down the stretch.
The Spartans offense dried up and had four empty possessions in a row while LBSU surged forward.
Facing a 10-6 deficit, the blue-and-gold would responded with a goal from freshman middle back Javi Ibanez.
Due to an over-exuberant celebration, Ibanez earned himself a yellow card. By the end of the match, SJSU men’s water polo finished with three yellow cards.
The fourth period continued to be Long Beach State’s game as the lead grew to 13-9.
Nikolic tallied his third goal of the day at the 1:47 mark of the fourth period.
That ended up being the last goal of the day for either team as the final whistle blew.
“It was one of our best efforts this season. The guys battled and created a close game,” said SJSU head coach Bruce Watson.
SJSU men’s water polo’s next game will be on Sunday at home against University of California, Berkley at 12 p.m.