LBSU wins first conference match, clinches spot in tournament
The 49ers won their first conference match of the year in a victory over the University of Pacific, 13-6, on Sunday at the 49er Campus Pool.
No. 10 Long Beach State (13-16, 1-6) dominated the No. 18 Tigers to ensure a spot in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Tournament.
The first quarter was the closest the Tigers came to the 49ers, with only a two-goal differential separating the teams.
By the end of the second quarter, the 49ers led by four goals and the end of the third showed LBSU firmly in control with a six-goal lead.
By the fourth quarter, goalkeeper Derek Wiebe-Bailey was relieved by George Alberson, who would only allow one goal.
LBSU’s Pavle Filipovic led the scoring with a hat trick, followed by two goals apiece from Justin Koeppen, Kevin Mundia, and Jake Kinne. Wiebe-Bailey had nine saves and Alberson had four.
Up next for the 49ers is a third match-up with No. 9 UC Irvine, Saturday at the 49er Campus Pool.
‘Niners fall in sudden death to No. 4 California
Long Beach State fell to the No. 4 California Golden Bears in sudden-death double overtime, 11-10, Saturday at 49er Campus Pool.
Within the first 30 seconds of overtime, the Golden Bears took their first lead since the end of the first quarter, going up 9-8.
No. 10 LBSU had a 6-on-5 opportunity but with no conversion. With only 19 seconds separating Long Beach from their inevitable loss, Aleksander Petrovic came up with a clutch goal — his third of the night — to keep the 49ers fighting and force a second period of overtime.
There were missed opportunities for both teams in the second overtime. However, with only 16 seconds remaining and a 6-on-5 advantage, Pavle Filipovic found the net to retake the lead, 10-9. The 49ers couldn’t make a stop, and just seconds later, Cal’s Trent Calder made a goal to carry the game into sudden death.
In sudden death, Derek Wiebe-Bailey, who finished with 11 saves, worked his magic in the cage by coming up with two tremendous saves. Yet, the third time was the charm for the Golden Bears, who floated the ball past Wiebe-Bailey’s reaching fingertips to walk away with the win.
LBSU had gone into the fourth quarter leading, 7-5. The lead increased to 8-5 after Kevin VanHaaster pounded the ball into the net, making it the largest lead of the night. However, from that point, Cal took control and went on a three-goal run, including a goal by Calder to tie the game at 8 and send it to overtime.
While the first half was fairly evenly matched, the third quarter was all LBSU.
The 49ers went on a three-goal run to take a 7-4 lead. Two of the three goals were made by Ashley Blythen, who had three goals on the night along with Petrovic.
Big props to Derek, you did a great job man