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	Vol.7, No 13, September 21, 1999
	LBSU washed out by competition By Tom Harshbarger Daily Forty-Niner LOS ANGELES -- If they were playing horseshoes, the Long Beach State menís water polo team would be undefeated.  However,  in a  sport where close is not quite enough, The Beach hasnít yet found the secret to get over the top. When the 49ers do win, they win big. In two victories in this young season, they have won by a total of 15 points.  In three losses, all to teams  ranked No. 8 or better, theyíve lost by a total of four points. Last weekend No. 5 LBSU finished eighth overall in the Southern California Tournament at USC.  In its first game Saturday, The Beach cruised to an 11-5 win over No. 9 UC San Diego.    Senior Corey Dolley lead all scorers with four points, including a two-pointer.  On Saturday afternoon, LBSU faced a very quick No. 2 Stanford team. The Cardinal used its fast counterattack and several 49er turnovers to its advantage, scoring on several breakaways.  Stanford had built an 8-4 lead midway through the fourth quarter, when Dolley rifled a two-pointer that pulled The Beach within two with 25 seconds left. A Stanford turnover with 12.38 left gave LBSU one more chance to tie, but the 49ers were unable to score.  "I don't think Stanford gave us as much trouble as we gave ourselves," 49ers Head Coach Ricardo Azevedo said.  "We had a couple of good opportunities early, and just didn't capitalize. We spent a lot of time chasing and catching up at the beginning of the game, and that hurt us at the end of the game." Shane Lindstrom and Dolley had two points apiece to lead the 49ers, while the leading Cardinal scorer was freshman and Long Beach Wilson alumnus Jeff Nesmith, with three points. Stanford would go on to defeat No. 1 USC in the championship game, 11-10 in overtime. On Sunday morning the team jumped out to a 3-0 lead against No. 8 Pepperdine only to see the Waves score a pair of two-point goals in the second period to go ahead 4-3.    Trailing 7-4 going into the final period, LBSU scored twice, the final goal coming with one minute left in the game, to pull within a point. But the 49ers were unable to get off another shot and lost yet another close one. Azevedo said he was not pleased.    "I felt the team played with absolutely no emotion and no intensity," he said. "We just showed up -- and when you just show up, you donít win games.      "In the first half they had two shots and were ahead 4-3. It was just an ugly game, to be honest," Azevedo said. The Beach's final opponent, No. 4 California, used a strong transition game and several 49er turnovers to come away with a 5-4 win and seventhplace. The game see-sawed until the Golden Bears' Rob Arroyo scored with 1:15 left with what would be the winning goal.    The 49ers had chances to tie the game in the final minute, but once again came up short. Azevedo shook his head and wouldn't comment.       "I don't think they were any faster than us," Dolley said. "Right now we've got five guys playing five different games out there. Once we all get on the same page, look out."		CSULB remembers fallen soldiers Beach lovers storm local shores CSULB student struck by car CSU cuts energy charges Dope doesn't discredit Jambalaya heats up crowd Basement Jaxx grabs house fans Rack and Roll Game win streak comes to hault LBSU washed out by competition One goal equals win Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.