Waves Travel to Irvine on Sunday
11/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Waves Travel to Irvine on Sunday
November 11, 2009
Water Polo Weekly Notes
Click on above video see an interview with freshman Danny White
UPCOMING - The No. 5 Waves (10-10, 2-4) travel to Irvine this weekend for their last conference match on the road. The Waves are looking to improve their MPSF record with another win.
Game #21: PEPPERDINE vs. UC IRVINE (Sunday, Nov. 15 @ 2 p.m. at The Anteater Pool, Irvine, Calif.
The Anteaters (14-9, 2-3) are scheduled to play UC Santa Barbara on Saturday and then host the Waves on Sunday for their final home game of the season.
Cole Bielsskis leads the team in scoring with 1.74 goals per game. Teammate Tom Kruip has 1.70 goals per game. They are ranked seventh and eighth in the MPSF, respectively.
The Waves record against UC Irvine this season is 1-1.
RECAP PACIFIC - The No. 5 nationally ranked Pepperdine men's water polo team defeated No. 13 Pacific and No. 10 Concordia, on Saturday at the Raleigh-Runnels Memorial Pool.
Pepperdine (10-10, 2-4) defeated Pacific 12-6, in the morning and came back to defeat Concordia 14-11, in the afternoon.
Senior JP MacDonell (Redwood City, Calif./Bellarmine HS) led the Waves offense by scoring three goals against Pacific and six against Concordia. Freshman goalkeeper Tommy O'Connell had 21 saves for the day.l
The Waves established an early lead against Pacific, scoring eight goals in the first half to Pacific's one.
Pacific fought back in the second half with five goals to Pepperdine's four. However, the Waves had established a large enough lead early in the game to remain victorious when the final buzzer sounded.
Senior Clayton Snyder (Seal Beach, Calif.l/Los Alamitos HS) scored two goals, while seven of his teammates each contributed one goal.
O'Connell had ten saves in the goal.
RECAP CONCORDIA - A physical afternoon game against Concordia saw the Waves jump out to a 6-4 lead at the half, with Concordia unable to catch up to Pepperdine in the second half. Junior Andrew Milcovich (Walnut Creek, Calif./De La Salle HS) and senior Brett Auer (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Beach HS) each scored two goals.
Goalkeeper Tommy O'Connell was credited with 11 saves.
PEPPERDINE IN THE POLLS - The Waves remained at No. 5 in the national rankings this week, according to the latest NCAA Div. I polls.
MPSF STATS: JP MacDonell is ranked No. 3 for goals scored with a 2.44 average per game. Thomas O'Connell moved up to No. 7 for goalie saves with a 6.62 average per game and No. 9 for goals against with a 7.65 average per game. The Waves are ranked No. 8 for team goals at 7.61 per game and No. 8 for team defense with 8.85 per game.
COACH KOCUR - Coach Jack Kocur is in his fourth year as head coach. Kocur took over the position from Terry Schroeder when he took a leave of absence to serve as the assistant coach for the U.S. National Team in 2006. Kocur was a member of the Waves 1997 national championship team, earning first All-American honors as a senior. Kocur spent four seasons as an assistant under Schroeder.
COACH O'BRIEN - Coach Gary O'Brien begins his second season as assistant coach. O'Brien played for UCLA and then went on to play semi-professionally in Australia. He has eight years of coaching experience at the high school, community college, university and club level.
COACH MATTHIES - Coach Marty Matthies joins the Waves staff as the volunteer coach this season. Matthies was a member of the California 2006 NCAA championship team. He played for the USA Water Polo National Senior Team in 2005. Matthies is the son of Pepperdine's Head Women's Volleyball Coach Nina Matthies.
PEPPERDINE HISTORY - In its 34 seasons, the Pepperdine water polo program has posted an overall record of 648-382-8, including a 163-108 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation record. The Waves have posted 15 20+ winning seasons and advanced to the NCAA Championships 12 times, claiming the program's lone national title in 1997.
SUPER SENIOR CLASS - The senior class is comprised of two returning starters and four returning players who were an integral part of the 2008 team. JP MacDonell and Clayton Snyder lead the team as the 2009 co-captain. MacDonell was selected as a 2008 All-American third team and All MPSF first team. He was a member of the 2009 USA Water Polo University Team. Snyder enters his second season as a co-captain. He was named to the 2008 All-MPSF third team and the All-MPSF academic team.
Taylor Watson had a strong 2008 season and will be a contender for a starting position. Brett Auer came back at the end of the season after recovering from an injury. He led the Waves with three goals in an upset victory against Stanford at the 2008 MPSF semi-finals. Christian Cardey, Preston Lujan, Sam Busby and Jacob Young round out the senior class. The group has been together all four years with the exception of Young who transferred as a junior in 2008. All four saw significant playing time in the 2008 season and are expected to be key on defense and counter attacks.
REDSHIRTS RETURN - Four redshirts are anxious to get back in the pool this season. Travis Gough, Matt Brown, Jonathan Flowers and Milos Purkovic should all see some action this year. Gough was one of the top freshman scorers in 2007. He scored five goals in a game twice (Whittier and Cal Lutheran). Brown, Flowers and Purkovic will make their debut as Waves this season.
JUNIORS - Andrew Milcovich and Bryce Mclain will represent the junior class this year. Milcovich is a returning
starter and a 2008 MPSF All-Academic team selection. McLain is expected to be the starting goal keeper for the Waves.
AMAZING FRESHMAN CLASS - Fourteen freshmen make the 2009 class one of the largest in Pepperdine history.
Among the group are two USA Water Polo Junior National Team members: Spencer Hamby and James Perry. Fellow Wave Mathew Carter played for South Africa's Junior National Team.
Twelve remaining freshmen fill every position on the roster and look to provide the Waves with depth this season.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE - Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports - one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.
