Late Rally Comes Up Short As Men’s Water Polo Falls 12-11 In the Big West Championship Final
11/23/2025 1:46:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
Gabi Acosta led the offense with three goals on the day.
IRVINE, Calif. – Down by three with three minutes left, Long Beach State put together a furious rally to close the gap against UC Davis, but the Aggies ultimately held on for a 12-11 win in the Big West Championship final match.
UC Davis (15-12) got the final started with two goals, but Long Beach State (17-9) tied things with back-to-back goals from Caleb Francisco and Konstantinos Kapragkos. The Aggies got another two past the Beach defense to take the lead after the first period, as LBSU trailed 4-2.
UCD continued their run, scoring early in the second period. Gabi Acosta got on the board for the Beach to trim the score to 5-3. Both teams traded goals as Zalan Nagy got one past the defense with one minute left in the quarter, 6-4.
The second half started with lots of intensity as UC Davis capitalized first on a buzzer beater shot, but a goal by Corbin Stanley kept the Beach down by two with 4:51 left. Trading goals once again, Harper Stewart's counterattack held LBSU trailing by two once again, 9-7, with one quarter left.
The Beach found momentum to cut the lead to one goal after Kapragkos' second goal, but the Aggies struck two more goals to open a three-goal lead with 3:14 left. With under three minutes remaining, the Beach pushed a run to cut the Aggies' lead to one after Stewart added his second of the day, but the Aggies' defense stopped the last opportunity for the Beach and secured the title.
The Beach closes another successful year despite the loss, winning the Big West regular season championship, likely finishing the year in the nation's Top 10 and ending the year with a 17-9 overall record.
