STOCKTON, Calif. – Playing for third place in the GCC Tournament, the Pacific men's water polo team (16-5, 5-0) was defeated by No. 3 seed UC Santa Barbara (21-7, 3-2), 15-10, on Sunday afternoon in Malibu.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
- The Tigers and the Gauchos met for the third time this season. Pacific previously defeated UCSB, 11-10, when they were the No. 1 team in the country on Sept. 29 as well as a 17-16 victory on Oct. 20, when they were ranked No. 5.
- Jeremie Cote recorded his second hat trick of the year on Sunday, having also notched one in the win over UCSB on Sept. 29.
- Redshirt senior and three-time GCC Player of the Year Luke Pavillard was named to the GCC All-Tournament Team following the conclusion of the match.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Redshirt sophomore Christian Murphy scored his first goal of the season in the loss.
- The Tigers struggled to capitalize when they had the opportunities, converting on only 3 of 11 power plays.
- UCSB outshot Pacific overall, 34-30.
FIRST PERIOD:
- Getting the scoring started for UOP, freshman Djordje Stanic netted his lone goal of the match to even the score at one at the 6:07 mark.
- Trading goals with the Gauchos, the Tigers were tied with UCSB midway through the period as All-GCC freshmen Jeremie Cote and Matthew Hosmer both scored to keep the match knotted at 3.
- Following two goals from First Team All-GCC selection Engin Ege Colak, Pacific was locked in a battle with UCSB as the score was tied at 5 at the end of the opening frame.
SECOND PERIOD:
- Aiming to jump in front, Pavillard found the back of the cage at 7:51 to give the Tigers their first lead of the contest, 6-5.
- Just a few minutes later, Cote and Hosmer both scored again for the Tigers, keeping Pacific on top of UCSB, 8-6, midway through the period.
- Unfortunately, the Gauchos would use a 4-0 to close out the first half as UOP trailed 10-6 heading into the locker room.
THIRD PERIOD:
- Coming out of the break, Cote kept the Tigers within striking distance of the Gauchos after scoring on an assist from Hosmer at 4:08, making the score 11-9 in favor of UCSB.
- Not able to find much rhythm the rest of the period, Pacific trailed Santa Barbara, 12-9 at the end of three periods of play.
FOURTH PERIOD:
- Unable to lock down on defense, Pacific allowed the Gauchos scored three more times to take a commanding 15-9 lead with 3:30 remaining in the match.
- Attempting one last comeback for the Tigers, Christian Murphy netted his first goal of the season at the 1:26 mark to cut the Gaucho lead to five.
- Ultimately, No. 4 seed UCSB would go on to defeat the top-seeded Tigers by a final score of 15-10 to earn third place in the GCC Tournament.
UP NEXT:
The Tigers await the official seeding of the NCAA Championships, which will be hosted at Chris Kjeldsen Pool from Dec. 5-8. The bracket is set to be made public tonight at 9:00 pm PST.
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.
