Walnut, Calif. – In a gritty and competitive matchup, the Mt. SAC Men's Water Polo team came up short against South Coast Conference rival Long Beach City College, falling 15-8 on Wednesday, October 15. With the loss, the Mounties drop to 11-8 overall and 2-1 in conference play, while the Vikings improve to 12-4 and remain unbeaten in the SCC at 3-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Mounties came out strong in the first half, keeping pace with the Vikings in a tightly contested opening two quarters. Trevor Davis opened the scoring for Mt. SAC three minutes into the match. Long Beach responded late in the first, but Jacob Carlson converted a five-meter penalty shot with 26 seconds remaining. A Viking powerplay goal tied the score at 2-2 to close the quarter.
In the second period, Long Beach struck first with goals from Maxwell Earhart and Federico Gulisano. The Mounties answered back with goals from Nazareth Longoria-Morasky and Andon Hanson to level the match again. However, the Vikings snuck in a final goal before the half, taking a narrow 5-4 lead into the break.
The tide turned in the third quarter, where Long Beach dominated with an 8-goal surge. Gulisano tallied two quick goals, and although Mt. SAC pulled within one thanks to scores from Longoria-Morasky and Carlson, the Vikings responded with six unanswered goals. Nicolas Flores managed a late powerplay goal for the Mounties, but Long Beach carried a commanding 13-7 lead into the fourth.
In a defensively intense final period, scoring slowed on both sides. Carlson netted the final goal for the Mounties, but the Vikings added two more to seal the win.
In goal, Long Beach's Griffin Lagsdin played a pivotal role with 11 saves, consistently shutting down Mt. SAC's offensive efforts and helping preserve the Vikings' lead. On the other end, Mountie goalkeepers Michael Hale and Tyler Johnson combined for eight saves but struggled to slow Long Beach's relentless attack.
NEXT UP:
The Mounties will look to break their four-game losing streak, when they hit the road for a conference matchup against El Camino (3-10) on Wednesday, October 22 at 3:00 PM.
STAY CONNECTED:
Follow Mt. SAC Men's Water Polo on twitter @mtsacaquatics or Instagram /mtsacaquatics/
Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on twitter @MtSAC_athletics Instagram /mtsac_athletics/ or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics
For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.
