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In front of a sold-out crowd at the Anteater Aquatics Complex in Irvine, Calif., top-seed Long Beach State powered past No. 4 seed UC San Diego, 11–8, in Saturday’s first Semifinal matchup of the 2025 Big West Men’s Water Polo Championship.
2025 regular-season champion LBSU wasted little time establishing rhythm despite UCSD opening the scoring at 7:07. After the Tritons briefly held a 2–1 edge, the Beach answered with goals from Gabi Acosta, Zalan Nagy, and Sandro Pueyo, flipping the match to a 3–2 advantage before closing the first quarter ahead 3–2. UCSD kept the early exchanges close, but the Beach’s balanced attack ultimately dictated pace.
The second period proved decisive as Long Beach State strung together another three-goal frame behind finishes from Toring Stanley, Pueyo, and Acosta. With the Beach defense tightening and goalkeeper Joseph Jenness in command, LBSU built a 6–3 halftime lead while limiting the Tritons to just one second-quarter goal.
Long Beach State continued to apply pressure in the third, extending its margin to 9–4. Corbin Stanley and Marc Frigola delivered key scores, and Acosta added a third tally as LBSU capitalized on transition opportunities and steady 5-on-6 execution. UCSD briefly halted the run with a buzzer-beating strike from Reef Lippa, but the Beach entered the final eight minutes firmly ahead.
The Tritons staged a late surge in the fourth, outscoring LBSU 4–2 behind goals by Lucas Romaguera, Lippa, Mark Laurlund, and Mason Presley. However, the Beach continued to respond under pressure, with Harper Stewart and Acosta adding insurance markers to close out the match.
Long Beach State finished with an efficient .440 shooting percentage (11-for-25), led by Acosta’s game-high four goals, while Pueyo and Frigola each recorded two. Stewart’s all-around performance (1 goal, 3 assists, 1 steal) fueled the Beach attack, and Jenness anchored the defense with 14 saves and a .636 save percentage.
UC San Diego, paced by two goals apiece from Lippa, Presley, and Buzov, closed strong but could not overcome LBSU’s early control.
The Tritons outshot the Beach 36–25 but converted just 22 percent of their attempts.
LBSU improves to 17–8 on the season and moves on to face the winner of the No. 2 UCSB/No. 3 UCD in the Big West Championship. UCSD concludes its season at 21–10.
Gallery: (11-22-2025) 25 MWP Champs: No. 1 LBSU vs No. 4 UCSD