The Long Beach State men’s water polo team will face the No. 1 team in the nation in Los Angeles on Saturday when they take on UCLA.
No. 6 LBSU (2-2) will also take on No. 7 UC Santa Barbara (3-1) for the second week in a row and No. 8 Pepperdine (1-1), all in the same day.
“They’re exhibition games, but It’s a great opportunity to play a lot of [teams] and see what we can do against the best,” head coach Gavin Arroyo said.
The 49ers will see if lightning does indeed strike twice. Last season the unthinkable occurred when LBSU delivered a huge upset by beating the Bruins (2-0) in the MPSF Tournament 9-3.
It was one of only three losses UCLA endured and the last defeat they would suffer before eventually winning the national championship.
LBSU, which trails the series with UCLA 20-73-1, will have their hands full trying to score on the Bruins with All-American Garrett Danner in front of the net. Danner only allowed eight total goals in UCLA’s first two games this season, and will prove to be a thorn in the side of a 49er team that often struggled to score in last week’s Triton Invitational.
“We stressed a couple of things [this weekend], like trying to be emotionally stable and just learning how to compete regardless of the score,” Arroyo said.
The Bruins have throttled both of their opponents this season with wins over UC Davis and Concordia, which totaled 34-8 in the scoring department. In their win over Concordia, 13 players got their names in the scoring column, showing just how much depth the defending champions are bringing into this anticipated match-up.
LBSU will go as far as senior stars Zaccary Kappos and Dimitrios Lappas will take them. Lappas has 7 goals on the year and will have to be a major focus of UCLA’s game plan.
The youth on the 49ers roster will have to be relied upon again to make an impact. LBSU goalie Pavo Ljepopio, who has already garnered 40 saves on the year, will face an onslaught of shots and will need to produce an incredible defensive performance to rival UCLA’s Danner as the best goalie in the game.
The 49ers face the Bruins in the opening game of the UCLA Invitational on Saturday at 8 a.m. followed by UCSB at 10:30 a.m. and Pepperdine at 3:30 p.m.