Friday, December 6
Stanford, Calif.
6 p.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
Fordham
Photo by: Luiza Moraes
No. 6 Men’s Water Polo Opens NCAA Championships Against Fordham In Stanford
12/5/2024 10:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
The Beach will face No.1 Fordham in the first round of the tournament on Friday night.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Long Beach State Men's Water Polo team will get their shot at the NCAA Title beginning on Friday as the Beach takes on the undefeated No. 1 Fordham in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Avery Aquatics Center in Stanford, Calif. at 6 p.m.
This will be the 14th appearance by Long Beach State in the tournament and first since 2021, when the Beach were knocked out in the opening round.
Fordham (31-0) have been in the spotlight after winning their fourth MAWPC (Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference) title in a row and staying undefeated during the season. They currently sit on the top of the CWPA rankings sharing the number one spot with UCLA and USC. With an experienced squad they are led by seniors Jacopo Parella, Luca Silvestri, George Papanikolaou, Thomas Lercari and new faces as freshmen Luca Provenziani and Andras Toth had an immediate impact to their team's success. Fordham defeated Navy to secure their automatic bid with the score of 18-11 and Parella was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
The Beach (20-10) clinched an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Big West Championship against No. 11 UC San Diego, 10-8. Senior goalkeeper Aaron Wilson was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player and sophomore Caleb Francisco led the offense with 10 goals in three games. Long Beach State looks to continue their momentum of five straight wins led by Big West Player and Freshman of the Year, Gabi Acosta.
Last week the Big West announced the All-Conference selections which honored seven players and head coach Gavin Arroyo. As well as winning individual honors, Acosta was also selected to the All-Big West first team with seniors Evan Cain, Bruno Chiappini, Aaron Wilson, sophomore Caleb Francisco. Acosta also earned another honor by making the All-Freshman team and was joined by Kostantinos Kapragkos and Corbin Stanley who also notched Honorable Mentions in his first season for the Beach.
Acosta and Stanley continue to lead the Beach on offense with 63 and 50 goals, respectively. Cain and Francisco follow the freshman duo with 48 goals each. On defense senior Liam Ward surpassed the 400 career saves mark during the Big West Championships and MVP Wilson collects over 150 saves on the season and is the leader in steals with 30.
First sprint against Fordham is set for 6 p.m. on Friday at the Avery Aquatics Center. Catch all the action on NCAA.com and live stats can be followed on scores.6-8sports.com.
This will be the 14th appearance by Long Beach State in the tournament and first since 2021, when the Beach were knocked out in the opening round.
Fordham (31-0) have been in the spotlight after winning their fourth MAWPC (Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference) title in a row and staying undefeated during the season. They currently sit on the top of the CWPA rankings sharing the number one spot with UCLA and USC. With an experienced squad they are led by seniors Jacopo Parella, Luca Silvestri, George Papanikolaou, Thomas Lercari and new faces as freshmen Luca Provenziani and Andras Toth had an immediate impact to their team's success. Fordham defeated Navy to secure their automatic bid with the score of 18-11 and Parella was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
The Beach (20-10) clinched an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Big West Championship against No. 11 UC San Diego, 10-8. Senior goalkeeper Aaron Wilson was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player and sophomore Caleb Francisco led the offense with 10 goals in three games. Long Beach State looks to continue their momentum of five straight wins led by Big West Player and Freshman of the Year, Gabi Acosta.
Last week the Big West announced the All-Conference selections which honored seven players and head coach Gavin Arroyo. As well as winning individual honors, Acosta was also selected to the All-Big West first team with seniors Evan Cain, Bruno Chiappini, Aaron Wilson, sophomore Caleb Francisco. Acosta also earned another honor by making the All-Freshman team and was joined by Kostantinos Kapragkos and Corbin Stanley who also notched Honorable Mentions in his first season for the Beach.
Acosta and Stanley continue to lead the Beach on offense with 63 and 50 goals, respectively. Cain and Francisco follow the freshman duo with 48 goals each. On defense senior Liam Ward surpassed the 400 career saves mark during the Big West Championships and MVP Wilson collects over 150 saves on the season and is the leader in steals with 30.
First sprint against Fordham is set for 6 p.m. on Friday at the Avery Aquatics Center. Catch all the action on NCAA.com and live stats can be followed on scores.6-8sports.com.
Players Mentioned
Center
/ Men's Water Polo
Utility
/ Men's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Men's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Men's Water Polo
Center
/ Men's Water Polo
Goalie
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