SAN JOSE, Calif. – Ending the game on an 8-1 run, the fourth-ranked Pacific men's water polo program shook-off No. 12 San Jose State in a 14-6 final on Friday in the West Coast Conference opener at the Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center.
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The six goals were the fewest allowed by Pacific (10-0, 1-0 WCC) in a match this year. Senior goalkeeper
Bae Fountain tallied a season-high 11 saves as the Tigers remained one of two undefeated teams in the country along with No. 6 Fordham.
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Senior
Reuel D'Souza spearheaded the offense with team-highs of three goals and three assists. It was his second straight hat trick and fourth on the season.
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Four Tigers scored a pair of goals including senior
Jeremie Cote, graduate Oliver Fodor, senior
Mihailo Vukazic and freshman
Ori Buzaglo. Pacific won the sprint in all four quarters with graduate
Stefan Vavic and graduate
Matthew Hosmer each winning a pair.
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San Jose State (5-3, 1-1 WCC) scored the first two goals of the match when Pacific came back to even it 2-2 at the end of the first quarter on goals by D'Souza and Vukazic. The Tigers turned it into a 5-0 run as Vukazic, Hosmer and Buzaglo opened the scoring in the second.
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The Spartans cut the deficit to 6-5 midway through the third when the Tigers took over. Goals by Vavic, Cote and D'Souza made it a 9-5 game at the end of the third, and after an early score by SJSU in the fourth, Pacific ended the match on a 5-0 run to put it out of reach.
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It was the last of a season opening 10-match road stretch for the Tigers, who will play their home opener Sunday at 1 p.m. against No. 9 Long Beach State at the Eberhardt Aquatics Center. Pacific has won three straight meetings against The Beach.
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For all the latest on Pacific men's water polo, be sure to follow the team on X (
@UOPWaterPoloU), Instagram (
@pacificwaterpolo) and "like" the team's official Facebook page (
Pacific Men's Water Polo).
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