Pepperdine University
Fordham
No. 9 Water Polo Heads to East Coast to Take on No. 5 Fordham & No. 12 Princeton
9/10/2026 10:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
MALIBU, Calif. — No. 9 Pepperdine water polo (4-4) is set to hit the road for a pair of matchups this weekend on the east coast. The Waves will take on No. 5 Fordham (4-0) Friday at 3 p.m. PT before a matchup at No. 12 Princeton (3-0) Sunday at 9:30 a.m. PT.
The trip marks Pepperdine's first ever true road games against either program. Live streaming for the game against Fordham can be found for free on YouTube, with Sunday's matchup with Princeton set for ESPN+.Â
Friday, Sept. 11
No. 9 Pepperdine at No. 5 Fordham - 3 p.m. PT
Sunday, Sept. 13
No. 9 Pepperdine at No. 12 Princeton -Â 9:30 a.m. PTÂ
LAST TIME OUT
- The Waves fell by a score of 17-14 at No. 2 USC this past Sunday.
- Max Smirnov made 16 saves in goal for the second time in three games.
- Erik Ionescu, Brian Barnuevo and Hunter Danko each netted hat tricks in the victory.
- The Waves became just the second team (UCLA) to score 14 goals in regulation against the Trojans since Oct. 30, 2022.
GAME NOTES
- The Waves came in at No. 9 in the Preseason Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Poll this week.
- Brian Barunevo leads the Waves with 21 goals this season to go along with seven steals and three assists.
- Erik Ionescu has paced the Waves 32 points this season, through 19 goals and 13 assists.
- Ionescu has also matched a team-high with 10 steals, while collecting five hat tricks so far this season.
- Max Smirnov logged 16 saves in two of his last three outings, earning the win over No. 13 UC Santa Barbara before another standout performance at No. 2 USC.
- Smirnov has recorded a .468 save-percentage this season while tabbing 10 steals and five assists.
- Cade Anderton is one of two Waves to record 10 or more goals and assists to this point in the season.
- Anderton has posted four multi-goal efforts, including last time out against No. 2 USC.
- Tyce di Pretoro logged 15 goals and seven assists for 22 points across his first eight collegiate games, including five steals and two field blocks.
- di Pretoro posted a point in every contest this season.
- Jackson Benners has helped lead the way defensively for the Waves with a team-high 10 steals and eight field blocks.
- Benners has also added six goals and six assists.
- Hunter Danko has posted four hat tricks across his first six collegiate appearances.
- Danko logged a hat trick last time out against USC.
- Milo Joseph has paced the Waves with 22 drawn exclusions this year, to go along with eight goals.
- Joseph netted a hat trick in the win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and drew 10 exclusions on Sunday against Long Beach State and UC San Diego.
- Pepperdine was selected No. 3 in the West Coast Conference (WCC) Preseason Coaches Poll.
- Senior Jon Carcarey was named to the All-WCC Preseason Team, following a 2025 campaign that saw him post 34 goals, 24 assists, 26 steals and 10 field blocks.
SERIES HISTORY
- Pepperdine leads the all-time series with Fordham 2-0.
- Both previous matchups with the Rams came in 2023, with Pepperdine claiming wins of 16-10 and 15-14 at the Triton Invite and Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament
- The Waves hold a 7-2 lead in the all-time series with Princeton.
- Pepperdine earned a pair of wins over the Tigers this past season.
- This marks Pepperdine's first-ever trip to Princeton for a road contest.Â
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
- Fordham enters play as the No. 5 ranked team in the country following
- The Rams began the weekend with a 4-0 weekend at the Bruno Classic in Providence, which featured wins over a pair of WCC opponents in Pacific and UC Davis.
- Fordham reached the NCAA semifinals in 2025 after winning the MAWPC.
- Princeton earned three wins at the Navy Invitational to begin the season, defeating George Washington, Air Force and Salem.
- The Tigers enter play as the No. 12 ranked team in the nation.
- Princeton was also a conference champion in the NWPC this past year, eventually falling to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament.
The Waves will return next weekend (Sept. 18-20) at the MPSF Invite hosted by Stanford in Palo Alto. A schedule for the tournament will be announced in the coming days.
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.
TICKETS
For more information on upcoming home events and to purchase tickets, visit here.
FOLLOW
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