STOCKTON, Calif. – Following an exceptional season that resulted in their third consecutive GCC Regular Season Championship, the Pacific men's water polo team (16-3, 5-0) earned a bye into Saturday's semifinal round in the annual conference tournament.
The Tigers, who secured the number one overall seed by finishing as the only team to go undefeated in tournament play, will face No. 4 Long Beach State on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm in a rematch of the 2018 GCC Championship.
If Pacific defeats the 49ers, UOP will reach their fourth consecutive conference championship match. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday, November 23 at 1:00 pm and will feature the two winners of the semifinal rounds. The champion of the tournament will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA championships.
The tournament is hosted by Pepperdine University as matches will be played at Runnels Memorial Pool, which was the site of the 1984 Olympic water polo competition.
GAME DAY INFO:
No. 4 LBSU (16-12, 2-3) vs. No. 1 Pacific (16-3, 5-0)
Saturday, November 22 | 1:00 pm | Malibu, Calif.
Links:
Live Stream |
Live Stats
LAST TIME OUT:
- Closing out the regular season in style, Pacific officially completed the three-peat as GCC Regular Season Champions by defeating No. 12 San Jose State, 13-8, on Saturday, Nov. 16.
- Redshirt senior Luke Pavillard scored four goals for the sixth time this season in the win over the Spartans.
- Coming up clutch, sophomore Wyatt Barker netted two goals for Pacific as the Kentfield, Calif. native scored for the second straight match, a feat he had not accomplished since Sept. 21 when he found the back of the net once each in the Tigers wins over Ottawa and Whittier.
- Aiming to carry momentum into the GCC tournament, three other Tigers scored at least two goals in the match: Engin Ege Colak (2), Djordje Stanic (2) and Matthew Hosmer (3).
TALE OF THE TAPE:
- This is the 67th meeting all-time between the Tigers and the 49ers. Long Beach State currently holds a 37-29 advantage in the record books, but Pacific previously defeated LBSU, 13-12, on Nov. 2 as Colak netted the game-winner with just two seconds left in the match.
- This semifinal showdown between Pacific and LBSU will mark a rematch of the 2018 GCC Championship game. Although UOP captured the regular season title, the Tigers ultimately fell to the 49ers, 10-6.
- If Pacific advances to the championship round on Sunday, Pacific will have made the title game for the fourth straight year, dating back to the conference's inception in 2016. The Tigers previously won the tournament in 2017 before falling to UCLA in the semifinal round of the NCAA Championship.
ON THE PROWL:
- For the third consecutive season, Pavillard was named the GCC Player of the Year. Serving as a true leader for the Tigers throughout his career, the Perth, Australia native led the league in goals per game (2.84), points per game (4.26) and steals per game (1.42), while also finishing second in assists per game (1.42). Overall, Pavillard also led Pacific in goals (54), points (81) and steals (27) in addition to finishing second in assists (27). Furthermore, his steals and assists would rank fifth and third in the conference rankings respectively.
- Making an immediate impact in his first year in Stockton, Jeremie Cote has been named the GCC Newcomer of the Year. The Montreal, Quebec native proved he would be a force to be reckoned with for years to come after finishing seventh in the league in goals (46), seventh in assists (24) and fourth in points (70) in addition to placing second on the team in goals and points, third in assists and tied for fourth in steals (12).
- In addition to these individual awards, Pavillard and Colak were named to the First Team GCC All-Conference, Cote to the Second Team GCC All-Conference, Luis Araya as an Honorable Mention GCC All-Conference, and Cote and Matthew Hosmer to the GCC All-Freshmen Team.
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on Pacific men's water polo, be sure to follow along on Twitter @UOPWaterPoloU, Instagram @PacificWaterPolo and on Facebook @PacificMensWaterPolo.
