No. 9 Water Polo Suffers 17-14 Defeat at No. 2 USC

Sunday, September 6

Los Angeles, CA

1:00 PM

Pepperdine University

4-3

University of Southern California

5-0

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Pepperdine	4	3	3	4	14
Southern California	5	4	4	4	17

9/6/2026 4:30:00 PM | Men's Water Polo

Box Score

LOS ANGELES — No. 9 Pepperdine water polo (4-4) fell by a score of 17-14 at No. 2 USC (6-0) on a rainy Sunday afternoon from Uytengsu Aquatics Center in Los Angeles.

The Waves fell behind 3-0 early before trading goals the rest of the way against the defending national runner-up Trojans. Pepperdine scored at least three goals in all four periods, as the 14 goals marked a season-high given up by USC.

Max Smirnov made 16 stops in the cage for the Waves as Pepperdine remained in the contest into the final minute. Erik Ionescu, Hunter Danko and Brian Barnuevo each netted hat tricks to pace the offense.

"Our team played with great intensity and composure today against one of the best teams in the country," said head coach Merrill Moses following the contest. "The game did not end the way we wanted to, but we as a coaching staff know our team is a top team and we can play with anyone. We will continue to improve and learn from our mistakes and are looking forward to our east coast trip coming up where we play two extremely tough opponents."

The Trojans got out on the front foot with the first three goals of the game in the first three minutes before the Waves settled in and responded. Cade Anderton got the Waves on the board with an even strength goal before a Danko tally on the 6-on-5 made it 3-1.

Pepperdine's power play continued to work to perfection as Barnuevo and Ionescu also netted scores with the man-advantage. USC eventually held a 5-4 lead through one period of play.

USC came out with the first two of the second frame before the teams traded goals until the halftime whistle. Tyce di Pretoro and Csanád Bella opened their accounts with even strength goals while Anderton's second tally of the game with 27 seconds left in the half made it a 9-7 score at the break.

The Waves continued to put the pressure on and stay within striking distance, with three more goals in the third period which all came on five-meter penalty conversions. Barnuevo logged a pair to secure his hat trick while Danko deposited his second, and the Waves entered the fourth period trailing 13-10.

USC made it a four-goal game on the first possession of the fourth but Ionescu had answers with the next two goals for the Waves, each coming on the power play. USC answered with a goal at the 4:04 mark which brought the score to 16-12.

Owen Tift quickly brought it back to a three-goal game with 3:48 remaining, as the team's traded stops over the next two-plus minutes, with Pepperdine making it a two-goal game with 1:33 remaining with Danko scoring his third.

The Waves were unable to get the key stop it needed, as the Trojans were set up with a five-meter penalty following a corner throw off a late shot clock attempt that was saved by Smirnov. USC put in the final goal of the game from the five-meter spot, as the final score read 17-14.

Pepperdine drew 12 exclusions in the game, with Milo Joseph drawing four and Ivan Khramtsov drawing three. Bella posted two field blocks as well to go along with a goal, assist an

The Waves will head to the east coast next, beginning with a road matchup at No. 5 Fordham this Friday (3 p.m. PT) before traveling to No. 12 Princeton on Sunday (9:30 a.m. PT).

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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