DANIELLA BOSIO
Assistant Sports Editor
The fifth-ranked Pepperdine water polo team split the weekend with two wins and two losses as it increased its record to 6-2 after the SoCal Tournament at UC Irvine this past weekend.
Pepperdine opened with a 9-6 win over No. 11 Navy as sophomore Adam Hewko recorded three goals and six attempts against the Midshipmen, and senior Jesse Smith scored the game winner with 6:04 left in the second stanza. Senior Ben Tait held the Waves to a shutout in the second period, and the Waves were able to score three more goals in the third period.
Pepperdine then moved on to play fourth-ranked Stanford University and lost in a close match, 7-6. The Cardinal took the lead early in the first period, and the Waves were behind 3-0 until midway through the second period. Senior Matt Hahn finally broke the shutout when he scored with 3:31 left in the second period, and his goal was followed 40 seconds later by another from junior Jason Langten, who made the score 3-2.
Hahn scored a second goal, which sparked the offense, and the Waves were able to decrease the deficit to 6-4. Sophomore Grant Miller tallied three goals, which brought the Waves within one point. The Waves were unable to tie up the match and suffered their first loss of the season.
“We had every opportunity to beat Stanford,” said Head Coach Terry Schroeder. “We didn’t get the job done, and we didn’t play with enough heart.”
The Waves moved to the consolation bracket on Sunday where they defeated tournament host UC Irvine 7-4. Smith scored a pair of goals and the Waves held a solid lead against the Anteaters throughout the entire match.
“We played well against UCI,” Schroeder said. “It was the best game of the tournament for us.”
In the fifth-place match, Pepperdine squared off against No.7 University of California, San Diego. This match marked the second meeting between these two teams, in which the Waves defeated the Tritons earlier this season 11-8 at the UCSD Triton Invitational. The Waves were not as fortunate this time and were defeated by the Tritons 10-9.
Smith scored one of his three goals in the first period to put the Waves ahead at 3-2 against the Tritons. Miller scored a goal late in the second period to tie the game at 5-5. The Tritons scored four goals in the third period, and were forced to hold off the Waves’ powerful offense.
In the final quarter Pepperdine tried to come from behind with goals in the last two minutes by sophomores Matt MacDonell and Matt Digges. The Waves suffered their second lost of the season and ended the tournament with a new season record of 6-2.
Schroeder is optimistic after the weekend and said he believes that there is not a team that they cannot beat.
“We are in the hunt,” Schroeder said. “We have a long way to go. We can beat anyone out there if everyone on the team raises the level.”
The Waves return home this weekend to host UC Irvine on Saturday at noon and defending national champion UCLA on Sunday at 1 p.m at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.
Schroeder said he is excited about the weekend ahead and believes that it is just another opportunity for his team to move forward.
“There is no reason why we cannot get two wins this weekend,” Schroeder said. “We need to play as a team, work together and play with heart.”
09-22-2005
