Long Beach State water polo fans have had their emotions placed on a pendulum this season.
Yes, you have read all about the non-participation of Dan Matulis and Nick Rascon. It is painful for all 49er followers. These misfortunes served to temper the expectations for The Beach this year.
Then, LBSU ran the table at the Triton Invitational, including a win over a tough Loyola Marymount squad. Fooled me once.
The young 49ers seemed to be just fine. Pavo Ljepopio had acquitted himself suitably as a replacement for the departed Balint Meszaros.
Not so fast. The Beach lost to unranked Concordia in its next game. How could we forgive the 49ers for this lapse in performance?
Head coach Gavin Arroyo and company gave us the answer we were looking for this weekend at the NorCal Tournament in Berkeley.
Ninth-ranked LBSU (9-3) won its opener at the tournament, defeating No. 8 LMU for the second time this season.
Although the 49ers went on to secure another win against No. 10 Pepperdine, the victory against the Lions was the biggest and most positive thing to happen to LBSU at the tournament.
The LMU game represents the highest ranked-competition The Beach beat at Berkeley, but that is not the reason to get excited.
Most importantly, the opening-round win gave the 49ers the opportunity to face three Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opponents before conference play begins.
The 49ers earned the right to compete against fourth-ranked Cal and No. 6 UC Santa Barbara.
LBSU’s defense was exposed against the Golden Bears, as they gave up 15 goals in a five-goal loss on Saturday.
After making some overnight adjustments, the 49ers buckled down in the defensive zone to hold the Gauchos to five goals on Saturday.
We earmarked the Nor Cal tournament as the first true test for the 49ers this season. The Concordia upset proved us wrong, but the 49ers righted their wrong.
The SoCal Tournament at UC Irvine will provide the next chance for The Beach to battle the best in the game. LBSU could see an improvement in the rankings before then.
LMU and Pepperdine are the most likely first-round opponents for LBSU at the SoCal Tournament, provided they do not slip in their next five games.
The Beach (9-3) will host Princeton on Friday before taking on Chapman, Whittier, Cal-Baptist and Pomona-Pitzer at the Claremont Convergence Tournament. Of those five, only Princeton (No. 13) is ranked.
LBSU appears to have put the Concordia loss behind them, but a loss to any of those teams would raise many of the same questions about the 49ers’ focus and leadership.
Whatever twists and turns remain for the 49ers, we will be weighing in. Please stand by.
