Long Beach State University Athletics
Photo by: John Fajardo
Men’s Water Polo Ready For Big West Tournament Matchup With UC Davis
11/14/2023 10:55:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
The winner of this year's tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles.
LONG BEACH, Calif.-- After finishing the regular season with an overtime victory over Loyola Marymount, the Long Beach State men's water polo team will travel to La Jolla for the Big West Tournament this weekend. The Beach have earned the No. 5 seed in the tournament and will face No. 4 UC Davis in the opening round on Friday.
Friday's contest will be the fourth meeting between Long Beach State and UC Davis this season. Although the Beach hold an overall record of 29-8 against the Aggies, UC Davis has won two of the three matchups this year. Long Beach State came out on top in the MPSF Tournament in September 15-10, but UC Davis has won the last two games. In October, the Aggies beat the Beach twice in two close games winning by a combined three goals.
As they have all season, Long Beach State will be looking to new faces and veteran players to lead the way. Freshman Robert Lopez Duart finished the regular season with 83 goals and 28 assists to lead the team. His 111 points is the most in a single season in Long Beach State history, and his 83 goals lead the Big West Conference. Freshman Marc Frigola has also had an impressive start to his Long Beach State career. The Barcelona, Spain native has scored 35 goals this season and has also recorded 27 assists.
After earning Golden Coast Conference Honorable Mention honors last season, junior Evan Cain has returned with an even better season this year. Cain is fourth in the Big West in goals with 57, while also recording 21 assists and 27 steals. Sophomore Bruno Chiappini has also improved on an impressive 2022 season. In 2023 he has 45 goals, 21 assists, and 22 steals with a career-high six-goal performance in last week's overtime victory against Loyola Marymount. Riley Catino has also been a key player for the Beach with 36 goals, 15 assists, and 16 steals. Defensively, Liam Ward has had an outstanding season in his first season as primary goalkeeper. Ward is third in saves the Big West with 201 and fourth in steals with 31.
UC Davis features a balanced attack with five players scoring 30 or more goals. Aleix Aznar Beltran leads the Aggies 45 goals this season, while Logan Anderson and Aaron Voggenthaler both have 38. Will Nomura and Tyler Mrkaich also have 34 and 31 goals, respectively. UC Davis is anchored defensively by goalkeeper Aaron Wilson. The junior is second in the Big West in saves with 202, and seventh in steals with 28.
Should Long Beach State win on Friday, they will advance to No. 1 UC Irvine on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., with the winner of that contest advancing to the championship on Sunday.
Friday's game will start at 4:30 p.m. at the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla. Live stats will be available on theFOSH.net and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Friday's contest will be the fourth meeting between Long Beach State and UC Davis this season. Although the Beach hold an overall record of 29-8 against the Aggies, UC Davis has won two of the three matchups this year. Long Beach State came out on top in the MPSF Tournament in September 15-10, but UC Davis has won the last two games. In October, the Aggies beat the Beach twice in two close games winning by a combined three goals.
As they have all season, Long Beach State will be looking to new faces and veteran players to lead the way. Freshman Robert Lopez Duart finished the regular season with 83 goals and 28 assists to lead the team. His 111 points is the most in a single season in Long Beach State history, and his 83 goals lead the Big West Conference. Freshman Marc Frigola has also had an impressive start to his Long Beach State career. The Barcelona, Spain native has scored 35 goals this season and has also recorded 27 assists.
After earning Golden Coast Conference Honorable Mention honors last season, junior Evan Cain has returned with an even better season this year. Cain is fourth in the Big West in goals with 57, while also recording 21 assists and 27 steals. Sophomore Bruno Chiappini has also improved on an impressive 2022 season. In 2023 he has 45 goals, 21 assists, and 22 steals with a career-high six-goal performance in last week's overtime victory against Loyola Marymount. Riley Catino has also been a key player for the Beach with 36 goals, 15 assists, and 16 steals. Defensively, Liam Ward has had an outstanding season in his first season as primary goalkeeper. Ward is third in saves the Big West with 201 and fourth in steals with 31.
UC Davis features a balanced attack with five players scoring 30 or more goals. Aleix Aznar Beltran leads the Aggies 45 goals this season, while Logan Anderson and Aaron Voggenthaler both have 38. Will Nomura and Tyler Mrkaich also have 34 and 31 goals, respectively. UC Davis is anchored defensively by goalkeeper Aaron Wilson. The junior is second in the Big West in saves with 202, and seventh in steals with 28.
Should Long Beach State win on Friday, they will advance to No. 1 UC Irvine on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., with the winner of that contest advancing to the championship on Sunday.
Friday's game will start at 4:30 p.m. at the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla. Live stats will be available on theFOSH.net and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
Attacker
/ Men's Water Polo
Utility
/ Men's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Men's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Men's Water Polo
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