San Jose, Calif. — In the first game, the #4 Pepperdine men's water polo team defeated #6 Princeton 7-6. After being down 5-2 early in the third quarter, the Waves came back and saw the game tied 6-6 late in the fourth.
Ryan Brosnan then scored the game winning goal with 1:25 left in the game.
In the second game, Pepperdine took down Bucknell 17-8 and head coach
Terry Schroeder earned his 500th career win. The Waves scored the first three goals of the game and never looked back.
BIG WAVES
- Sophomore attacker Adam Csapo (Budapest, Hungary/BME International Secondary School) tallied four goals and two assists in the first game against Princeton.
- Freshman center Chase Wilson (New York, N.Y./Greenwich HS) posted four goals, while also collecting three steals in the second game.
- Graduate driver Ryan Brosnan (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS/UC Santa Barbara) scored two goals in the fourth quarter against Princeton, including the game winning goal with less than two minutes to play.
- Graduate goalie Antonio Knez (Dubrovnik, Croatia/Gimnazija Dubrovnik/Princeton) had a total of 20 saves, while posting a .606 save percentage on the day.
GAME #1 RECAP
Adam Csapo gave the Waves an early 1-0 lead with a goal in the first minute of the game. The Tigers countered with a goal of their own to tie the game, 1-1 halfway through the first period. Solid defense from both teams led to a scoreless last four minutes and the game was tied one-all heading into the second quarter.
Princeton took a 2-1 lead with a goal to start the second quarter, but Pepperdine tied the game at two-all with just over four minutes left in the period thanks Csapo's second goal of the game. The Tigers then scored back-to-back goals and took a 4-2 advantage into the break.
The Tigers scored to open the third quarter and took a 5-2 lead, but
Nico Tierney (Sierra Madre, Calif./Harvard-Westlake HS) countered with a goal of his own to cut into Princeton's lead and make it a 5-3 game. Csapo then scored back-to-back goals to tie the game 5-5 heading into the final period.
After a slow start to the fourth quarter, Brosnan found the back of the net to give Pepperdine a 6-5 advantage with 2:43 left in the game. Princeton then scored on their next possession to tie the game 6-6. After a timeout, Brosnan scored his second goal of the period to give the Waves a 7-6 lead with 1:25 left to play. A couple clutch saves by
Antonio Knez helped Pepperdine complete their second half comeback and win the game 7-6.
Pepperdine was led by Csapo who had four goals in the game, and three Waves scored in the contest.
PRIN 1-3-1-1 — 6
PEPP 1-1-3-2 — 7
Pepperdine goals: Adam Csapo 4,
Ryan Brosnan 2,
Nico Tierney 1
GAME #2 RECAP
Three quick goals by Csapo, Tierney and Wilson put the Waves up 3-0 early in the first quarter. The Bison countered with a goal of their own, but Wilson found the back of the net again to put Pepperdine in front 4-1. Bucknell then scored a goal, but back-to-back goals by Csapo and
Matty Walsh (Laguna Beach, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS) gave the Waves a 6-2 lead heading into the second quarter.
Wilson earned a hat-trick early in the second quarter and gave Pepperdine an 8-3 advantage halfway through the period. Both teams traded goals to end the half, and the Waves took a 10-5 lead into the break.
Bucknell opened up the scoring in the second half, but
Christian Hosea found the back of the net on a five-meter to put Pepperdine back up by five, 11-6. The Waves then scored three straight times and took a 14-6 advantage. The Bison scored late in the period, and Pepperdine took a 14-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Waves tacked on two early goals in the final period to increase their lead, 16-7. Pepperdine and Bucknell both scored late in the game, and the Waves ultimately won the contest 17-8.
Wilson led the way with four goals, and a total of nine Waves scored in the game.
BUCK 2-3-2-1 — 8
PEPP 6-4-4-3 — 17
Pepperdine goals: Chase Wilson 4,
Conor Brough 2,
Jon Carcarey 2,
Adam Csapo 2,
Christian Hosea 2,
Matty Walsh 2,
Ryan Brosnan 1,
Kaden Kaneko 1,
Nico Tierney 1.
UP NEXT
The Waves will wrap up their Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament as they take on #16 Fordham at 8 a.m. and then Long Island University at noon in Santa Clara, Calif. Both contests will be held at Sullivan Aquatic Center.