LONG BEACH, Calif. - Without two of its top players in Ivan Gvozdanovic and Boris Jovanovic, the UC Santa Barbara men's water polo team dropped another close match to Long Beach State, 10-6, on the road Friday night at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center. 

Entering the match seeking its first Golden Coast Conference victory, the Gauchos (9-9, 0-2) fell to rival Long Beach State (11-9, 1-2) for the second time this season after a 9-6 loss during opening weekend. 

On Friday night, the Beach took an early 3-1 lead before UCSB scored with the clock winding down to cut the lead to 3-2. In the second quarter, however, LBSU continued to carry the momentum and outscored the Gauchos 3-1 in the period to take a 6-3 advantage at the half. 

Another 3-1 spurt in the third quarter gave the Beach a 9-4 lead and too much of a lead to overcome to seal the win. 

Shane Hauschild led the Gauchos with three goals while Cole Brosnan, Adam Lott and Chad Nelson all tallied one goal apiece. Hauschild also led the team with three drawn ejections while Reed Cotterill added two. Justyn Barrios finished with 10 saves in front of the cage. 

UCSB returns to Campus Pool as it continues GCC play against UC Irvine this Friday, Oct. 27 at 3:00 p.m.