By Anfisa Pitchkhadze – Spear Reporter | Then sophomore Maro Tiozzo in position to shoot during a 2023 matchup against Pepperdine on Nov. 4. (Photo by Andrew Hartley)
San Jose State men’s water polo (0-1) kicked off its season opener with a matchup against No. 5 UC Berkeley (5-1) at the Aggie Invite Saturday afternoon in Davis, Calif.
The No. 12 ranked Spartans put up a fight but came up just short with a 10-8 loss.
The third period was the strongest for SJSU as the offense scored four goals in less than four minutes.
SJSU senior Jamie Steingraf scored two goals in the period that were a minute and a half apart.
Steingraf’s goals gave the Spartans an offensive boost to tie the score at 6-6.
Juniors Mael Suchet and Maro Tiozzo also scored in the third for the Spartans.
Suchet scored with 6:02 remaining while Tiozzo scored right before the period ended. SJSU outscored UC Berkeley 4-2 and Tiozzo’s goal propelled the Spartans’ only lead of the game at 7-6.
Prior to the strong third period, the Spartans struggled to get the offense going.
A rough first period resulted in SJSU being outscored 3-1. SJSU’s defense could not contain UC Berkeley’s attacking offense and struggled to get the ball into the net. The Spartans only goal in the period came from junior Mateja Bosić.
SJSU was able to outscore UC Berkeley 2-1 in the second period with goals from Bosić and freshman Samu Biros.
Bosić’s two goals made it a close 4-3 contest at halftime. Though Bosić and Steingraf led the team with two goals apiece, it was not enough to secure a win.
UC Berkeley showcased a stronger defensive performance which caused SJSU’s offense to struggle, especially in the fourth period where the Spartans got outscored 4-1.
Golden Bear freshman goalkeeper Riley Clansen had 10 saves which played a crucial role in limiting the Spartans’ scoring chances.
The Golden Bears’ offense spoiled a 20-save performance from Spartan sophomore goalkeeper Brendon Gyapjas. UC Berkeley senior Max Casabella and junior Bende Pardi both scored three goals to help secure the win.
Pardi had previously played water polo for SJSU during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The former Spartan put on a hat-trick performance against his former school.
SJSU has a long way to go in the 2024 season, but the team put up a competitive performance in its first game against the No. 5 ranked team in the country.
The Spartans will continue to play at the Aggie Invite all weekend as they are scheduled to play three more games to start the season.
