The perfect way to open a season is to come home with a perfect record, and that’s exactly what the Long Beach State men’s water polo team did this past weekend at the Triton Invitational.
Opponents of the tournament were left in devastation after the No. 6 Long Beach State men’s water polo team outscored all four teams (Pomona-Pitzer, La Verne, Loyola Marymount and Air Force) by at least 50 percent.
The Beach (4-0) was led by junior defender Zacchary Kappos, who scored a trio of goals during the opener against Pomona-Pitzer. Ten more 49ers scored at least one more to finish the game at 17-6.
Momentum helped LBSU open up the next game against La Verne with a 3-0 run, and led the Leopards 12-4 going into halftime.
Kappos once again scored a game-high four goals, with junior utility Dimitrios Lappas and junior attacker Nolan McConnell, each contributing three to help the team win 22-7.
The team kept the ball rolling on the following day as the 49ers finished LMU 12-6 after taking an 11-5 lead in the third quarter.
The more impressive showing would be the last game of the weekend against Air Force when the 49ers scored the first 10 goals of the game, ending their opponent’s misery with a 19-4 score.
Offense wasn’t the only weapon over the weekend since junior goalie Pavo Ljepopio made a total of 19 saves, while sophomore Caleb Schultz made six.
The 49ers will travel to UCLA this Saturday to face UCLA at 10:30 a.m. and Pepperdine at 4:45 p.m.