Nov. 23, 2012

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LOS ANGELES -- The No. 2 UCLA men's water polo team rallied to defeat No. 7 Pacific, 10-8, in the quarterfinals of the 2012 MPSF Tournament at USC on Friday afternoon. The Bruins will face No. 3 California in a semifinal tomorrow at USC at 3:00 p.m.

Senior Josh Samuels and junior Aimone Barabino led the Bruins with two goals apiece. The Bruins also got one goal each from juniors Chris Wendt and Lucas Reynolds and from sophomores Paul Reynolds, Daniel Lenhart and Chris Fahlsing.

Senior goalkeeper Matt Rapacz played all four quarters, registering seven saves.

Pacific goalie, Alex Malkis, registered 13 saves in the cage for the Tigers.

Alex Obert led the Tigers with four goals while Balazs Erdelyi added a pair of scores for Pacific.

Obert gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead at the 1:24 mark of the first quarter and the Tigers would continue to lead, 2-1, at the end of the first period. The Tigers would push the lead to 5-3 at halftime.

Obert's third and fourth goals of the game, gave the Tigers a 7-5 lead, with five minutes left after three minutes of play in the third, but UCLA would tie the match thanks to back-to-back scores two minutes later. Neither squad would score for the remainder of the quarter with both teams tied at 7-7 entering the final period. The Bruins completed the comeback by putting the clamps on Pacific, winning the final period 3-1, and the game by a 10-8 score.

The Bruins advance to tomorrow's semifinals where they will meet third-seeded California at USC's McDonald's Swim Stadium for a 3:00 p.m. clash with the Golden Bears. California advanced with an 11-9 win over No. 6 Pepperdine. UCLA has won both meetings with California this season in overtime. In fact, the last three meetings in the series have gone to extra frames.

No. 7 Pacific vs. No. 2 UCLA

Pacific Goals: Alex Obert 4, Balazs Erdelyi 2, Casey Fleming, Sean Grady
Pacific Saves: Alex Malkis 13

UCLA Goals: Aimone Barabino 2, Josh Samuels 2, Chris Fahlsing, Daniel Lenhart, Lucas Reynolds, Paul Reynolds, Chris Wendt, Griffin White
UCLA Saves: Matt Rapacz 7

2012 MPSF TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE
USC is hosting this year's MPSF Tournament at McDonald's Swim Stadium on Nov. 23-25, 2012. Game times are 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. (times subject to change). It will be a sellout so click here to purchase your tickets and get in on all of the exciting action and cheer the Bruins on as they defend their MPSF Championship.

2012 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE
USC is also hosting the 2012 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship at McDonald's Swim Stadium on Dec. 1-2, 2012. It will be a sellout so click here to purchase your tickets and get in on all of the exciting action.