LOS ANGELES — No. 12 Pepperdine water polo (8-4) posted a 17-15 victory over No. 9 Princeton (10-2) from Uytengsu Aquatics Center at USC to conclude the MPSF Invite.
The Waves finish the weekend with a 3-1 record in the tournament, claiming ninth-place.
Matty Walsh led the Waves with four goals, two assists and six drawn exclusions at center.
Reed Pantaleon added a hat trick, with each goal coming in the second half, to help push the Waves to victory.
Owen Tift added a career-high five assists along with six points as Brian Barneuvo continued his strong play with two goals and two assists.
Max Smirnov commanded the cage for the Waves, making 14 stops on the day.
"I'm very proud of our team and how they finished the MPSF tournament against a very talented and well coached Princeton team who was ranked 9th in the country," said head coach
Merrill Moses. "Our centers dominated the game and we played very well offensively on our six-on-five opportunities.
Max Smirnov played very well in the goal for us with 14 saves to lead our defense."
The Waves got out to a fast start, answering Princeton's opening goal with four unanswered scores. Barnuevo found the back of the cage on both the power play and on a five-meter penalty. Pepperdine's offense continued to convert with Walsh adding a pair to his ledger, with the Waves leading 6-3 through one period of play.
Pepperdine weathered an early push from the Tigers, who had cut the lead down to one, as
Jon Carcarey and
Erik Ionescu scored back-to-back goals to put the Waves ahead 9-6. Pepperdine eventually took a 9-7 lead into halftime.
Reed Pantaleon made his mark in the second half, scoring two goals in the third period while the Waves held a one-goal advantage.
Alex Piccin and
Adam Blum picked up tallies as well, with the Tigers eventually tying the score for the first time since 1-1, with 5:50 remaining in the game.
It was Pantaleon again coming through for the Waves, with a go-ahead goal with 5:30 on the lock. With the Waves holding onto a one-goal lead, Walsh came up big with a drawn exclusion and then goal to give Pepperdine a 16-14 lead.
The Tigers got one back soon after with a five-meter conversion, but the Waves and Smirnov held firm, with Ionescu icing the game on an empty net in the closing seconds to bring the final score to 17-15.
Smirnov was consistent throughout for the Waves in goal, allowing fewer than four goals in each period.
Game Notes
- The Waves have won three straight games for the first time this season.
- The win marked the third victory over a top-ten program in the past two seasons for Pepperdine.
- Matty Walsh led the Waves with four goals and six points while drawing six exclusions.
- Reed Pantaleon scored three second half goals to propel the Waves to the victory.
- Max Smirnov made 14 saves in the cage for the Waves.
- Owen Tift registered a career-high five assists and six points.
- Brian Barnuevo logged two goals and two assists.
- Adam Blum and Erik Ionescu each contributed two goals.
- The Waves converted on seven of 15 extra-man opportunities.
- The Waves came away 3-0 from its games played at Uytengsu Aquatics Center, which hosted the consolation bracket on the weekend among sides who fell on Friday.
Pepperdine will travel up the coast next for road matchups at No. 3 Cal (Sept. 27) and No. 4 Stanford (Sept. 28).
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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