By: Jessica Jimenez — Staff Writer
San Jose State men’s water polo defense strategy in the Golden Coast Conference Tournament in Malibu was the strongest it had been all season.
Despite the 8-4 loss to No. 4 seed Long Beach State (18-12, 2-3 GCC), the Spartans sent their second game into double overtime earning a victory win 14-10 to No. 6 seed UC Irvine (7-16, 0-5 GCC).
SJSU concluded the season with a fifth place finish in the conference.
Defense, Defense, Defense
The No. 5 seed Spartans (8-19, 1-4 GCC) first day of the quarter finals started out with numerous turnovers over the Sharks, a blocked penalty shot by sophomore goalkeeper Yahav Fire, Adam Bado blocked an offense shot in the first quarter and sophomore Niels Hofmeijer blocked an attempt shot in the second.
The defensive tactics used were key in blocking shots, turnovers and assuming a quick dense position.
Defensive coverage by CSULB remained steady throughout the game rarely letting SJSU to capitalize on goals.
Without the Spartan’s defensive tactics and Fire’s saves the Sharks’ scoring could’ve been much higher.
On the second day, the semifinals drew out rage within the team.
Fire set up the offense while the defense remained tough between the Anteaters and the Spartans.
Three successful blocked shots in the perimeter helped SJSU have the upper-hand in the water.
Shots and Saves
SJSU and CSULB took the same amount of shots on goal at 26 a-piece although the team faced a four-goal deficit to the Sharks.
SJSU goal scoring key players were Bado and senior Marc Weber both hitting the back of the net with two goals each.
Each team had subsequent possession of the ball, but the Spartan’s failed multiple times to get past junior Shark goalkeeper Marwan Darwish.
Fire had seven saves with an average .467 save percentage against CSULB and had 13 saves against UCI with an average save percentage of .565.
Returning to the pool for the semifinals, SJSU scored on a penalty conversion shot that quickly fueled their fire.
Maintaining shooting momentum, Spartan senior Finn Pardon became the games’ all-star shooter. Scoring four goals total, he helped the team go into double overtime to end the game against the Anteaters.
With seven scorers, SJSU’s shots on goal went up by five since its previous game against CSULB.
Its average shooting percentage went from .154 in the quarterfinals to .452 in the semifinals.
Making a statement, Fire had an impressive 283 saves this year compared to 195 saves from the 2018 season. That is an additional 88 saves to close out the 2019 season.
Fought to win
Ending the season with one final win was how the team wanted to go out.
Facing multiple loses throughout the season, the Spartans continuously fought against each one of their opponents.
They went in previously losing to CSULB by four goals a few weeks ago just as they did in the quarterfinals and were able to trim the deficit late in the game.
A closer match with the Spartans, the Anteaters trailed behind in their last meeting and faced a five-goal deficit.
SJSU and UCI exchanged back and forth goals with no team having more than a one-goal lead.
The Spartans denied several passes leaving everything they had out in the water.
The team ended the season with a win they steadily strived for and needed.
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