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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Two-time Golden Coast Conference Player of the Year Rafael Real Vergara scored three goals with three assists to help pace the second-seeded and sixth-ranked Long Beach State to a 15-9 win over third-seed and 10th-ranked UC Santa Barbara.

The win in the second semifinal of the 2022 GCC Men's Water Polo Championships Saturday night moves the Beach to their fourth straight tournament title game as they look to defend their title from a year ago.

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The 2022 GCC tournament title game will be a rematch of last year as the Beach will face top-seed and seventh-ranked Pacific. The Beach or Tigers have been in every title game since the men joined the GCC in 2016. This will be the third meeting between the two. Long Beach State won last year's meeting 13-9 and in 2018, 10-6. 

This year's championship game will be played Sunday, Nov. 20 at 1 pm.

Vergara's six-point night was tops for the Beach (21-18). Bruno Chiappini added four goals and Evan Cain chipped in three. Dash McFarland, Tommy Hawkins, Sam Nangle and Adam Gyenis all had two goals for host UCSB (14-13).

The Gauchos jumped out to a 2-0 lead on back-to-back goals by Nangle. Cain, Chiappini and Raul Morales scored three straight for LBSU to take a 3-2 lead with 2:53 left in the opening quarter. 

McFarland answerd on the next possession to tie the game at 3-3. The Beach would slowly pull away from there.

Connor Mannion gave the Beach the lead 4-3 to close the first quarter and Matt Morris added to it, making 5-3 with 5:45 left in the first half. McFarland answered again to make it 5-4 with 1:03 to play, but back-to-back goals by LBSU in the final minute of the half helped them pull away.

Chiappini and Real Vergara made it 7-4 at the half and the Beach led by at least two the rest of the way, holding UCSB to just one goal in each of the second and third quarters.

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