LOS ANGELES, California – The #10 Pepperdine men's water polo team faced a #2-ranked USC squad hitting on all cylinders on Saturday afternoon at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center, and the result was a 22-7 non-conference victory by the Trojans.
Shooting percentages were 61.1% for the Trojans (2-0) and 25.0% for the Waves (3-2).
BIG WAVES
- Senior center Nicholas Fichman (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Golden West College) was the only Wave to score twice.
- Both senior John Claude Marco (Atherton, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep) and redshirt freshman Justin Edward (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Dana Hills HS) saw action in the cage, with Marco getting four saves and Edward recording two.
GAME RECAP
The contest was tied just once at 1-1 after a goal by sophomore
Nico Tierney (Sierra Madre, Calif./Harvard-Westlake HS). But the Trojans rattled off the next six goals before Fichman finally put an end to the run at the end of the first quarter. Pepperdine scored consecutive goals for the only time on a 5-meter penalty by senior attacker
Balazs Kosa (Budapest, Hungary) and a strike by senior utility
Sean Ferrari (Redwood City, Calif./St. Francis HS), making it 8-4 midway through the second quarter. But it was 12-5 at halftime, and the Trojans extended the lead to 18-6 after three quarters.
USC 7-5-6-4-22
PEPP 2-3-1-1--7
Pepperdine goals: Nicholas Fichman 2,
Sean Ferrari 1,
Clay Kaneko 1,
Balazs Kosa 1,
Austin Smit 1,
Nico Tierney 1.
NOTABLE
- Kosa is now at 192 career goals, 13th all-time at Pepperdine. Ferrari is at 98 career goals and he will soon be the 43rd Wave to get to 100.
- Tierney played for the first time this season after missing last weekend while competing for the U.S. at the FINA Men's Junior World Championship in the Czech Republic.
UP NEXT
The Waves will quickly get back into action as they visit PCH Cup rival and #20 Loyola Marymount on Sunday (Sept. 12) at 11 a.m. The game will be streamed on the WCC Network.
