By Brianna Huffmaster – Spear Editor | SJSU goalkeeper Brendon Gyapjas in action during a game against George Washington University on Sept. 19 (Photo by Nick Orozco – Co-Executive Editor of The Spear)
A hot October Saturday called for water polo at the Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center. No. 11 San Jose State men’s water polo (5-2, 1-0 WCC) hosted the Big West – WCC Challenge and played a doubleheader against two Big West teams.
The first game was an early morning matchup against No. 12 UC Santa Barbara (13-6, 0-0 Big West) which resulted in a 16-13 SJSU victory and extended the winning streak to six.
Game two was a physical back-and-forth game versus No. 17 UC Davis (8-8, 0-0 Big West). It came down to the final minutes but the Spartans were unable to keep their winning streak alive with a narrow 11-9 loss.
A combination of Spartan offensive turnovers and falling behind defensively to a fast paced Aggie offense was the story of the first half.
The Spartans never led in the game but were able to tie it up at four midway through the second period. However, the Aggies scored four unanswered that put the Spartans in a 8-4 hole going into halftime.
SJSU head coach Gabor Sarusi focused on defensive adjustments going into the second half.
“We tried to clean up our defense a little bit more [for the second half],” Sarusi said. “We tried to reset our minds and try not to adjust for [UC Davis].”
The halftime adjustments proved to be productive as SJSU only surrendered three goals to UC Davis. Spartan goalkeeper Brendon Gyapjas collected seven out of his eight saves in the latter half.
Another contributor to the defensive play was sophomore Mitchell Keightley who recorded four second half steals.
“I was proud of the team with the [second half play],” Gyapjas said. “We were able to come back, which means we have a good heart.”
Along with the defensive adjustments, the offense scored five goals but came up just short when the game clock hit zero.
Freshman Samu Biros led the Spartans with three goals while senior Bence Szabo wasn’t far behind with two goals.
The Spartans outshot the Aggies 29-27 but weren’t able to take full control.
In order to win tight contests, the Spartans know they have to stay in control the entire 32 minutes of the game. If they fall at any point, it can be harder to come back, especially against competitive teams.
“We can’t let our opponents score eight times in the first half,” Biros said. “That’s where we messed up the game.”
SJSU will now focus on a big conference game against No. 5 Pacific.
“[Pacific] is definitely our conference rival,” Sarusi said. “Last year was the first year we beat them so I know it’s going to be a big battle.”
Luckily the Spartans will be in their own backyard for the big WCC rivalry game. The matchup is scheduled for noon on Friday at the Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center.
