Sophomore attacker Alex Piccin (middle) swims up as the main defender to block a Bear goal against the University of California, Berkeley on Oct. 23 at Spieker Aquatics Center. The Waves fell 22-11 to the Bears. Photos courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
No. 16 Pepperdine Men’s Water Polo faced No. 4 University of California, Berkeley on the road at Spieker Aquatics Center on Oct. 23. The Waves fell to the Bears with a score of 22-11, dropping to a season record of 8-12 with a 2-2 West Coast Conference (WCC) record.
The Waves sank early as the Bears went on a 5-0 scoring run within the first five minutes of the first period. The Waves did not respond until 2:21 on the clock with a 6-on-5 goal from fifth-year utility Milo Joseph, but the Bears were too far gone for the Waves to make a dent in the scoreboard, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Berkeley added two more back-to-back goals, and Pepperdine followed with a five-meter penalty goal from junior attacker Erik Ionescu to mark the end of the first period — the score 7-2 with Berkeley quickly making a confident lead, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Entering the second period of the match, Pepperdine was able to start strong with another goal from Joseph. However, the Waves’ momentum was quickly overturned as Berkeley responded with a goal from junior center Dominic Brown, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The match became a fierce back-and-forth battle until the 3:48 mark when Berkeley extended their large lead with an additional three goals uncontested by the Waves. The Bears’ run finalized the second period, putting them up with a 12-5 advantage as the game entered halftime, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
By half, Joseph led the Waves in scoring with a hat trick and Ionescu followed with one goal, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Freshman utility Hunter Danko grips the ball and eyes the competition, looking for a passing outlet to make an offensive play against the University of California, Berkeley on Oct. 23 at Spieker Aquatics Center. Danko contributed one goal to the match.
Entering the third period, Joseph once again started the scoring, netting a goal at the 6:43 mark. Although Pepperdine started the period strong like the last, Berkeley quickly took the game back, going on another uncontested run. With four goals on the board for Berkeley, Pepperdine was unable to make a comeback, even with freshman utility Hunter Danko putting a point on the board, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
After Danko’s response at the 3:26 mark, the Bears shut down any hope for the Waves, putting up an additional three goals to close out the third period, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
As the Bears entered the fourth period with a 19-7 advantage, they continued to make their mark by putting a point on the board first. However, the Waves still persevered, going on a 3-0 run, trying hard to close the Bears’ lead, now 20-10, before time ran out, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The battle was unsuccessful as Ionescu scored one more goal to close out Pepperdine’s scoring for the match, while Berkeley added another two, ending with a final score of 22-11.
Joseph ended the match with a game-high of five goals to lead the Waves, with three of his goals coming on power plays and drawing a team-best five exclusions in the effort, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Ionescu followed Joseph with four goals and an assist. After a hard game offensively, the defensive side of the Waves also made some notable plays, with junior goalie Max Smirnov totaling 10 saves in goal, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Junior goalkeeper Max Smirnov (in goal) prepares for a Bear strike on goal against the University of California, Berkeley on Oct. 23 at Spieker Aquatics Center. Smirnov tallied a total of 10 saves throughout the entire match.
Despite the loss, the Waves outshot Berkeley 32-22 and claimed the accomplishment of being the third team to score 11 or more goals against the Bears this season, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Waves continued to ferociously battle for a win on the road, facing No. 20 Brown University in Santa Clara, Calif., on Oct. 24 as part of the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament. The Waves were able to come out on top, taking home a 17-10 victory.
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Contact Genevieve Cantu via email: genevieve.cantu@pepperdine.edu