SAN JOSE, Calif. – The #7 Pacific men's water polo team (19-6, 4-1) claims a share of the Golden Coast Conference season title thanks to a 15-10 win Friday against #15 San Jose State (10-15, 0-5).
"I'm extremely proud of this team," said Head Coach James Graham. "It was great to be full strength this week. We can't wait to compete next weekend. We will be ready."
The Tigers have clinched one of the top two seeds in the GCC with this win, securing a bye to the semifinals in the upcoming GCC Championships.
Sophomore co-captain Reuel D'Souza led the Tigers with four goals, tying his season-high. Senior Djordje Stanic, senior Bogdan Djerkovic and sophomore Mihailo Vukazic each found the back of the net three times for Pacific. Senior Matthew Hosmer and senior Rene Peralta each dented the twine once for the Tigers.
Stanic made sure the ball stayed with the Tigers, collecting five steals throughout the game, a season-high. Junior Flynn Howarth, Hosmer, Vukazic and Djerkovic each had a steal for Pacific.
Senior co-captain Jeremie Cote had two assists on goals for Pacific, and Hosmer added another.
Djerkovic led the team in drawn exclusions with three. Senior Calvin Behm, Hosmer and Cote each had one.
Graduate student goalkeeper Bae Fountain had nine saves in the game.
The Spartans jumped out to an early 2-1 lead, but the Tigers scored three straight to take a 4-3 lead with 6:44 to play in the second quarter.
San Jose State tied the score at 4-4 with 2:39 to play in the second. Back-to-back goals by Vukazic and D'Souza gave the Tigers a 6-4 lead, a lead they would not let go of the rest of the way.
Pacific would score the first three goals of the second half to take a 9-5 lead, and the lead would never fall below three.
Official seeding and bracket for the GCC tournament will be announced Saturday evening.
To stay up to date on all things Pacific men's water polo, download the Pacific Tigers Athletics mobile app and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
