It was a rollercoaster of a weekend for the No. 5 Pepperdine’s men’s water polo team which took on UC Davis and UC Berkley this past weekend. The Waves pulled out a strong 10-6 victory over UC Davis but fell to UC Berkley 13-7.
The match against UC Davis was non-conference but senior Clayton Snyder said it was good to get the win regardless.
“A non-conference match gives us the opportunity of having more game experience and enhancing team chemistry and tweak out a couple of things that might be more difficult to do during a normal practice Snyder said.
Senior attacker JP MacDonell and senior center Jacob Young were the high scorers of the game with two goals each. Six other players contributed one goal a piece, and freshman goalie Tommy O’Connell had an impressive performance with eight saves in goal.
Our press defense was phenomenal and two-meter defense was strong allowing my job in the goal to be a lot easier O’Connell said.
The Waves scored the first goal during the first period, and the game was tied four times in the first two quarters. On a 6-on-5 opportunity in the second quarter, MacDonell scored to start a five-goal run.
We certainly weren’t strong in the first period but with more discipline and communication and a more patient offense we were able to put them on their heels Snyder said.
At halftime the scoreboard read 7-5 for Pepperdine,, and in the last two periods the Waves held the Aggies to only one goal.
The buzzer sounded with Pepperdine ahead 10-6.
MacDonnell felt that this win against UC Davis was an important one.
As we come closer to the final tournament we will continue to click as a unit play together and peak in a month MacDonnell said.
Pepperdine battled the number three seed UC Berkeley on Oct. 24 and had a 13-7 loss, even after being tied 5-5 at the half.
The first half was a testament to how well our team can play Snyder said. But the first half made it clear that we’re still not mature enough to be consistent.”
Senior utility Brett Auer led the Waves with three goals and O’Connell was credited with another eight saves.
“Our defense and our counter was stronger in the first half and we seemed to have more energy O’Connell said. We played a very strong game we just need to work on our fourth quarter finishing.”
Early in the third period Pepperdine was up 6-5 but a strong Berkley offense took command and scored the next eight for the Bears.
“With solid performances from our top players and a continuation of what we saw in the first half of the Cal game we should see a positive result this next weekend Snyder said.
Next up for the Waves is the University of California Los Angeles in Malibu on Oct. 31.
Saturday is a big game for us and we want to break into the top four for Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships said MacDonnell. We are 1-0 at home this season and are looking forward to taking down UCLA.”