IRVINE, Calif. – Seventh-ranked UC Irvine out-scored sixth-ranked Long Beach State 7-3 in the second half to beat the Forty-Niners 9-8 in a semifinal of the Golden Coast Conference Championship Saturday at the Anteater Aquatics Complex.

Senior Ryan Warde capped the comeback, scoring the game-winner with 33 seconds remaining.

With the win, UCI (15-9) advances to the championship game tomorrow (Nov. 19) at 5:00 p.m. against No. 5 Pacific at the Anteater Aquatics Complex. The winner of the contest receives GCC's first automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

The Anteaters were led by Jack Trush with three goals followed by Brendan Duffy with two. Fynn Schuetze, Bryant Joudrie, Lovre Milos, and Ryan Warde all posted a goal in the win. Goalkeeper Matej Matijevic recorded 10 saves, while Robby Stiefel had a team-high three assists.

Long Beach State (14-12) was led by Duncan Lynde's two goals and goalkeeper Thomas Freeman's 15 saves.

LBSU would lead 5-2 at the half, before UCI began to rally with three of the first four goals of the second half scored by Jack Trush to narrow the margin to 6-5. A Forty-Niner goal would close out the third period, 7-5.

UCI would take their first lead of the night after three straight power play goals, by Lovre Milos (5:24), Brendan Duffy (3:46) and Bryant Joudrie (2:35) kicked off the fourth quarter and gave UCI an 8-7 advantage. Long Beach's Nemanja Bakic would knot the game at 8-8 at 1:14 before Warde put away the game-winner with 33 seconds on the clock. An exclusion gave the Forty-Niners a man advantage on the final possession, but Matej Matijevic stopped a lob shot to end the game.

SCORING BY PERIOD
UCI 1-1-3-4-9
LBSU 2-3-2-1-8

SCORING
UCI: J.Trush 3, Duffy 2, Schuetze 1, Joudrie 1, Milos 1, Warde 1
LBSU: Fujioka 2, Lynde 2, Stevenson 1, Stewart 1, Bakic 1, Holden 1

GOALKEEPING
UCI: Matijevic 10
LBSU: Freeman 15