U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — No. 10 Pepperdine water polo (17-11, 3-3 WCC) fell short in overtime against No. 9 San Jose State (13-7, 5-1 WCC) by a score of 13-12 in the WCC Semifinals Saturday afternoon.

The Spartans scored with 24 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime, netting the first two goals in the overtime frames to secure the victory and advance to the WCC Championship game. The contest between the second-seeded Spartans and third-seeded Waves was the first-ever overtime game in WCC Tournament history.

Erik Ionescu led the Waves with three goals and three assists, while Sandor Gal recorded a pair of goals, assists, steals and field blocks.

Brian Barnuevo, Owen Tift and Charles Warmington each had a goal and assist in the effort, while Max Smirnov made eight saves in the cage for Pepperdine.

"We are very proud of this team and all the effort they put into this season," said head coach Merrill Moses following the game. "They played their hearts out today and unfortunately we had some bounces that did not go our way. We as a coaching staff want to thank our seniors for all of their hard work and dedication that they put into Pepperdine and our program. They will be extremely missed!"

The Waves got out to a dream start with Jon Carcarey scoring the game's opening goal just 17 seconds in following a sprint win from Dane Howell.

The Spartans answered immediately, but Tift and Ionescu then scored on back-to-back possessions to put the Waves ahead 3-1 just 2:06 into the game. The Pepperdine defense held firm, allowing just one other goal in the frame while a Brian Barnuevo near-post strike had the Waves ahead 4-2 after one period of play.

The Waves' defense and Smirnov continued to pester the San Jose offense, as the Spartans were shut out for 9:10 of total game time from the 5:13 mark of the first to the 4:03 mark in the second. Csanád Bella made it a 5-2 Pepperdine lead before the Spartans got back on the scoresheet.

Gal then notched his first of the game with 3:04 remaining, but the Spartans notched the final goal of the half with 11 seconds left to make it a 6-4 contest at the break. Each side was called for just one exclusion in the first half.

The Waves got the opening goal of the second half 32 seconds in as Ionescu buried a five-meter penalty to put Pepperdine ahead 7-4. The Spartans would then use a 4-1 run across the ensuing five minutes to even the score at eight. Pepperdine immediately answered with a five-on-six goal tucked home from Dane Howell.

Smirnov made a save on a five-meter penalty soon after, but the Spartans' Mateja Bosic was able to get his own rebound off the save and score to tie the game at nine as the game entered the fourth period.

With the possessions thinning, Gal fired in a go-ahead goal for the Waves with 6:56 to go, with San Jose State finding another equalizer through Sam Keightley with 5:18 to play. The 10-10 tie would not last a possession, as Ionescu fired home from the two immediately after to put the Waves ahead 11-10 with 4:52 to go.

The teams traded stop after stop with attempts on net coming at a premium down the stretch. The game dwindled into the final minute with the Waves holding the one-goal lead, as the Spartans had one more chance to tie the game and force overtime. Following a timeout, San Jose State was able to find the goal it needed to extend the game, with Biros tying the score with 24 seconds remaining.

The Waves had a chance offensively before the end of regulation, as Carcarey was forced to fire wide as time expired.

The offensive struggles continued for both sides in the first overtime, trading multiple empty possessions. The Spartans got their breakthrough with 35 seconds left in the first overtime frame, taking their first lead of the game at 12-11.

After getting multiple key stops in the second overtime, the Spartans were able to put the game to rest with a cross-cage goal from Erik Duesund with 18 seconds remaining, giving San Jose State a 13-11 lead.

Matty Walsh added an extra man goal with 10 seconds to play, but the Spartans were able to see out their final possession to earn the victory.

GAME NOTES

• Erik Ionescu logged three goals and three assists for a game-high six points.
• Ionescu reached 100 points on the season in the effort through 57 goals and 43 assists.
• He is the third Wave in the past six seasons to record a 100-point campaign.
• Sandor Gal recorded two goals and two assists to go along with two steals and two field blocks.
• Gal became the first Wave to reach 50 assists in a season since Curtis Jarvis in 2022.
• Charles Warmington added a goal and assist, giving him five points for the tournament.
• Brian Barnuevo and Owen Tift each logged a goal and assist.
• Max Smirnov logged eight saves in the cage while collecting two steals.
• Matty Walsh scored his team-high 58th goal of the season.
• Jon Carcarey and Csanád Bella tabbed goals for the Waves.
• Pepperdine has earned a WCC semifinal appearance in all three seasons in the conference.
• The Waves finish the season with a 17-11 overall record which featured 11 victories over ranked opponents.

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.

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