The Pepperdine Waves men’s water polo team nearly flipped a multigoal deficit on its head and completed a come-from-behind victory last Sunday at their home pool—but it was not meant to be.
The Waves, ranked No. 11 in the nation, outscored the fourth-ranked California Golden Bears, 4-2, in the fourth quarter before time ran out on their comeback bid. Pepperdine was defeated, 13-11.
Waves associate head coach Merrill Moses said the squad’s belief in itself fueled its fourth-quarter scoring.
“We have a very talented young team,” he said. “We are very proud of our guys because they didn’t give up and bringing the No. 4 team in the country to a two-goal game is a success.”
The loss put Pepperdine’s record at 6-6 and was its fourth consecutive defeat. Pepperdine will play at Golden Coast Conference-opponent Long Beach State on Friday at 6 p.m.
Moses said the Waves will analyze what they did right and wrong against Cal before facing Long Beach State.
“We will make some key changes,” he said. “Long Beach should have a big home crowd on Friday night, so it is going to be an exciting game. If we stick to our game plan, we will have a great shot to win.”
The Waves made a quartet of big shots and nearly a fifth, which rattled the interior of the goal before spiraling out, in the final period against Cal.
Pepperdine trailed, 12-7, in the opening minutes of the eight-minute quarter. Then freshman attacker and utility Sean Ferrari tossed in the squad’s eighth point with 5:37 left in the game. After a Cal goal, junior center back Mate Toth tossed in his second and third scores of the game for Pepperdine, to make the score 13-10.
Senior center Chris Dilworth scored his fourth goal of the contest for Pepperdine with 2:31 left to play.
The Waves trailed, 13-11, when one shot attempt bounced out of the goal with 1:42 on the clock. Following that play, Cal’s defense held Pepperdine in check until the clock expired.
Moses said against the talent-rich Golden Bears, the Waves learned they can compete with the nation’s best.
“It’s a mindset with any team,” said the former Waves water polo standout and three-time Olympian. “The guys believed in themselves, and head coach [Terry] Schroeder is an amazing coach. There are great things ahead for this team.”
Dilworth and freshman attacker Balazs Kosa each scored for Pepperdine in the game’s first quarter. The Golden Bears led, 3-2, after the opening period. Dilworth and Toth scored in the second period, and Cal led, 6-4, at halftime.
Dilworth and redshirt senior utility Sam Paur scored quick goals for the Waves in the third quarter, tying the game at six goals apiece, but Cal responded with three goals. Freshman attacker Curtis Jarvis scored for Pepperdine before the Golden Bears tallied two more points before the end of the quarter.
Pepperdine’s season began last month with three wins and one loss in the Bruno Classic. Pepperdine beat St. Francis Brooklyn, 11-6; Harvard, 9-6; and Bucknell, 12-11. Brown defeated Pepperdine, 12-11.
In the WWPA vs GCC Challenge Cup, the Waves bested Loyola Marymount, 13-11, and lost, 14-11, to UC San Diego. Pepperdine beat Redlands, 21-7, and Pomona-Pitzer, 21-9, in the Inland Empire Classic.
The Waves’ losing streak began in mid-September with 16-10 loss to UCLA, followed by a 16-14 loss to UC Santa Barbara and a 13-7 loss to Stanford.
Pepperdine’s roster includes numerous underclassmen and a few upperclassmen, including two seniors who are redshirting. Moses said Pepperdine is developing for next season, but the team believes it can still win every game.
“We have a great group of guys,” he said. “We are a tightknit group that never gives up. The guys believe in the program, the system and the coaching staff, so great things are to come.”
Pepperdine plays Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont Mudd-Scripps in the Gary Troyer Tournament on Oct. 6 in Claremont, then will play in the Oct. 12-14 MPSF Invite in Palo Alto. The Waves’ next home game is Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. against UC Irvine.
Moses said Pepperdine wants to stay consistent in its play the rest of the season.
“Today is a step in the right direction,” he said. “This just stresses hard work pays off. Our guys are working very hard and are very focused.”