Photo by Tim Polk

Poloists capsized by Waves

The lighting inside the Belmont Plaza Pool was filtered and dim. Its aroma was musty, and the loud, enthusiastic cheers of hopeful Cal State Long Beach water polo fans echoed tinnily off the chill of the water.

No matter how hard or loud the spectators screamed, the 49ers could not get on track. The Pepperdine Waves white-squalled the 49ers by a score of 10-4 Saturday night, dropping the 49ers record to 8-15 on the year.

49ers freshman Brian Brown scored two goals; Jeff Colyer and Joey Gendron also scored.

"We played hard and physical, but we didn't play well mentally," said Ken Lindgren, 49ers coach of 22 years. "We're a much better team than we showed today."

Much of the scoring Saturday came in the first and third quarters.

The 49ers cut into the Pepperdine advantage in the third, getting as close as 9-4, but just 52 seconds later the Waves answered with a slingshot goal by Todd King that snapped into the back of the net and had a lead that would prove to be too much for the 49ers to endure.

Next on the 49ers' itinerary is a trip to The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships, which will take place in Berkeley Nov. 29-Dec.