49ers Knocks Off UCI In Opener, 8-7
Tomassi Scores Game-Winning Goal
September 20, 2003 Irvine, CA-- 49er freshman Reid Tomassi scored in sudden-victory overtime to lift Long Beach State past UC Irvine, 8-7, in the opening game of the Southern California Men's Water Polo Tournament at the Anteater Aquatics Complex Saturday. The 49ers then fell to #1-ranked USC 9-7 in their afternoon game. The 49ers are 5-2 on the year and ranked #8 in the nation.
In the morning contest the two teams traded goals in the regular overtime session of two three-minute periods before Tomassi connected on a power-play goal 2:25 into sudden victory. Tomassi had scored an extra-man goal with 16 seconds remaining in the regular overtime to tie the game at 7-7. UCI senior Phil Garcia scored on a breakaway to give the Anteaters a 7-6 lead with 2:18 left in overtime before Tomassi scored his back-to-back goals.
Erik Geoffroy led the 49ers (5-1) with four goals and Tomassi added three. Garcia and Rick Merlo scored three goals apiece for UCI (3-4). Thomas Onyshko had six goalie saves for The Beach.
In the second game, USC sophomore Juraj Zatovic scored the eventual game-winning goal with 1:49 left in the third quarter to give No. 1 USC a 9-7 win over the 49ers. With the victory, USC moves into Sunday's championship semifinals. Jason Palda and Tomassi scored back-to-back goals at 6:36 and 4:16, respectively, of the third quarter to give the 49ers a 6-5 lead. Zatovic tied the game with a goal at 3:03 and then his power-play goal later in the third gave USC the lead for good at 7-6. Gadi Hadar scored a pair of goals in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 9-6 and the Trojans held on for the victory.
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT1 | OT2 | SV | FINAL | | Long Beach State | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | | UC Irvine | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
Scoring:
LBSU: Geoffroy 4, Tomassi 3, Allard 1
UCI: Garcia 3, Merlo 3, Bassett 1
Saves: Onyshko (LBSU) 6, Wynne (UCI) 7
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL | | Long Beach State | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | | USC | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
Scoring:
LBSU: Tomassi 2, Geoffroy 2, Bartak, Palda, Del Grande.
USC: Zatovic 3, Hadar 3, Shin 2, Damjanov.
Saves: Onyshko (LBSU) 9; Damjanovic (USC) 6, Ricci (USC) 1. |
