DANIELLA BOSIO
Assistant Sports Editor
Photo courtesy Graham Shea / Photo Editor
The fifth-ranked Pepperdine men’s water polo team battled from behind to defeat ninth-ranked Loyola Marymount 8-6 Saturday at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool. The win improved the Waves’ record to 4-0 this season.
Saturday’s game marked the second meeting between the two teams this season. Pepperdine defeated the Lions earlier in the year 10-4 at the UCSD Triton Invitational.
The Lions took charge at the start and went ahead 3-0 in the first quarter. They led 4-0 early in the second quarter, when the Waves scored their first goal to put them on the board. Sophomore Matt Digges scored the goal with 5:35 left in the quarter.
The Waves rallied back and twice cut the deficit to a single point, with goals by senior Jesse Smith, sophomore Grant Miller and Digges.
Sophomore Matt MacDonell tied the game at 6-6 when he scored with 1:22 left in the third quarter. The Waves finally took the lead with a goal from Smith with 3:34 left in the game. Sophomore Adam Hewko scored the final goal of the match, which gave the Waves a more comfortable lead.
“The Lions were not intimidated by us,” said Head Coach Terry Schroeder. “They gave us a great game. They will get better and better as the season goes on.”
The Waves were led by All-American Jesse Smith, who tallied three goals.
“Jesse is the best player in college water polo today,” Schroeder said. “He makes his teammates better and we expect a lot from him this year.”
The Waves continue the season with matches this weekend in the SoCal Tournament at UC Irvine. The first game will be against Navy, ranked 13th with a season record of 6-2.
“Navy will not be an easy game,” Schroeder said. “They just lost to sixth-ranked Long Beach by one goal.”
If the Waves can advance, they will play fourth-ranked Stanford, which has a season record of 3-0.
“This weekend is a test for us,” Schroeder said. “All of the top teams will be there, and it will be good to see how we do against everybody.”
09-15-2005