MALIBU, Calif. — No. 12 Pepperdine water polo (3-1) will host No. 2 USC (5-0) on Sunday for the home opener from Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool at 1:00 p.m.

Pepperdine will welcome a formidable crosstown foe in USC in the first home contest for the Waves in 302 days. The first 100 fans in attendance will receive a cowbell while fans at home can tune in to Tavin Carncross and Clayton Snyder who will have the call on ESPN+.

The game opens up the nine-game home schedule on tap for the Waves this season in Malibu. Pepperdine started the season with a strong 3-1 showing this past weekend at the Triton Invite hosted by UC San Diego.

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LAST TIME OUT

• The Waves opened the season with a 3-1 mark at the Triton Invite this past weekend.
• Pepperdine collected wins over No. 20 Navy and Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday.
• The Waves dropped a 13-10 decision to No. 14 UC Davis on Sunday before rebounding for a 10-9 win at No. 12 UC San Diego.
• Pepperdine netted double-digit goals in each contest, seeing 14 unique goalscorers across the weekend.

GAME NOTES

• The Waves enter week 2 ranked No. 12 in the CWPA poll.
• Sandor Gal led the Waves with 11 goals and five assists to go along with seven steals at the Triton Invite.
• Gal scored four goals in the first two games of the season while notching five points in the loss to No. 14 UC Davis.
• Graduate student Dane Howell recorded a career-high four goals on two occasions at the Triton Invite, scoring four times against No. 20 Navy and No. 14 UC Davis.
• Howell logged a goal in every game on the weekend and overall posted 10 goals and two assists in the opening four games.
• Howell has scored a goal in every game this season along with Gal, Matty Walsh and Cade Anderton.
• Graduate student Matty Walsh returned to action this past weekend after missing the entire 2024 campaign.
• Walsh made his presence felt as the starting center for the Waves, totaling six goals on the weekend while finding the back of the cage in every contest.
• Walsh has now posted 65 goals in his career with Pepperdine.
• Sophomore goalie Max Smirnov earned a pair of wins to open the season in San Diego, tabbing eight goals against Pomona-Pitzer before making nine stops to defeat No. 12 UCSD.
• Sophomore goalie Jaxon Leach made 17 saves on the weekend in two contests, defeating No. 20 Navy with an 11-save effort in the season opener.
• Five freshmen made their debuts this past weekend, with each finding the back of the cage with a goal.
• Csanád Bella scored three goals in his debut weekend while Brian Barnuevo logged two goals and two assists across four games.
• Adam Blum, Max Burstein and Alex Piccin also recorded a goal to begin their collegiate careers.
• The Waves will look to knock off the No. 2 team in the country for the second straight season, having upset No. 2 Cal in overtime this past September.

SERIES HISTORY

• The two sides have squared off 97 times with the Trojans leading the all-time series 73-22-2.
• USC has won five straight in the fixture with the Waves last victory coming at home in 2019 by a 13-12 scoreline.
• The Trojans collected a 16-7 home victory in the matchup in 2024.
• Pepperdine holds a 6-20 all-time home record against the Trojans.

SCOUTING THE TROJANS

• USC enters play ranked only behind the team that defeated them in the 2024 National Championship game, UCLA.
• The 5-0 Trojans cruised at the Triton Invite which featured wins over No. 10 San Jose State, No. 12 UC San Diego and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara before defeating No. 7 Long Beach State on Friday at home.
• UCSD played the closest contest so far, falling 10-7, as a common opponent with the Waves who defeated the Tritons 10-9.
• Sophomore Robert Lopez Duart has led the way with 15 goals in five games to open the season.

The Waves will remain home next to host Whittier (noon) and No. 18 UC Santa Barbara (5:00 p.m.) on Thursday, Sept. 11. 

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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