SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The #7 Pacific men's water polo team is headed to the NCAA Championships!

The Tigers defeated the #6 Long Beach State Beach in a dominant 12-6 win on Sunday to capture the 2022 Golden Coast Conference Championship title.

"This was such a huge game; the guys played amazing," said Graham. "We talked about, before the game, going into the championship, there are some things you can control and some things you can't control. We talked about bringing the energy, the passion, making sure we were on the game plan, sticking together and playing with composure. They did every one of these things perfectly today, and that's why we had the result we did."

The Tigers had three players named to the GCC All-Tournament team, senior Djordje Stanic, sophomore co-captain Reuel D'Souza and senior Bogdan Djerkovic. Djerkovic was also named the tournament MVP.

"Right now, there's a lot of emotions going. I'm really proud of myself for the MVP, but this is a team effort. This was a complete team effort," said Djerkovic. "This wasn't just today. This is something we've been working on together for a year now. This started last year, every day putting in the work, working together, making sure we do what needs to be done."

Djerkovic led the Tigers with four goals. Senior Matthew Hosmer found the back of the net three times for Pacific, including once on a penalty shot. Senior co-captain Jeremie Cote and sophomore Mihailo Vuakzic both dented the twine twice. D'Souza scored one for Pacific.

D'Souza and Hosmer each assisted on two Pacific goals, while Cote and Stanic each assisted on one.

Djerkovic and Cote each had two drawn exclusions to give the Tigers advantages. Stanic and Vukazic each drew one exclusion as well.

Stanic ensured the ball stayed with the Tigers, getting four steals throughout the game. Hosmer stole the ball from the Beach twice. Djerkovic, Cote, D'Souza and graduate student goalkeeper Bae Fountain each added one steal to the stats sheet for Pacific.

D'Souza was a force to be reckoned with on defense, getting three field blocks for the Tigers. But he wasn't the only one. Djerkovic, Stanic, Vukazic, Peralta and Behm each had a block in the field to defend the Tigers' den.

Fountain had seven saves in net to keep the Beach's final score to half of the Tigers'.

"Long Beach is a great team, credit to them, but our guys just brought it every possession of this game," said Graham. "I'm so excited for them and looking forward to going and representing the GCC at the NCAA championships."

Pairings and game times for the 2022 NCAA Men's DI Water Polo Championships will be announced Sunday night.

"I love my team, and there's nothing I want more than this," said Djerkovic. "We get a chance to compete now for the NCAA championship, and that's what we've been working for. The season's not done, and the job's not done. Let's go."