MALIBU, Calif - No. 7 Pepperdine water polo will open up the 2025 season this weekend with four games in two days at the Triton Invite, hosted by UC San Diego from Aug. 30-31 at the Canyonview Aquatic Center.

The Waves will take on No. 20 Navy to begin the season on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. before a matchup with Pomona-Pitzer at noon. Returning on Sunday, Pepperdine will take on No. 14 UC Davis at noon before a true road contest against No. 12 UC San Diego beginning at 4:00 p.m. The fixture with the Tritons will be the lone contest of the weekend with a stream available on ESPN+ and live stats available on the FOSH.

Tickets for the weekend can be purchased here.

"The team came back in good shape from their short time off this summer which allowed us to get right into training and preparing for our season and this first weekend of games," said head coach Merrill Moses. "We do have some players coming back from injury, but we have an extremely talented team and have the most depth at every position that we have had in a very long time. We play four talented and tough opponents that are very well coached this weekend at the Triton Invite. It will be a good test for our team to see where we are at and what we need to work on. Our goal as a team and coaching staff is to be our best at the end of the season and win our Conference Championship and be competing for an NCAA Championship. We are very excited about our upcoming season and hope to see as many of you that can make it to our games cheering the team on in the stands."

GAME NOTES

• Pepperdine was selected at No. 7 in the preseason CWPA poll.
• Merrill Moses enters his second season at the helm coming off a 21-8 season in 2024.
• The Waves came in at No. 2 in the WCC Preseason poll.
• Senior attacker Adam Csapo and sophomore attacker Erik Ionescu were each named to the Preseason All-WCC Team.
• Csapo posted 70 goals and 49 assists this past season along with 30 steals.
• Csapo earned All-WCC Second Team honors in each of the past two seasons and sits 15th on Pepperdine's all-time goal list with 183.
• Csapo ranked second in the WCC with 119 points in 2024 while also ranking top-ten in the conference in steals.
• Ionescu is the reigning WCC Freshman of the Year in 2024 after totaling 86 points through 51 goals and 35 assists.
• Ionescu's 19 points in conference play were the sixth-highest in the WCC.
• Senior attacker Sandor Gal logged 38 goals with 36 assists and a team-high 39 steals during his 2024 campaign.
• Gal was an All-WCC and ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention in 2024.
• Junior utility Jon Carcarey earned a silver medal with the United States National Team this summer at the U20 World Championships in Croatia.
• Carcarey scored 35 goals in 2024 for the Waves to go along with 18 assists, 20 steals and 21 blocks.
• Carcarey was one of two in the WCC this past season to record at least 30 goals, 20 steals and 20 blocks.
• The Waves return the goalkeeping tandem of Max Smirnov and Jaxon Leach who combined for every minute in goal this past season.
• Smirnov logged a .503 save-percentage to go along with an 11.20 GAA in 20 games played.
• Leach registered a .429 save-percentage in 14 games to go along with a 13.28 GAA.
• Graduate Student center Matty Walsh returns after missing the 2024 campaign. Walsh has recorded 59 goals and 33 steals in his career as a Wave.
• Freshman utility Csanád Bella begins his collegiate career immediately following a standout performance at the European U20 Championships in Romania, helping Hungary to a sixth-place finish.
• Bella is joined by Max Burstein, Garrett Chivers, Adam Blum, Alex Piccin, Cameron Bench and Brian Barnuevo as the incoming freshman class.
• Mike Tragitt was elevated to Associate Head Coach prior to the season with Terry Schroeder moving into the role of Senior Advisor.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Waves are 12-1 all-time against Navy and last matched up with the Midshipmen in 2015 which saw a 14-9 Pepperdine victory.
• Pepperdine boasts a 22-0 all-time mark against Pomona-Pitzer and took down the Sage Hens at both last year's Triton Invite and the Gary Troyer Tournament.
• The Waves hold a 30-5 advantage in the all-time series with UC Davis, most recently defeating the Aggies 15-11 at the 2023 MPSF Invite.
• Pepperdine is 52-9-1 all-time against UC San Diego as the Waves enter with a three-game winning streak against the Tritons.
• The Waves were 4-0 at last season's Triton Invite including a sudden death overtime victory over No. 2 Cal.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

• Navy logged a 22-10 overall record in 2024 and enter play ranked No. 20 in the CWPA Preseason Poll along with holding a No. 2 ranking in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Poll.
• Pomona-Pitzer enters the season ranked No. 2 in the CWPA Division III Preseason Poll. The Sage Hens posted a 19-12 record in 2024 and fell in the SCIAC semifinals.
• UC Davis logged a 10-14 mark in 2024 and fell in the Big West semifinals to UC San Diego. The Aggies enter the season ranked 14th in the nation.
• UC San Diego enters the season ranked No. 12 in the country coming off a season where the Tritons reached the Big West Championship with a 17-12 overall record.

WAVES SCHEDULE
Saturday, August 30
No. 7 Pepperdine vs. No. 20 Navy - 8:00 a.m. (Canyonview Pool)
No. 7 Pepperdine vs. Pomona-Pitzer - noon (Triton Pool)
Sunday, August 31 
No. 7 Pepperdine vs. No. 14 UC Davis - noon (Canyonview Pool)
No. 7 Pepperdine at No. 12 UC San Diego - 4:00 p.m. (Triton Pool)

Next up, the Waves will ready for the home opener on Sunday, Sept. 7, hosting No. 2 USC at 1:00 p.m. from Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.

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
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