MALIBU, Calif. — No. 9 Pepperdine water polo (15-10, 2-3 WCC) will close out the regular season Friday at No. 17 Santa Clara (9-12, 2-3 WCC) with opening sprint set for 1 p.m. from Sullivan Aquatics Center.
The matchup will prove pivotal to the seeding for each squad at the WCC Championships as each enters play with a 2-3 mark in conference play.
The game can be streamed live on
ESPN+ with live stats available on the
FOSH.
The Waves played a pair of contests at Santa Clara earlier this season as part of the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament, falling to No. 19 Harvard and defeating UC Merced.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Waves picked up a dominant 15-8 victory at home over No. 13 LMU on senior day this past Saturday.
- Max Smirnov made 17 saves with seven goals allowed in the victory.
- Erik Ionescu led the Waves with seven points through three goals and four assists while Dane Howell added three goals and three assists.
- Sandor Gal poured in a game-high four goals in the effort.
- Pepperdine shut out the Lions for the entire third period in a top defensive effort.
GAME NOTES
- The Waves are currently riding a season-high four-game winning streak.
- Erik Ionescu has scored multiple goals along with an assist in six straight contests.
- Ionescu leads the Waves with 84 points this season.
- Sandor Gal is coming off his third four-goal effort of the season.
- Gal has scored a goal in nine straight contests and leads the Waves this season with 45 assists to go along with 38 goals.
- Gal also leads the WCC with 18 field blocks on the season.
- Dane Howell has notched seven goals across his past two games, reaching the 50-goal plateau on the season last time out.
- Matty Walsh put home a pair of goals on his senior day, as he has now scored multiple times in 13 of 14 affairs.
- Walsh leads Pepperdine this season with 54 goals.
- Max Smirnov has tabbed a .463 save-percentage with a 12.72 GAA in 20 appearances this season in the cage.
- Smirnov has added 22 steals and seven assists.
- Jon Carcarey has posted 29 goals and 22 steals to go along with 19 assists on the campaign.
- Owen Tift has emerged as a key starter for Pepperdine, logging 20 goals and 23 assists this season.
- Tift has recorded a point in 14 of the Waves' past 17 games.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Waves hold a 13-2 all-time mark against the Broncos.
- This includes a 2-0 record in West Coast Conference affairs.
- Pepperdine is currently riding a four-game winning streak in the series.
- The Waves are 5-1 in the series at Santa Clara, with the Broncos most recent win coming in 2014 at Sullivan Aquatics Center.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
- The 17th-ranked Broncos enter play with a 9-12 overall record which features a 2-3 WCC mark.
- Santa Clara has won just two of eight home games this season.
- The Broncos most recently earned an 18-16 win at Air Force this past weekend.
- The squad is led by Riccardo De Simon who has recorded 65 goals and 87 points this season.
- Harrison Labrosse has commanded the cage with 16 starts out of their 20 games, tallying a .444 save-percentage and 12.89 GAA.
The Waves will await their seeding ahead of the WCC Tournament, held from Nov. 21-23 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado.
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
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FOLLOW
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