Long Beach State University
17-8
(4) UC San Diego
21-10
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.
Team Stats
Jackson Boettner
7:07
Gabi Acosta
3:33
Ante Buzov
3:07
Sandro Pueyo
2:48
Zalan Nagy
1:48
Toring Stanley
7:25
Alec Johnson
6:17
Gabi Acosta
1:29
Mason Presley
0:10
Corbin Stanley
6:49
Gabi Acosta
4:45
Marc Frigola
2:00
Reef Lippa
0:04
Lucas Romaguera
4:37
Reef Lippa
3:46
Mark Laurlund
2:36
Harper Stewart
1:57
Mason Presley
1:19
Gabi Acosta
0:55
