Los Angeles - The No. 2 Pacific men's water polo team used a 4-1 fourth quarter to seize control and dispatch of No. 7 UC Irvine 10-7 Friday at the MPSF Championship quarterfinals and advance to Saturday's semifinals at 4 p.m.
Alex Obert and Ben Stevenson each posted hat tricks while Devon Thumwood scored twice. Casey Fleming and Krisztian Laczkovis each also scored for Pacific.
The win sets up a fourth meeting with No. 3 Cal, one of just two teams to post wins over the Tigers this season. Pacific is 23-3 overall after Friday's win over the Anteaters.
The Tigers trailed 6-5 before unloading five-straight goals on UC Irvine over a 6:58 span beginning in the third quarter. The Anteaters tacked on a goal with 2:24 to go, but Pacific went into lockdown mode, spreading the pool and running the clock out.
Stevenson's three goals came in the fourth quarter, the Tigers final three of the game.
Brady Moore recorded 15 saves in goal for Pacific.
UC Irvine struck first on a goal from Larson Pfeil off a rebound, but Casey Fleming struck back from the short side to knot the game at 1-1. Alex Obert scored from three meters out as the Tigers took their first lead at 2-1.
Krisztian Laczkovics finished from four meters away to put Pacific up 3-1 before the Anteaters answered with a goal from Matt Skinner.
In the second, Lovre Milos tied the game at 3-3 after Pacific came up empty on a pair of offensive chances. Thumwood ripped a shot home from the top to put the Tigers back out in front with 4:44 to go in the half. Moore posted a save but the Tigers had their offensive play broken up on the other end.
UC Irvine tallied twice before the half, as Jack Trush placed an off-speed shot into the top right corner and Pablo Carballo skipped home a shot from distance with 39 seconds to go in the half.
Obert struck again, from the top with a shot to the right side to tie the game at 5-5 headed in half.
In the third, Skinner snuck a shot from the wing inside the near post to give UC Irvine a 6-5 lead.
Laczkovics had a transition opportunity, but Irvine retreated back and cut off the angle. Laczkovics found Thumwood in the middle and he hit the back of the cage to tie the game at 6-6.
The Tigers fed the ball inside and Obert completed the hat trick for a 7-6 Pacific lead. After a stop, Ben Stevenson lobbed a shot to the near side just inside the post for a two-goal lead with 6:37 left.
Stevenson rose and fired from six meters away, hitting the lower left for a three-goal Pacific lead at 9-6 with 5:02 left in the fourth.
After Moore shut down an Irvine opportunity by forcing a shot wide and off the post,
Stevenson went to the opposite side of the net for his third goal of the game as the Tigers led 10-6.
Moore posted another stop, and the Tigers used the entire shot clock on their next possession. but Skinner tallied his third, going just inside the post from five meters away.
Pacific's defense posted back-to-back steals and the Tigers spread the pool and used the entire shot clock before taking long-distance shots on Irvine keeper Dylan Peterson.
The Tigers defense held off a last shot by UC Irvine and moved on to the semifinals. UC Irvine (14-11 overall) moves to the consolation semis to face No. 6 UC Santa Barbara, who lost to Cal.
Pacific and Cal will meet for the fourth time this season. Cal won the first two meetings in overtime, while the Tigers won in Berkeley on Nov. 17. MPSF Tournament host USC will offer live video streaming of the semifinals.
