By Joann Groff
Assistant Sports Editor
he last time Pepperdine’s men’s water polo team won the regular-season Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference title was in 1997. That was the same year the Waves won their cherished NCAA national championship. Five years later, the team works hard for history to repeat itself.
The Waves’ Bay-area opponents had a difficult time battling the Waves last weekend. Maybe it was the amount of substitutions due to bleeding in the pool that distracted them from the game. Many think the inconsistent and often controversial calls the referees were making had something to do with it. Perhaps it was the lack of coaching staff present to lead them, after head coaches from University of California Berkeley and University of the Pacific were red-carded for arguing with the referees.
Whatever the reason, Pepperdine put up a tough fight in their games versus Berkeley and UOP, leaving with a crucial win and a tough loss. The polo team came home with an MPSF championship for just the second time in school history. Later in the week, Pepperdine hosted Loyola Mary-mount University in a non-conference game and took home a 7-6 win in the third round of overtime.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” Head Coach Terry Schroeder said. “Our conference is the toughest in the nation. We’ve been able to focus when things are on the line.”
The Waves’ hopped in 45 minutes late for the Berkeley game after a delay kept the many Golden Bear’s fans waiting. At their last MPSF league game of the year, the men knew what was at stake. But after taking a 3-0 lead early in the first half, the Waves held strong the rest of the game.
“I think we were more pumped up,” senior two-meter man Karl Niehaus said. “There was more energy in this game,”
Niehaus scored three key goals., helping Pepperdine claim the 8-5 victory over the Bears. Juniors Jeremy Grubbs, Scott Harvey and Michael Hausmann and sophomores Jesse Smith and Jordan Keitel also tallied one goal each.
Schroeder said the Waves lost to Berkeley earlier in the season because they “were a little tired and broken down. This time we were just more focused,” he said.
Perhaps they were more focused because this was a game that would make or break them. The win guaranteed a first place bid and an extra dose of confidence to carry them into the tournament.
“In games we need to win, we come out and play awesome,” Smith said.
Senior goalie Michael Soltis made 11 saves, maintaining his position as one of the most consistently reliable players on the Waves’ team.
Along with the coach’s red-card, two Berkeley players, Chris Lathrop and Greg Panawek, were ejected from the match. The physicality of the game proved to be more difficult for the Cal players, as the Waves kept their composure. The men played through a disrespectful crowd, a short-fused Cal bench and some Bear starters that were willing to take some chances when it came to brutality rules.
“It’s really easy to shut everyone out in the water,” Smith said in regards to the fans’ audacity in Berkeley. “I thought it was kind of exciting. We really get fired up when the rival fans do — we feed off of that.”
This victory in Berkeley marks the second time this season the Waves beat the nation’s No. 1-ranked team at that time. Earlier in the season, Pepperdine scored an intense win over Stanford University at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool. The weekend prior to their match-up with Pepperdine, the Golden Bears presided over the Cardinal in a close game, nabbing the No. 1 position.
The men’s team traveled to UOP the next day, only to suffer a tough 9-8 defeat to the No. 8-ranked Tigers, whose ninth point was a bad shot turned lucky, off-the-foot-of-a-wingman goal, leaving the stands in shock before erupting into cheers and jeers.
“We felt like they won off of a fluke goal,” Smith said.
The pouring rain brought a less-than-stellar performance by the Waves, who seemed to turn around a little late after two quarters of play.
“They showed up for four quarters,” junior driver Philip Spataru said. “In the second half, we were just finally starting to wake up.”
Smith agreed the Waves played much better in the final two quarters. He said that they attributed the loss to the team’s mentality that the UOP game “didn’t matter as much,” seeing as they had already clenched the MPSF title.
That doesn’t mean, however, that there was a lack of emotion in the pool. During the second half, tensions seemed to rise along with the physicality of play. After the Waves failed to tie the game in a dramatic end-of-the-match attempt, a fight broke out in the pool. Sophomores Josh Acosta and Smith were suspended for two games after taking part in the short display of hostility.
“I feel regretful,” Smith said. “I made a mistake that affects the team, but luckily it doesn’t affect the MPSF tournament. It’s a very physical sport.”
Senior William Rodriguez was also suspended from two games for leaving the bench to join in, although he was very clearly getting involved to calm the situation. Rodriguez was speaking to members of both teams, offering hand shakes and hugs, not punches.
“I think (the suspension) is a little harsh and very unfair, especially for someone who was trying to keep the peace,” Rodriguez said.
Members of the UOP team were also suspended, paying quite a bigger price for their actions. With only one game on the schedule before the MPSF tournament, the suspended Tigers will be prohibited from suiting up during the first round of the conference tournament.
“Luckily it affected them more than us,” Smith said. They’re out for their first game of the tournament.”
Schroeder realizes that the suspension won’t devastate the Waves, but says he hopes the punished players got something out of it.
“I thought officials let the game get very physical at the end,” he said. “Those are the rules. It didn’t hurt us that much, but I hope the guys learned a lesson.”
So with three starters out, the Waves had to make some changes for the game versus LMU at home Wednesday. It took three rounds of overtime, but in the end, Pepperdine tallied another win, 7-6.
“We had to analyze who we had left so we can get the best team in the water,” Schroeder said. It was a win for us, but we played poorly. Our level of energy was bad.”
Pepperdine came out flat against the Lions, who beat the Waves in overtime at their last meeting, and seemed to lack the drive they possess in more crucial games.
“I don’t think there was enough energy,” Niehaus said. “We missed opportunities.”
Some opportunities may have been lost, but many were seized, with two goals from Hausmann and sophomore Jordan Keitel and one each from junior Grubbs, Niehaus and sophomore Vedran Kaluderovic. Despite goals from the bench, as well as the starters, this non-conference game against the No. 8-ranked team came down to a game-winning goal by junior two-meter man Hausmann.
“We’ve been working on finishing shots on 6-5, adding another dimension to the team,” Hausmann said.
And that is exactly what he did.
Pepperdine’s No. 4-ranked men’s team has its final regular-season game, a non-league contest with Long Beach State, Nov. 16 before the MPSF championship tournament.
The Waves close their MPSF season with a 7-1 record. They will enter the nine-team conference tournament, held in Los Alamitos, seeded first.
“In MPSF, it’s do or die,” Smith said. “We’re just going to go for it. We all realize whether we win or lose will be determined by us.”
Schroeder says that the team can owe it’s incredible season to the maturation of many of the players in regards to their skill. Also the diversity of the group allows some flexibility in substituting and the starting line-up.
“I think our future looks very good,” he said. “I’m real proud of the guys — they’ve really stepped up and played great defense, which is what we’ll need in the tournament.”
If they hold this position in the Thanksgiving weekend contest, they will be a guarantee to the NCAA national championships, a goal the team has been working for since the beginning of the season.
Pepperdine has one NCAA national championship, which the Waves took home in 1997. This season’s team has been widely anticipated as Pepperdine’s next big chance at a national title.
“We’re the best team,” Rodriguez said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to win an NCAA championship.”
Hausmann is confident.
“We’ll be ready.”
—Staff Writer Erica Sigman contributed to this article.
November 14, 2002
