Saturday, November 22
Irvine, Calif.
Noon

Long Beach State University

17-8

11
vs
8

(4) UC San Diego

21-10

1
2
3
4
OT
F
UC San Diego
2
1
1
4
0
8
Long Beach State
3
3
3
2
0
11
Gabi Acosta
Photo by: Kat Acosta

Men’s Water Polo Secures Second Straight Big West Championship Final With A 11-8 Win Over UC San Diego

11/22/2025 2:06:00 PM | Men's Water Polo

Joe Jenness and Gabi Acosta lead the Beach with standout performances to defeat the Tritons.

IRVINE, Calif. – A fantastic defensive effort by Joe Jenness and an inspired afternoon by Gabi Acosta led (1) Long Beach State to their second straight Big West Championship final after defeating (4) UC San Diego, 11-8.

UC San Diego (21-10) got on the board quickly to start the semifinals. Long Beach State (17-8) tied things with sophomore Gabi Acosta, but the Tritons answered back to lead once again. Goals by Zalan Nagy and Sandro Pueyo gave the Beach the early lead after the first period, 3-2.

The second quarter was all about Long Beach State with three straight goals from Toring Staney, Alec Johnson, and a beautiful backhand by Acosta, extending the Beach lead to 6-2 with 1:29 left in the first half. UCSD scored a late goal to shorten the lead, with LBSU leading 6-3 at halftime.

The Beach continued to push the momentum of the game, scoring on a counterattack followed by Acosta adding another to the board as LBSU led 8-3 in the third. A massive penalty shot save by Joe Jenness led to a Marc Frigola goal to make it 9-3. The Tritons found the back of the net late in the third.

The Tritons pushed a 3-0 run to cut the margin to 9-7. A goal by Harper Stewart kept the Beach with a three-goal lead with two minutes left. UCSD added another, but Acosta's fourth goal of the game gave LBSU an 11-8 lead with 55 seconds left. A series of three straight blocks by the Beach defense secured their second straight Big West Championship final appearance. Jenness finished the game with a career-high 14 saves, and Acosta scored a team-high four goals to lead the Beach on the day.

No. 1 seed Long Beach State awaits their next opponent between (2) UC Santa Barbara and (3) UC Davis. Ball drops at Noon for the Big West Championship final, live on ESPN+, with live stats through TheFOSH.net.

Next Event

(3) UC Davis

Nov 23 (Sun)

Noon
0Days
0Hours
0Minutes
0Seconds

Team Stats

UCSD
LBSU
Shots
36
24
Goals
8
11
Assists
5
8
Points
13
19
Exclusions
18
17
Steals
3
1
Sprints
0
3
1

Jackson Boettner

7:07

Gabi Acosta

3:33

Ante Buzov

3:07

Sandro Pueyo

2:48

Zalan Nagy

1:48

2

Toring Stanley

7:25

Alec Johnson

6:17

Gabi Acosta

1:29

Mason Presley

0:10

3

Corbin Stanley

6:49

Gabi Acosta

4:45

Marc Frigola

2:00

Reef Lippa

0:04

4

Lucas Romaguera

4:37

Reef Lippa

3:46

Mark Laurlund

2:36

Harper Stewart

1:57

Mason Presley

1:19

Gabi Acosta

0:55

Game Leaders

Shots
6
Goals
4
Assists
0
Points
4
Shots
5
Goals
0
Assists
1
Points
1
Shots
3
Goals
1
Assists
1
Points
2
Shots
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Points
0

Players Mentioned

Center
/ Men's Water Polo
Goalie
/ Men's Water Polo
Center
/ Men's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Men's Water Polo
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