GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
Pepperdine’s water polo team couldn’t muster enough offense to win two games against the top two teams in the nation over the weekend, falling at home to No.-2 UC Berkeley 7-6 and 10-4 on the road to No.-1 University of Southern California.
The Waves, ranked fourth, had beaten both Cal and USC in earlier matches this season but were unable to come up with goals when they needed them most against the two powerhouses.
“The biggest problem was that we couldn’t convert on man-up situations,” sophomore Grant Miller said. “We were something like 2-for-16 in those situations when you’re supposed to be at 70 or 80 percent.”
Pepperdine and Cal played a defensive battle at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool as Cal took a 3-1 lead into halftime. Pepperdine’s inability to convert on its 6-on-5 advantages was apparent in the first half as the Waves went 0-for-6 when Cal players were kicked out.
In the second half, Pepperdine’s offense came alive as the team attempted to rally from a one-time three-goal deficit. With the Waves down 7-4, the defense tightened the screws and began to create turnovers, including a steal by Miller that led to a goal by junior Doug Mann to cut the lead to 7-6 with a minute left.
The Waves were unable to tie the game, however, and Cal was able to gain revenge for an Oct. 29 loss to Pepperdine.
Senior Jesse Smith scored three times for the Waves, who have a polo rivalry with the Beats, according to Miller.
“In general, we’ve always had a rivalry with Cal,” Miller said. “Obviously neither team wanted to lose, but it’s more of a pride issue against them.”
In the second game of the weekend, Pepperdine’s usually powerful offense again struggled to convert in man-up situations as the Trojans took full advantage of the lack of production, beating the Waves 10-4. Pepperdine is the only team to have beaten USC this season.
Pepperdine couldn’t contain USC’s man advantages, leading to four Trojan goals. Smith scored twice but was ejected from the game in the third period after a hard foul away from the ball. Sophomore Matt Welde and redshirt freshman Dorian Beaney were the only other Waves to notch goals.
Miller said the struggles on the offensive end reminded him of some games last season when the team was full of inexperienced players.
“I think last year we had the same problem during parts of the season,” Miller said. “Some days you just don’t have it. Sometimes things just don’t work out that way and you just have to get through it.”
The two losses sent Pepperdine to 15-8 on the season and 1-4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The Waves only have one game this weekend, on the road against UCLA. Miller said the team is focusing on the road ahead and trying to forget the two losses.
“We basically just have to put everything behind us and play like we know how to play,” Miller said.
Pepperdine lost to UCLA 7-5 in the teams’ first matchup of the season on Oct. 1 at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.
11-10-2005