By Christian Vieyra (@thecvieyra)– Spear Reporter | Photo by Nick Orozco | Spartans’ Freshman Mitchell Keightley looks to score in match against Santa Clara on Oct. 12 at the Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center.
SJSU men’s water polo defeated crosstown rival Santa Clara 12-7 on Oct. 12 at the Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center.
The no. 13 Spartans (4-5) garnered their first home win after a strong start to the match against the no. 16 Broncos (9-8).
“I think it shows that all the hard work that they did in the last few months really pays off. They’ve been working hard and it’s great to play in front of their fans, their friends, their families,” said head coach Gabor Sarusi on the Spartans playing at home.
In the second quarter, the Broncos tied the match 5-5 after SJSU put up four straight goals to start the match.
“Our defense was bad but we need to improve so we could be with the best teams because our goal is the top level,” said freshman goalkeeper Brendon Gyapjas.
SJSU gained the lead 7-5 before halftime and added to it throughout the second half.
“I felt like they reacted better in the second half and stopped doing some of the mental mistakes that we were doing in the first half,” Sarusi said. “We got to limit the mistakes that we make and we have a chance to be a good team by the end of the season.”
Senior Márk Kis, sophomore Nikki Matheisen, senior Gal Haimovich and junior Bence Szabo led the way for SJSU with two goals each.
Gyapjas played the full match in front of the net and finished with 12 saves.
SJSU men’s water polo will have a quick turnaround to Colorado, facing Air Force at 12 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 14 at the Cadet Natatorium at U.S. Air Force Academy.