October 11, 1998
Long Beach, CA - The No. 4 ranked California men's water polo team staged a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat No. 9 Long Beach State, 10-9, Sunday at the Belmont Plaza. The Bears improve to 6-3 overall (2-2 in MPSF) while the 49ers fall to 5-6 (1-3 in MPSF).
Long Beach State jumped out to an early lead, going up 4-0 on a buzzer-beating two-pointer by Eric Ploessel to end the first quarter. The 49ers led by as much as six points, taking a lead of 7-1 with 1:56 remaining in the second quarter.
But the Bears came back in the second half to outscore Long Beach State, 4-2, in the third quarter. With 2:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, Cal tied the game at 9-9 on a goal from two-meter senior Ryan Flynn. Freshman Rob Arroyo followed with the game-winning goal with 1:35 remaining, as the Bears held the 49ers scoreless in the final quarter for the victory.
Flynn and Eldad Hazor led the Bears in scoring with three points apiece. Backup goalie Kevin Ahasey recorded six saves to pace Cal's defense.
The Bears return home to face UC Irvine on Fri., Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. at Diablo Valley College before heading across the bay to Stanford to compete in the two-day NorCal Tournament next weekend.
Cal 0 3 4 3 -- 10
LBSU 4 3 2 0 -- 9
Cal- Flynn 3, Hazor 2 (one two-ptr), Won, Kittredge, Smith, Arroyo.
LBSU- Ploessel 3 (one two-ptr), Trotter 2, Colyer 2, Segesman.
Saves: Ahasey (Cal) 6, Carter (LBSU) 9.
Records: Cal 6-3 (2-2 in MPSF)
LBSU 5-6 (1-3 in MPSF)
