Struggling through the weekend against top competition, the No. 5-ranked men’s water polo team finished the SoCal Tournament 1-3, with each match decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Waves began the tournament with a narrow 11-9 victory over the host team, Long Beach State, on Saturday.
They started off hot, jumping to a 6-2 lead in the first quarter, but at the half the Waves fell behind the 49ers (8-5) and played catch-up for the remainder of the match.
It was not until the final quarter that the team mustered enough defensive strength to hold Long Beach scoreless, and enough offensive presence to net two goals to claim the win.
Utility player senior Nathan Castillo took charge of the team with three goals. Juniors Matthew DeTrane and Spencer Hamby and captain senior Andrew Milcovich contributed two goals apiece.
Later in the day, the water polo team faced then-No. 4-ranked Stanford, which ended in a tough 7-6 loss.
Neither team ever by for more than a point.
The even match-up resulted in a low-scoring tie 3-3 by half time.
Both teams then added two goals within the third quarter, knotting up the score once again at 5-5.
In the final quarter the Cardinal’s managed to to only allow one Waves goal, allowing Stanford to emerge victorious.
Milcovich led the team with two goals.
With a hard-fought win and a heart-breaking loss under their belt, the Waves had no easier task on Sunday against UC Irvine and Pacific.
The Waves allowed both teams to squeeze by, as they lost to UC Irvine 15-12 and Pacific 11-9.
In the first game versus Irvine, the team took charge with a significant 8-4 lead by the half and a 9-5 lead through the middle of the third quarter. The game appeared to mirror the team’s jump-the-gun start against Long Beach.
However, this time they were not able to fend off their opponent as the Waves allowed the Anteaters to tie up the game in the fourth quarter.
The strong comeback by Irvine carried over into first overtime period as the Anteaters dominated 3-0, and neither team scored in the second overtime period.
Attempting to regain composure entering the second match of the day against the Tigers, the team was unable to close the tournament off with a win, falling in overtime 11-9.
“We didn’t lose games this weekend because the teams were tougher than we are,” Milcovich said. “We were neck and neck with the other teams, and unfortunately things didn’t go our way.
“It came down to the small, easy-to-fix things. The small details on defense.”
The Waves have a chance to avenge their loss to the now No. 1-ranked Stanford as they begin conference play at the Cardinal’s pool Friday at 7 p.m.
“At their home pool we are expecting a rowdy crowd,” Milcovich said. “But after our experience this weekend, from being tied with them right there in the fourth quarter, and now knowing that Stanford is ranked No. 1 in the nation, we have confidence playing against them.
“We can win [the match] if we have our top players step up, rise to the calling and push for the win instead of a 1 point loss.”
