LOS ANGELES, Calif.- The No. 3 Pacific men's water polo team (11-3) fell to No. 2 UCLA (12-1), 14-10, Friday night at Spieker Aquatics Center in Los Angeles.
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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
- Despite the loss, four Tigers scored two goals in the match: Engin Ege Colak, Luis Araya, Jeremie Cote, and Djordje Stanic. Colak and Cote are now tied for second on the team with 34 goals each.
- Matthew Hosmer remains a force to be reckoned with as the freshman from Stockton extended his goal streak at the 5:52 mark in the second period. He has now found the back of the net at least once in every match this season.
- Andrea De Nardi also continued to impress as the senior from Nice, France has now scored in seven straight matches, totaling 9 goals during the streak. He is now tied with Stanic for fourth on the team with 17 goals.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Although UCLA held the advantage in shooting percentage (.500-.294), the Tigers outshot the Burins 34-28 overall.
- Pacific capitalized when they had the opportunity, scoring on 6-9 powerplays and going 2-3 in five-meter penalty shots.
- Sophomore Joey Macleane made his collegiate debut, recording three saves in 16 minutes against UCLA.
FIRST PERIOD:
- The Bruins tallied the match's first goal at 4:11 in the first period, but Stanic would respond less than two minutes later for the Tigers as the freshman from Serbia tied the game at one with under three minutes left.
- Following his three-goal performance against No. 4 USC last weekend, Colak proved he carried his offensive momentum into this match as the senior netted his first goal of the match with 55 seconds left to tie the match at two.
- Keeping pace with the Bruins, the Tigers trailed by one goal, 3-2, at the end of the opening frame.
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SECOND PERIOD:
- UCLA would stretch their lead to three in the first few minutes of the second period, but Hosmer came up clutch yet again for Pacific, scoring his 28th goal of the season to cut the deficit to two at 5:52.
- Colak kept the Tigers within striking distance midway through the period, finding the back of the net for the second time in the match at the 4:05 mark.
- De Nardi and Araya would both score for Pacific before the end of the first half, but the Tigers would trail by three at halftime, 9-6.
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THIRD PERIOD:
- Aiming to mount a comeback, Cote brought UOP to within two as he netted his first goal of the match at 6:40.
- The Tigers would not score for the rest of the period, trailing the Bruins, 11-7, at the end of the third.
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FOURTH PERIOD:
- Araya would join Colak as the second Tiger in the match to score two goals at the 6:12 mark, keeping Pacific within four points of the Bruins.
- As the quarter continued, Cote netted his second goal of the match at 3:36, while Stanic scored his second on a penalty shot with 2:57 left in the final period.
- Ultimately, No. 2 UCLA defended their home pool, defeating No. 3 Pacific, 14-10.
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UP NEXT: Pacific will travel to Santa Barbara to face off against No. 5 UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 12:00 pm. This will be the second meeting of the season between the Tigers and the Gauchos, with UOP having previously defeated UCSB, 11-10, on Sept. 29, when they were ranked as the top team in the nation. Live stats can be found on pacifictigers.com.
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