Josefina de la Torre
Stanford University’s sophomore attacker Botond Balogh attempts to score against the San José State defense on Friday afternoon.
San Jose State’s men’s water polo team suffered a challenging game against Stanford on Friday afternoon, ending with a frustrating 12-5 loss.
SJSU (4-3) played with heart against a physically formidable team, which presented numerous challenges in the second half of the game as Stanford (8-2) continued to score.
The Cardinal managed to score a little over 30 seconds into the game, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
SJSU head coach, Gabor Sarusi, felt let down considering the outcome wasn’t what the team had hoped for this early in the season.
“It’s one of those things when you’re looking for your players to be more mature and kind of grow up and shake off a loss,” Sarusi said.
During the game, SJSU goalie Brendon Gyapjas worked hard to keep up with the physical aggressiveness that Stanford brought to the Spartans.
“They made an amazing defense against us,” Gyapjas said. “I think I did close to my best, and we still didn’t have a chance, so that makes me really frustrated.”
He said the loss was frustrating for himself and the team, and is recognizing the same mistakes.
Gyapjas made 12 saves against Stanford, stopping heavy shots throughout the game.
The crowd, despite the loss, continued to cheer for the SJSU, with a small marching band accompanying each goal, bringing some optimism throughout the game.
Stanford attacker, Gianpiero Di Martire, gave a challenge for SJSU’s offense and scored three goals out of the seven shots he took.
SJSU utility player, Mitchell Keightley, felt that there were too many moments during the game where the team lacked.
“I thought we held well defensively most of the time, but our poor offense really led to them on the counterattack on the breakaway,” said Keightley.
It was something he and other teammates hoped to improve upon in the future, which slowly began in a previous game against the China-Shanghai team on Sept. 18.
During the second half of the game, SJSU players struggled during turnovers which gave Stanford quick advantages, and left players frustrated.
Aside from Keightley’s comments on offensive strategies, he missed the presence of utility player and brother, Sam Keightley.
“I think he provides a lot of things, his size and strength really help us sit up and find offensive looks, which we were definitely missing him today,” Mitchell Keightley said.
Sam Keightley’s stats for 2025 show that in total, he’s made 14 goals and 5 assists, making him tied with his brother for the most points scored on the team with 19.
During the game, Stanford players hit shots close to the goal, adding to the intensity of the game.
The Spartans did the same, with utility player Giancarlo Marquez making several attempts at goals during the game.
During the game, the aggressiveness among the teams increased as SJSU was called for 10 exclusions, while Stanford was called for 6.
Currently, Stanford ranks one above SJSU in men’s varsity water polo polls for the Fall, with SJSU tied for fifth with Fordham University.
“It’s super exciting for the guys, I feel like they have been working for this for 3 or 4 years now,” Sarusi said.
A lot of players felt that they had worked painstakingly to get as high as they have in the ranking, but Sarusi said that some players are likely getting too egotistical while in the water.
“The bitter part of this is that we think some of the guys’ heads are getting a little bit too big, so we need to keep them down to earth, it’s really how you play in October and November that defines the season,” Sarusi said.
During the game, referees called two penalty fouls in the first and third periods against SJSU, showing just how aggressive the game became
Despite the game being a disappointing outcome, the future for the season isn’t a complete loss, with players staying hopeful for the next major game.
“We are a much better team than you guys see us today,” said Gyapjas. “Hopefully, we will be better for the conference game.”
The Spartans are looking forward to its upcoming game for the West Coast Conference against Loyola Marymount University at home this Friday at 12 p.m.