SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara men's water polo team (14-5) fell to seventh-ranked Long Beach State 9-8 on Sunday afternoon at Harder Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Gauchos and Beach were tied after each of the first three periods after both teams scored two goals apiece to enter the fourth period tied 6-6.
• Nathan Puentes of the Gauchos scored on a penalty shot 17 seconds into the fourth quarter to get the blue and gold ahead by one, but Theodoros Pateros had the reply for Long Beach State less than 30 seconds later.
• At the 3:28 mark of the final frame, Adam Gyenis got UCSB up again, but in a near-repeat of what occurred earlier, the visitors tied it up within 30 seconds when Rafael Real Vergara found the back of the cage with 3:02 left.
• Ultimately, the game-winning goal would come for Long Beach State with just one second left on the clock, when Real Vergara fired into the Gaucho goal to stun the hosts and seal the victory for the Beach.

UP NEXT

• The Gauchos head to LMU to take on the Lions at Burns Aquatics Center on Sunday. The game will begin at 11:00 a.m. Live stats and a live stream of the game will be available by following the links on the men's water polo schedule page at UCSBGauchos.com.

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