MALIBU, California – The #12 Pepperdine men's water polo team took the lead into the fourth quarter against #2 UCLA, but the Bruins escaped
Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool with a 10-8 non-conference victory on Sunday afternoon.
The Waves (10-9) led 5-3 at halftime and 8-7 after three quarters, but the Bruins (15-1) netted all three goals that were scored in the fourth quarter.
BIG WAVES
- Freshman attacker Adam Csapo (Budapest, Hungary) scored three goals to lead the Waves.
- Freshman attacker Sandor Gal (Budapest, Hungary) had two assists to go with his one goal.
- Freshman goalie Zach Cwiertnia (Villa Park, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS) recorded seven saves.
GAME RECAP
UCLA scored first, but that would be the only Bruin lead until the fourth quarter. The Waves scored the next three goals, with Gal and Csapo netting two and junior center defender
Nico Tierney (Sierra Madre, Calif./Harvard-Westlake HS) notching a five-meter penalty. The Waves also led by two at 5-3 after a goal by senior utility
Kaden Kaneko (Huntington Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS) with 2:36 left in the first half.
UCLA tied it midway through the third quarter at 5-5, and again at 6-6, but goals by graduate attacker
Dennis Blyashov (Carlsbad, Calif./Harvard) and Csapo put Pepperdine back up 8-6 with 11 seconds remaining in the third quarter. That would be Pepperdine's final goal, however. UCLA scored on a buzzer-beater to make it 8-7 Pepperdine after three quarters. In the fourth, the Bruins scored on 6-on-5 opportunities at 5:09 and 2:52 to take a 9-8 lead, their first since the opening minutes. UCLA added an insurance goal with 1:45 left. At the other end, the Waves couldn't get it past UCLA goalie Bernardo Maurizi, who made four of his 13 saves in the fourth quarter.
UCLA 2-1-4-3---10
PEPP 3-2-3-0---8
Pepperdine goals: Adam Csapo 3,
Dennis Blyashov 1,
Sandor Gal 1,
Kaden Kaneko 1,
Austin Smit 1,
Nico Tierney 1.
QUOTABLE
Pepperdine Coach
Terry Schroeder said: "We really played with a lot of pride on defense today, and that's what we have to do the rest of the season. We gave UCLA everything they could handle. A couple of 6-on-5s at the end were the difference. We had a great first half, only giving up three goals. We wore down a little in the second half. But it was a great defensive effort, as good as we've played all year."
UP NEXT
The Waves begin Golden Coast Conference play next weekend with a home contest against San Jose State on Sunday (Oct. 9) at noon. The matchup will be streamed on the WCC Network.
