Long Beach State University Athletics
Vets top young guns in Alumni Game
9/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Sept. 26, 2010
Long Beach, Calif. - The former 49ers may have won the scoreboard battle, 19-10, but there were no losers in this year's annual Long Beach State men's water polo Alumni Game, Saturday at the 49er Pool.
The event was much more than just a game; it turned out to be a great opportunity for the current crop of 49ers to meet some Long Beach State legends that came before them.
"As coaches we are always trying to give our younger athletes a perspective, which is always hard to do. It's good to see the interaction between the current players and the older players to see what they are doing now, and the experience of being a student-athlete and how much it's appreciated once you're far removed from it," head coach Gavin Arroyo said. "To see the alumni come out to have fun and talk about the old days just reinforces the sacredness of what we do on a daily basis."
For some returning veterans like Justin Koeppen (Class of 2010), it hasn't been that long, but for others like Steve Snyder (`71), it's been almost 40 years. Snyder said that this year's Alumni Game meant a little bit more because of the unique opportunity to play in a game against his son - sophomore Barry Snyder.
"It was an awesome feeling to be able to play with my son and I'm proud to watch him participate and be a part of this great program," Snyder said.
The alumni team had a good turnout this year - at least one player from every decade since the 1960's was represented.
Koeppen led the way for the vets with a game-high four goals. Brad Scoles (`05) and former 49er player and assistant coach, Stefan Ludecke, each notched hat tricks in the game. Some other LBSU legends to find the back of the cage included Kevin vanHaaster (`08), Nick Korsgaden (`08), Ash Blythen (`09), Clint Wilson (`08), Eric Benson ('09), Pavle Filipovic ('10), Darin Blizzard ('89) and others.
"I like coming here to see the younger players and how they're progressing. I also like seeing the older players and getting back together with them to have some fun and laughs," Blizzard said. "It's tough going up against these young guys because we're not as fast as we used to be. Our minds still think like we're young, but our bodies don't follow. It's a lot of fun though."
Blizzard and former 49er, Tom Onyshko (`05) currently play on a men's water polo master's squad together. Onyshko said he likes coming back to continue a tradition he learned during his playing days.
"What I like most about coming to the Alumni Game is the camaraderie and tradition," Onyshko said. "When I was here it was always a big tradition to play with the older guys and now that I'm on the older side, I'm just trying to keep the tradition alive."
Some current 49ers to score in the game were Justin Koeppen, Brian Schiefer, Dan Matulis, Matt Farrington, Taylor Clute, Patrick van der Linde and Will Mathison among others.
"Sometimes it's a grind being a student-athlete, and no one said it was easy," Arroyo said. "These are relationships and bonds that they're forming for a lifetime. I think that's the neat part about it."
Some of The Beach alumni seem to enjoy coming back as much as the current players enjoy getting to meet them.
"The best part is being back and involved in the same kind of community that you went through hell with for four years here," Travis Buchanan ('07) said. "It's just great to see everybody."
Next on the schedule for the 49ers is the SoCal Tournament hosted by UCLA, Saturday, October 2 and Sunday, October 3. The 49ers will play Pepperdine in their opening game at 9:20 a.m., Saturday at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center.
With a win, Long Beach State will play the winner of the USC vs. Redlands match-up at 2:40 p.m. If the 49ers lose their opener they will play the loser of the USC vs. Redlands game at 1:20 p.m. Sunday's match-ups will be determined after Saturday's games are final.
