Box Score Los Angeles, Calif. – The #4 Pepperdine men's water polo team (12-2) defeated the #4 Princeton Tigers in a hard-fought contest to take fifth-place at the MPSF Invite. The Waves and Tigers went back-and-forth all day, but Pepperdine was able to score three straight goals to end the third period to take momentum into the fourth quarter and win the game 15-11.
 
BIG WAVES

• Graduate driver Ryan Brosnan (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS/UC Santa Barbara) had a hat-trick along with an assist.
• Sophomore attacker Sandor Gal (Budapest, Hungary/Leovey Klara Gimnazium) notched a hat-trick and three assists for a total of six points.
• Center defender Nico Tierney (Sierra Madre, Calif./Harvard-Westlake HS) tallied a hat-trick, while also picking up an assist.

GAME RECAP
 
Nico Tierney and Matty Walsh (Laguna Beach, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS) opened up the scoring early in the first quarter to give the Waves a 2-0 lead. A penalty shot goal by the Tigers brought them within one, but Jon Carcarey (Lompoc, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) quickly found the back of the net to increase Pepperdine's advantage to 3-1. Princeton countered back with a goal of their own to cut its deficit to 3-2. Sandor Gal then scored with just six seconds left in the period to give the Waves a 4-2 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
Princeton started off the second period with a pair of goals to tie the game at four-all. Chase Wilson (New York, N.Y./Greenwich HS) and Ryan Brosnan then scored back-to-back goals to put the Waves back in front, 6-4. The Tigers fought back with two more goals and evened the contest up at six-all heading into halftime.
 
Early in the third quarter, Brosnan connected with Walsh who beat the goalie to put Pepperdine up 7-6. The Tigers battled back and scored three straight goals to take a 9-7 lead. Tierney and Gal both found the back of the net to tie the game 9-9.  Tierney then scored again to earn a hat-trick in the game and put the Waves in front 10-9 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Brosnan found the back of the cage to give the Waves an 11-9 advantage at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Princeton countered with a goal of their own, but Adam Csapo (Budapest, Hungary/BME International Secondary School) scored on a five-meter to put Pepperdine in front 12-10 with under four minutes to play. The Tigers pulled within one once again, but Christian Hosea (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente HS) had a timely goal to give the Waves a 13-11 lead. Gal then sealed the game with a goal to give Pepperdine a three-goal lead with thirty seconds to play. The Waves would hold on to win the contest 15-11.
 
Brosnan, Gal and Tierney all led the way with three goals, and a total of eight Waves scored in the game.
 
PRIN 2-4-3-2—11
PEPP 4-2-4-5—15
 
Pepperdine goals: Ryan Brosnan 3, Sandor Gal 3, Nico Tierney 3, Matty Walsh 2, Jon Carcarey 1, Adam Csapo 1, Christian Hosea 1, Chase Wilson 1.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Waves will travel back to Los Angeles, Calif. to take on #2 UCLA at 5 p.m. on Friday Sept. 29 at Spieker Aquatics Center.