Vikings Battle Hard in Semifinal Loss to No. 1 Golden West, Set Sights on Third Place Finish

The No. 3-ranked Long Beach City College men's water polo team faced a challenging battle in the 3C2A State Championship semifinal, falling 8-5 to the top-seeded Golden West College Rustlers on Friday afternoon.

"It was an incredibly tough game—it's the state championship," said Assistant Coach Austin Peterson. "Both teams earned their spot, and the level of play reflected that. It was a back-and-forth contest with each side going on runs, responding, and delivering under pressure. Ultimately, it came down to a few lucky plays that didn't go our way. Congrats to Golden West for advancing. As coaches, we couldn't be prouder of our team's resilience and refusal to back down against the No. 1 team."

The Vikings started strong, scoring two unanswered goals in the first quarter while goalkeeper Diogo Checchinato held the Rustlers scoreless. Golden West rallied to tie the game at 2-2 heading into halftime.

In the third quarter, Andrija Stankovic found the back of the net to cut into the Rustlers' momentum, and Thomaz Figueiredo capitalized on a power play opportunity to give the Vikings a one-goal lead. However, Golden West responded with two late goals to reclaim the lead heading into the final quarter.

Sandro Pueyo opened the fourth quarter with a power-play goal to tie the game once again. Despite the Vikings' tenacity, the Rustlers surged ahead with three unanswered goals to secure the 8-5 victory and a spot in the State Championship Final.

The Vikings will compete for third place on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 11:15 a.m.