By In a season where second-half-droughts have defined the Long Beach State men’s water polo team, the pattern continued in a weekend split at the Campus Pool Saturday.
The Beach dropped a 9-8 nail-biter against UC San Diego (14-2), but came out on top against Pomona-Pitzer, winning 15-10.
In the first game, against No.4 UC San Diego, The Beach got off to an early 3-1 lead in the first quarter, but then lost the lead in the second quarter, yielding three unanswered goals.
The Beach regained the lead in the third quarter, outscoring the Tritons 3-1, to take a 6-5 lead into the final frame.
But The Beach let the lead slip away in the fourth quarter as UC San Diego scored four times in the final quarter to win the game.
In a losing effort, Nick Korsgaden led The Beach with three goals and Jeff Greenwood and Greg Henneman had two each.
Against Pomona-Pitzer (4-9), The Beach overcame an early push but used a season-high 15 goals to put the match away and end the night on a good note.
After a 6-2 lead in the second quarter, Pomona-Pitzer rallied with three consecutive goals to pull within one. The Beach answered with five consecutive goals, ridding the rally behind Steve MacKenzie’s 10 saves.
As a team, The Beach ended the night with 23 total goals. Greenwood led the way with seven goals and Jay Gerardi and Korsgaden each had four.
