Pepperdine University
9-13, 2-3WCC
UC Davis
15-8, 5-0WCC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 17 |
| Pepperdine | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
10/30/2026 4:19:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
MALIBU, Calif. — No. 16 Pepperdine water polo (9-13, 2-3 WCC) was defeated by a score of 17-8 against No. 9 UC Davis (15-8, 5-0 WCC) Friday afternoon from Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.
The Aggies held the Waves scoreless through the opening period and led 10-1 at halftime in a wire-to-wire win. The teams played even in the second half as Pepperdine found its footing behind a 7-3 run, but UC Davis saw out the victory with its lead.
Erik Ionescu paced Pepperdine with four goals and an assist offensively, with Brian Barnuevo also logging a pair of goals in the effort.
Max Smirnov made 13 stops in goal for the Waves while collecting a pair of steals. Csanad Bella also tallied a steal and field block to go along with a goal.
"Unfortunately we came out flat in the first half and gave UC Davis too many easy goals and a large lead," said head coach Merrill Moses. "I'm proud of how the team responded in the second half and we ended up tying the second half against a talented team. We will analyze what went wrong in the first half and fine-tune things to keep getting better so we are prepared for the remainder of our games in the regular season and the WCC Tournament."
UC Davis got out on the front foot with two goals in the opening four minutes to grab the early advantage. Pepperdine was unable to break through offensively in the first period, as the Aggies' defense held firm to help secure a 5-0 lead through one.
The second period continued in the same manner, as UC Davis led 7-0 before Ionescu got the Waves on the board with a long-range shot on a 6-on-5 opportunity. The Aggies went on to score the final three goals of the half, as they led 10-1 at the midway point.
After making it 11-1 in the first minute of the second half, Pepperdine ended the third period on a 3-0 spurt which made it 11-4. Bella scored on the 6-on-5 before a pair of even strength tallies from Barnuevo cut the lead down to seven. The Waves did not allow a goal for the final 7:11 of the frame.
The Waves continued to fight back in the fourth, as Ionescu scored three goals in a span of two minutes and 31 seconds which brought the score to 13-7 with 3:26 remaining. Milo Joseph got on the scoresheet late as well, extending his goal streak to six games.
With the score 14-8, UC Davis scored the final three goals of the game including a last-second tally, bringing the final score to 17-8.
Pepperdine will head north for its final regular season conference matchups next, with road tilts at Saint Mary's on Friday, Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. and Pacific on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m.
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 67 athletes garner All-American honors while boasting a winning record in 37 of 51 seasons.
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Players Mentioned
Team Stats
Austin Quick
5:42
Mateo Ruano
4:17
Thomas Kiesling
2:59
Mateo Ruano
1:00
Oleg Shatskikh
0:33
Lucas Wulfhorst
5:43
Colton Fine
4:37
Erik Ionescu
4:35
Thomas Kiesling
3:07
Thomas Kiesling
2:00
Thomas Marr
1:18
Oriol Viñas
7:11
Csanád Bella
6:09
Brian Barnuevo
2:22
Brian Barnuevo
0:34
Luka Palavra
7:17
Erik Ionescu
5:57
Erik Ionescu
4:29
Mateo Ruano
3:38
Erik Ionescu
3:26
Thomas Kiesling
2:38
Milo Joseph
2:04
Oleg Shatskikh
1:36
Lucas Ruano
0:32
Max Prokhin
0:01
