Long Beach State University
Pepperdine
No. 9 Men’s Water Polo Hosts No. 10 Pepperdine Friday Night
10/2/2025 11:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
First sprint is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the LBCC Aquatics Complex.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – No. 9 Long Beach State returns home to host No. 10 Pepperdine on Friday at 6 p.m. at the LBCC Aquatics Complex at Long Beach City College, looking to build momentum into the season.
Long Beach State (9-4) comes off a week off after competing at the Overnght MPSF Invite, where they finished in seventh place, going 2-2 on the weekend. LBSU defeated No. 13 California Baptist in the opening round, 17-16, followed by two losses on day two of competition. Long Beach State battled to overcome a four-goal deficit against No. 4 Stanford and took the game into overtime, losing 19-16 after six periods. Facing their first Big West rival of the season, the Beach dropped a 15-11 contest against No. 8 UC Davis and closed the weekend defeating No. 11 Loyola Marymount, 12-11, in a thrilling game.
Sophomore Gabi Acosta joined the 100 career-goals group after scoring the milestone in the win over the Lancers in the opening round of the Overnght MPSF Invite. Acosta is second in the Big West in goals with 41. The center is the only Beach player to have scored in every single game so far this season. Brothers Corbin and Toring Stanley have also made an impact on offense with 22 and 21 goals, respectively. Goalkeepers William Whitstone and Joe Jenness have combined for 89 saves this season.
No. 10 Pepperdine (8-6) was on a three-game winning streak after the Overnght MPSF Invite, where they placed ninth, but the streak was broken as they dropped two games on the road. The Waves traveled up to Northern California to face No. 2 California and No. 4 Stanford, playing a close game against the Bears but losing 14-12. Against the Cardinal, Pepperdine dropped a 19-14 match. Graduate student Dane Howell leads the Waves on offense with 31 goals, and senior Sandor Gal has a team-high 28 assists so far this season. In cage, sophomore Max Smirnov has recorded 103 saves to lead the Pepperdine defense.
First sprint is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the LBCC Aquatics Complex, with live stats provided through TheFOSH.net.
