USAFA, Colo. – In a high-scoring affair, No. 3 seed Pepperdine defeated No. 6 seed Santa Clara, 20-17, to advance to the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Men’s Water Polo Tournament, 20-17.
The rematch of the Nov. 14 game saw much more scoring but the same result as the Waves and Broncos combined for 37 total goals. Pepperdine’s 20 goals in the match also tied the tournament record for most goals by a single team, originally set by California Baptist against the Waves on Nov. 18, 2023.
It was defense that dominated play in the first four minutes, before Santa Clara opened the scoring barrage with 4:03 left in the first period as Henry Engs rattled the cage off an assist from Imme van der Schaaf. van der Schaaf had five total assists in the game, enough to break the tournament record for most in a single contest.
The scoring really started to heat up in the second period, with Pepperdine scoring eight goals in the period. After Santa Clara started the period with the first two goals, both by Engs, the Waves went on a 8-2 scoring run to take a 10-6 lead at half.
The second half saw even more scoring, as both teams combined for 21 goals in the second half. Leading the way in the scoring column was Santa Clara’s Riccardo De Simon and Pepperdine’s Cade Anderton, who both finished the game with five goals. Six of those total goals from Anderton and De Simon came in the fourth period. Anderton added two assists for a game-leading seven points.
The Waves will take on San José State in the semifinal round on Saturday. Tune in on
ESPN+ to watch all the West Coast Conference Men's Water Polo Tournament.