MALIBU, Calif. — No. 9 Pepperdine water polo (11-9, 1-3 WCC) fell in an overtime battle at No. 8 San Jose State (8-5, 3-1 WCC) by a score of 17-14 on Friday afternoon.

The game was back and forth throughout, with neither side holding a multi-goal lead in regulation. The Waves forced overtime on a goal from Owen Tift with 21 seconds remaining.

Erik Ionescu led the Waves with three goals and a pair of assists, with both Sandor Gal and Dane Howell each recording two goals and two assists.

"The team played with heart and grit today against a very talented San Jose State team," said head coach Merrill Moses. "It was a seesaw battle with continuous lead changes that led to overtime. Unfortunately, we gave up the lead in overtime and had some unfortunate plays that led to them building their lead in overtime. The WCC is the toughest conference in water polo and we are preparing to be at our strongest for our conference tournament at the end of the year."

Both teams struggled offensively to begin the contest, each finding the back of the cage just once in the opening period. Csanád Bella scored the opener for the Waves with the Spartans answering with 1:28 left in the frame.

The opening 2:30 of the second saw the defenses' in control again with no goals, before Howell and Jon Carcarey notched a pair for the Waves as the teams continued to back and forth with another tally from Howell making it a 4-3 Pepperdine advantage. The Spartans took momentum into the half with the final two goals, as the home side held a 5-4 lead at the midway point.

The Pepperdine offense came to life in the third, including three power play goals as Matty Walsh, Ionescu and Adam Blum each converted with the extra man. With neither side able to build up any sort of lead, the Waves took a 9-8 lead into the fourth.

The Spartans tied it up to begin the fourth, with Gal depositing his first goal of the game with 4:33 remaining to give the Waves a late lead. San Jose State found the equalizing goal with the extra man with 2:21 remaining, before taking their first lead since the 5:07 mark in the third with 36 seconds remaining.

The Waves needed a goal on the next possession to force overtime, trailing 11-10 and coming out of a timeout. Pulling out a seven-on-six unit, Charles Warmington fed Tift down low who fired in his second of the game to tie the score at 11 with 21 seconds remaining. The Waves got a pivotal stop to end regulation time, as overtime was needed to decide this one.

The teams traded goals to begin overtime, with Ionescu firing home on the power play off a feed from Howell. The Spartans converted a five-meter penalty with 26 ticks to go in the first overtime, with the Waves going back to a seven-on-six which led to an empty net goal as time expired in the frame.

Leading 14-12 heading into the second overtime, the Waves were unable to mount a comeback, with empty net goals padding the final score to 17-14.

Game Notes

• Erik Ionescu led the Waves with three goals and two assists. 
• Sandor Gal recorded two goals and two assists.
• Gal increased his point total on the season to a team-high 65.
• Dane Howell posted two goals and two assists while winning all six sprints in the game.
• Matty Walsh scored two goals to go along with an assist, steal and two drawn exclusions.
• Walsh has registered multiple goals in eight of nine games.
• Charles Warmington logged four assists for the second straight game.
• Owen Tift finished with a pair of goals and an assist offensively.
• Max Smirnov made 11 saves in the cage for Pepperdine to go along with three steals.
• The Waves move to 2-2 in overtime games this season.

Pepperdine returns tomorrow to compete in the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament at Santa Clara, taking on No. 19 Harvard at 10:20 a.m. and UC Merced at 3:40 p.m. Both games will have streaming available on Overnght and live stats available on the FOSH.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE WATER POLO
Pepperdine water polo has seen success spanning decades under Terry Schroeder who gave the reins to Merrill Moses following the 2023 season. Highlighted by its national championship in 1997 with Moses as the starting goalie, the Waves have reached the NCAA Tournament on 13 occasions and recently won the inaugural WCC Regular Season Championship in 2023. Overall, the program has seen 60 athletes garner All-American honors while boasting a winning record in 36 of 50 seasons.

TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.

FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine water polo news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMWP.