MALIBU, Calif. — The #4 Pepperdine men's water polo team will host PCH Cup rival #16 Loyola Marymount in the home opener on Saturday before heading to Los Angeles to take on #3 USC in a top-five matchup on Sunday.  
 
Free cowbells will be given to the first 50 fans at the Loyola Marymount game.
 
GAME #5 — #4 Pepperdine (4-0) vs. #16 Loyola Marymount | Saturday, Sept. 14 | Noon | Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool | Malibu, Calif.
 
GAME #6 — #4 Pepperdine at #3 USC | Sunday, Sept. 15 | 1 p.m. PT | Uytengsu Aquatics Center | Los Angeles, Calif.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA — Follow @PeppWaterPolo on X for updates and check out PepperdineWaves.com and Facebook (/PeppWaterPolo) for releases and more information. Find the Waves on Instagram @peppwaterpolo.
 
ONLINE — Along with all home WCC contests, the game against LMU will be live streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). If available, the game against USC will be streamed on overnght (subscription required). Additionally, live stats links and live stream links (if available) can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
 
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT — LMU is 2-0 on the season having defeated La Verne 26-8 and Chapman 19-10 last weekend. Pepperdine is 48-9 all-time against Loyola Marymount including two wins against the Lions last season.
 
USC — This season USC is 4-0 including ranked wins over Long Beach State and UC Davis at the Triton Invitational. The Waves are 22-72-2 all-time against the Trojans with their last win coming in 2019.
 
TICKETS & SPECTATOR GUIDELINES — Tickets to all Pepperdine home men's water polo matches in 2024 will be available via e-ticket at tickets.pepperdinewaves.com.  Get your tickets for Saturday's game against LMU here. Pepperdine faculty, staff and students must show a Pepperdine ID card for entry — no ticket purchase is required.
 
SEATING — Bleacher seating at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis. Fans are encouraged to bring their own chairs and/or blankets to sit on the hillside next to the bleachers. Parking may be limited, and guests are advised to arrive early.
 
PCH CUP — An annual all-sport competition between two local rivals that are separated by just 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, the PCH Cup is in its 16th season of existence. Pepperdine has won 12 of the 15 years that this competition has been held.
 
MOSES — Merrill Moses, a three-time Olympian, former All-American and national champion water polo player for the Waves, was elevated to head coach in March 2024. This season will be his first year as the head coach and his 13th on staff. Over the past 12 years, the Waves are 179-138 (.565) and have won four conference titles, including a most recent regular season crown last season.
 
HUNGARY FOR SUCCESS — The Waves have three standout players all hailing from Budapest, Hungary in juniors Adam Csapo and Sandor Gal as well as freshman Erik Ionescu.
 
Csapo is no stranger to success having already been a two-time All-American honorable mention and a two-time All-Conference second team award winner. He was named to the All-WCC Preseason Team for the second straight year and has tallied seven goals on a .636 shooting percentage so far this season.
 
In his two years as a Wave, Gal has never missed a game and has been a staple in the Pepperdine lineup. He's scored a total of 58 goals and dished out 72 assists in his first two seasons. Gal has also had a strong start to this season by notching six goals and five assists in the first weekend of action.
 
Making an immediate impact for the Waves, Ionescu found the back of the net nine times on a .600 shooting percentage in his first weekend of collegiate water polo including four goals and one assist in the win over #2 California. He also earned the WCC Newcomer of the Week award for his performances at the Triton Invitational.
 
100 CLUB — Christian Hosea and Adam Csapo have both tallied over 100 career goals having found the back of the net 123 and 120 times respectively. Hosea is tied for 31st in all-time goals for the Waves while Csapo is 34th.
 
AWARDS — Pepperdine swept the first WCC weekly honors as Jon Carcarey was named the WCC Player of the Week and Erik Ionescu earned the WCC Newcomer of the Week on Sept. 10. 
 
Carcarey totaled 12 goals, two drawn exclusions, two field blocks and one steal including the game-winning golden goal against California at the Triton Invitational.
 
Ionescu tallied nine goals, two assists, three steals and one field block in his first weekend of collegiate water polo.
 
WCC HISTORY —Pepperdine won a share of the first regular season WCC Title in 2023, while San Jose State won the inaugural WCC Tournament last year.
 
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves' 28-man roster breakdown is two fifth years, four seniors, five juniors, two redshirt sophomores, three sophomores, four redshirt freshmen and eight freshmen. Pepperdine returns 19 players from last year's roster, including 2023 All-American honorable mention Adam Csapo. The Waves also add 9 newcomers, including a freshman goalie from Israel in Max Smirnov.
 
SCHEDULE — Pepperdine will host eight non-conference games in September and October including three preseason top-five teams as Princeton, Stanford and top-ranked UCLA are slated to make the trip out to Malibu. The Waves are also set to face off against the other two top-five preseason teams in a road contest against USC and a neutral site battle with California. In conference play, Pepperdine will visit Air Force, Loyola Marymount and Pacific, while playing host to Santa Clara, California Baptist and San Jose State.
 
WCC POLL — The WCC preseason poll, as decided by the league's coaches, went as follows: Pacific, San Jose State, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, California Baptist, Santa Clara, Air Force.
 
LAST SEASON — Pepperdine went 25-6 in the fall of 2023, won a share of the regular season WCC Championship, and finished ranked tied for seventh in the country in the final CWPA poll of the year. The Waves picked up wins against five top-10 teams last season including #4 Princeton on September 24. Pepperdine also swept the WCC Postseason top honors as Antonio Knez won the Player of the Year, Ryan Brosnan garnered the Newcomer of the Year and Terry Schroeder won the Coach of the Year award. Three Waves earned All-American honors, Brosnan and Knez garnered a spot on the third team, while Adam Csapo picked up an honorable mention nod. Brosnan and Knez also made the All-WCC first team while Csapo and Nico Tierney collected All-WCC second team honors.
 
WATER POLO HISTORY — Pepperdine won the NCAA title in 1997, which was the last time a school other than California, Stanford, UCLA or USC won the championship. The Waves' exceptional water polo history also includes 13 conference titles, a top-10 ranking in 47 of the last 48 years and a top-five finish 21 times. Pepperdine has had 63 players earn All-American honors a total of 112 times. Three Waves — Mike Grier (1984), Geoffrey Clark (1991) and Alan Herrmann (1997) — were named the national player of the year. Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool hosted the 1984 Olympic water polo competition and the 2000 NCAA Championships.
 
SEASON TICKETS — Season tickets are now available for all fall sports, including water polo.  Additionally, Pepperdine is offering a Fall All-Sport Pass, which grants admission to all fall home sports including women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo - a $525 retail value for just $150. Learn more and access those exclusive season ticket offers here: gowav.es/peppszntix2425.   
 
GROUP OPPORTUNITIES — Interested in bringing your group out to a Pepperdine Athletics event? Unique experiences include anthem buddies, national anthem performances, fan tunnels, halftime performances and more.  Group tickets (15+ tickets) and experiences are available, beginning at $5 per person for women's volleyball, men's water polo and women's soccer.  Those interested in purchasing group tickets can fill out this form or reach out to the ticket office via e-mail wavestix@pepperdine.edu or phone (866) WAVE-TIX.
 
JR. WAVES — Register your kid(s) to join Pepperdine's official kids club, "Jr. Waves" for the 2024-2025 academic year.  Jr. Waves receive an exclusive t-shirt, membership card and a lanyard that grants free general admission to all Pepperdine ticketed sporting events. Memberships start at $100 per kid.
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 20 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, four times (most recently in 2022-23). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #76 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.