Long Beach State fell to Stanford 9-8 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship game Sunday afternoon at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center.
With just 29 seconds left and the game tied at eight, the ritual “Pavo! Pavo! Pavo!” chant echoed through the stands as the 49er goalie, Pavo Ljepopio, prepared to defend his cage with a chance to win the title on the line.
Fourteen seconds later, Cardinal junior driver BJ Churnside scored the game-winning goal, leaving LBSU with only 15 seconds to force an overtime match. The 49ers were unable to hold onto the ball, losing their automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“[Stanford] executed at the end,” head coach Gavin Arroyo said. “We had the chance to win the two-meter shots and didn’t get [them]. And that’s just the way it goes in these types of games.”
Cardinal head coach John Vargas said it was a battle playing against The Beach, but he said he knew what made the difference in his team’s hard-fought win.
“I give a lot of credit to [LBSU],” Vargas said. “But I think it was our 5-man [power play] that made the difference. I believe we were kicked out 10 times, and I think they were kicked out only three times.”
There were no exact number of exclusions recorded, but it was definitely visible that the 49ers drew more than Stanford did.
Arroyo and senior Nick Rascon believed that Saturday’s tough semi-final win against No.1 UCLA caused some fatigue that contributed to the team’s difficulty playing the finals match. But senior Devin Mefford thought both teams were equally capable of winning.
“They’re a great team with great players, but I think it was that they got the last possession with a 6-on-5 advantage,” Mefford said. “And if we had the last possession with a 6-on-5, we would put it away too.”
The 49ers (22-7, 7-3 MPSF) grabbed a 2-0 lead with a dominating first quarter. Junior Zacchary Kappos scored the first goal during a 6-on-5 power play. Junior Nolan McConnell scored on a 5-meter penalty shot drawn by senior Dan Matulis.
The Cardinal (25-3, 7-1 MPSF) responded in the second quarter with two quick goals of its own, and netted another from the perimeter to get ahead of The Beach 3-2 at halftime.
After Stanford took a 5-3 lead in the third, Kappos and senior Joey Fabian each scored to tie the game once again at 5-5. From there, it went back-and-forth the rest of the way.
Senior Ricardo Guimaraes gave the 49ers an 8-7 lead, but the team couldn’t close The Cardinal out, letting Stanford score the final two goals for the title win.
It’s not certain whether LBSU’s season is over yet. There is a chance for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but Arroyo said it was doubtful.
“That game was a loss, but the season was definitely a victory,” Mefford said. “I wouldn’t take back a second of the five years I’ve been here.”
No playoffs again for LBSU. Seriously, the NCAA needs to expand the number of teams that participate in this tournament.