STOCKTON, Calif. - The men's water polo team pulled from snagged a 12-11 win against UC Santa Barbara at Chris Kjeldsen Pool on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers got hot in the final frame of the match outscoring the Gauchos, 6-3, and erasing a 6-10 deficit to record their second conference win of the season.  

Luke Pavillard led the come-from-behind victory for the Orange and Black with four goals in the match, including a hat trick in the final frame, to push UOP's record to 9-7 overall, 2-0 in GCC play.

The Tigers hand UCSB (16-7, 1-1) their first conference loss of the season and snap their two-match win streak.

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In Case You Missed It:

• The Orange and Black fought back from a 6-10 deficit with 5:33 to go in the fourth as four different Tigers tallied at least one goal to beat out UCSB.
• UOP would lead the powerplay and shots on goal category for the match recording 32 shots and 12 powerplay opportunities.
• Pavillard, Luis Araya, and Engin Ege Colak combined for seven of Pacific's 12 points in the match, Pavillard leading with four for the day.
• A defensive battle through the first two periods, John Hedges held the Gauchos at bay for the Tigers recording five of his six total saves in the first half.

First Period:

• Pavillard got things started for UOP in the first scoring on the first possesion for the Tigers at the 7:21 mark.
• Luis Araya followed up with a five-meter penalty shot in the fourth minute, driving the ball past UCSB's goalie to give Pacific a 2-0 advantage.
• The Tigers would give up three unanswered to UCSB to end the period.

Second Period:

• After a stop by UOP, Eli Lule got on the board scoring with even strength (5:59) to tie the match back up at 3-3.
• The Tigers took advantage of another exclusion by the Gauchos as Araya sunk in the powerplay goal (3:35) to help Pacific regain control, 4-3.
• The Orange and Black would have four more opportunities to score but could not find the back of the net as both teams headed into halftime with score locked at 4-4.

Third Period:

• The Tigers struggled to find a ryhthym in the opening minutes of the third as UCSB drove in two goals to give them a 6-4 edge.
• Freshman Bogdan Djerkovic gave UOP a much needed lift, however, scoring back-to-back goals at the 3:51 and 2:20 mark to put the Tigers back in contention down 7-6.
• With the period winding down to it's final seconds, Luke Pavillard made a field block with :15 to go but a late score by UCSB would give the Gauchos a two-point lead heading into the final frame.

Fourth Period:

• Santa Barbara's Cole Bronson scored two straight goals to open up the fourth to have UOP trail with their largest deficit of the day, 10-6.
• Despite the Gaucho lead, the Tigers would weather the storm putting the ball in Pavillard's hands. The junior attacker would find his way for a score at the 5:19, 1:34 and :39 mark to have Pacific climb back for it's first lead, 12-11, since 4:54 in the first period.
• Jonathan Cooper, Andrea De Nardi, and Colak each threw in clutch goals as well leading a 3-0 charge which turned out to be the pivotal moment in the game.
• A steal taken by Pavillard (:20) sealed the deal for Pacific as the Tigers walked away with the home victory.

Notables:

• The Tigers went 5-5 from goal in the final five minutes of play.
• UOP also shot 7-11 in the second half. 
• This marks the fourth occasion where the Tigers have battled from three or less points this season for the victory.

Up Next For the Tigers:

• Pacific heads back to the Bay Area tomorrow for a nonconference friendly against No. 2 Stanford.
• The Cardinal took a 19-4 victory against No. 20 Wagner on Saturday.
• The two teams faced off last weekend at the MPSF Invite. UOP fell just short of the Cardinal, dropping the match by a final score of 14-13.