Hallie Mitchell
Staff Writer
If Head Coach Jack Kocur could describe his team’s effort during the men’s water polo tournament this weekend in one word, he said the word would be “experience.” During the big game, the team lacked experience in the heat of the moment, yet it gained experience for the future to be able to handle those moments.
Pepperdine’s men’s water polo team had a 3-1 record at the Trinton Invitational in La Jolla, Calif., this past weekend. The Waves started with three strong wins over Pomona-Pitzer (22-10), UC Davis (13-5) and Long Beach State (14-8), but it was the fourth game verses USC (6-7) in overtime that kept the Waves from winning the two-day tournament.
In the first quarter of Saturday’s game versus Pomona-Pitzer, Pepperdine scored seven goals to Pomona’s one. Three of those seven were taken by junior J.P. MacDonell.
Pepperdine built on that momentum during the second quarter and added six more goals to the scoreboard. Junior centers Clayton Snyder and Jacob Young both scored two goals.
The third quarter was Pomona’s strongest, but that didn’t stop senior centerback Grant Miller from scoring his fourth goal of the game. The Waves added five more goals in the fourth quarter to have a sweeping victory verses Pomona-Pitzer.
That afternoon, Pepperdine played UC Davis. MacDonell scored the first goal of the game and added four more throughout the match. Both Miller and Snyder contributed two goals to help lead the Waves to victory. Sophomore Bryce McLain had five saves.
“The people who came off the bench really stepped up,” McLain said.
The second day, Pepperdine won a grueling match against Long Beach State. Within the first nine seconds of the match, Snyder tossed in a goal. Both senior attacker Adam Hewko and Miller scored their first of three goals in the first period. MacDonell was the third Wave to score in the first period, but Long Beach finished the first period only down by two, at 4-2.
The second quarter got rough, with two ejections from both teams, but Pepperdine faced the challenge by scoring back-to-back goals. The 49ers only got in two goals in the third quarter, while the Waves had the biggest scoring run of the game with three more goals. Once again, the Waves were outscored in the final rounds, but they still pulled through victorious.
In the final game of the tournament, both USC and Pepperdine were looking for the “W.” The Trojans ended the first quarter up 3-2.
“Mat showed the heart of his team the first half and scored two crucial goals,” Kocur said.
In the second quarter, USC scored two more goals, and junior utility player Brett Auer answered back with a score to make it 3-4 by the half. While the Waves had the momentum, Miller tied the game at 4-4. Then, with a 5-meter penalty shot, Hewko gave the Waves a one-point lead entering the final period.
Miller played tight defense against the 2008 Olympian silver medalist J.W. Krumphulz throughout the match.
“I enjoyed the challenge, but wouldn’t have been able to do it with out my teammates,” Miller said.
In the fourth quarter, USC scored a goal and quickly tied the game at 5. This time it was Miller who came up big, giving the Waves the 6-5 advantage. Soon after, the Trojans scored and, once again, the game was tied. The teams headed to overtime.
Throughout the match, senior goalkeeper Jack Curley played a strong game and had 10 saves. USC scored in the second minute of the first segment of overtime, and the Waves weren’t able to answer back, despite the power play that was on its side.
Although the team came up short, Kocur said his players shouldn’t hold their heads too low.
“The collegiate water polo world should now be in fear of Pepperdine,” Kocur said.
The men’s water polo team’s next match is Saturday against Loyola Marymount at the Burns Aquatic Center. Miller said he is confident the tide will turn for the waves.
“Once we fix those mistakes, we will be there in December,” Miller said of the team’s overall performance.
