LBSU topples Princeton

By John Caldwell
Daily Forty-Niner

The Long Beach State men's water polo team took an early lead and turned it into a commanding 14-7 victory over No. 17 ranked Princeton University Friday at Campus Pool.

The No. 7 ranked 49ers controlled most of the game with strong offensive and defensive play.  Scoring opened with a shot by Junior Chris Segesman at 0:29, and was quickly followed by a Scott Miller slam at 0:48.

49er Goalie Rob Smith deflected multiple shots by the Tigers to uphold a 5-0 LBSU lead at the end of the first quarter.

"After the second goal our defense stepped up," Head Coach Rick Azevedo said. "That was a defining moment."

The Beach attack continued in the second quarter with a goal by Segesman at 1:33, and the home team built a 7-0 lead before the Tigers got on the board with a slam by Kevin Foster.

The Tigers rallied in the third quarter in an effort to close the gap. Dan McKenna scored to help bring Princeton within three, but the 49ers dominated the fourth quarter with four straight goals to win the game.

Segesman had three goals and several assists for the 49ers while junior Justin Jewell had four markers, including two during the final quarter. Goalie Rob Smith stopped 16 shots for the 49ers in his first win of the 2000 season.

"I was really happy with the intensity of the players," Azevedo said. "Princeton is a very good team, and we knew they were going to play hard, and we were ready to play hard too."

After Friday's win, the 49ers' record improved to 2-1, while Princeton dropped to 3-3.