STOCKTON, Calif.- The No. 3 Pacific men's water polo team (13-3, 2-0) defeated No. 5 Pepperdine (17-6, 1-1), 15-8, on Saturday afternoon at Chris Kjeldsen Pool.
 
The Tigers notched their second consecutive conference victory as UOP stifled the Waves throughout the match in one of their best defensive efforts of the season. Pacific has now won two in a row over their GCC rivals, with their previous win coming last season in a 13-12 thriller in Malibu.
 
 
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• Redshirt senior Luke Pavillard was practically unstoppable yet again, tying his season-high and leading all players with six goals in the match. Pavillard is still first on the team in goals (47), total points (74) and steals (24) while also being tied with Djordje Stanic for first with 27 assists.
• After netting the game-winning goal against No. 5 UCSB on Sunday, Luis Araya tallied his second straight hat trick, scoring three goals in the victory over the Waves.
• The Tigers were solid on the defensive end throughout the entire match as their 8 goals allowed is the team's lowest total since their 12-9 win over No. 10 UC Davis on Oct. 4.

 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Pepperdine outshout Pacific 32-28 overall, but the Tigers were more efficient with their shots, finishing with a .536 shooting percentage compared to the .250 clip of the Waves.
• Six different Tigers scored in the win, with four players scoring at least two goals: Pavillard, Arya, Jeremie Cote and Engin Ege Colak.
• Redshirt freshman Jonathan Barry denied the Pepperdine attack throughout the afternoon, racking up eight total saves and two steals in route to his 13^th victory of the season.

 
FIRST PERIOD:

• Araya kicked the scoring off with his first goal of the match at the 5:56 mark, giving Pacific an early 1-0 advantage.
• In the following two minutes, Pavillard netted his first two goals of the contest, extending the Tiger lead to 4-0 midway through the opening frame. Sophomore Bogdan Djerkovic also scored his 15^th goal of the season during these two minutes.
• Closing out the period in style, Cote scored back-to-back goals at 1:54 and 1:02 as Pacific blanked the Waves, 6-0, heading into the second.

 
SECOND PERIOD:

• Continuing his hot start to the match, Pavillard found the back of the net for the third time at the 7:11 mark, pushing the Tiger lead to 7-0.
• Pepperdine would notch their first goal of the match at 6:49, but Araya responded with another goal himself midway through the period to keep Pacific in control, 8-1.
• Despite two goals from the Waves as the final three minutes, the Tigers took a commanding 8-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.

 
THIRD PERIOD:

• Aiming to keep their momentum going from the first half, Pavillard netted his fourth goal of the match on an assist from Araya at the 5:45 mark, making the score 9-4 in favor of Pacific.
• Less than three minutes later, Pavillard scored for the fifth time on Stanic's second assist of the match, ultimately extending the Tiger lead to 9-6.
• With the clock winding down, Araya would deliver for UOP once again as the Stockton native scored to complete his hat trick with 26 seconds left in the third period. Thanks to this goal, the Tigers led 11-5 heading into the final frame.

 
FOURTH PERIOD:

• Taking advantage of a Pepperdine penalty, freshman Matthew Hosmer scored his lone goal of the contest at the 7:41 mark, keeping Pacific out in front of the Waves, 12-5.
• Pepperdine would counter with two goals of their own in the following, but Colak continued to apply pressure on the Waves by scoring in the post on an assist from Stanic at 4:05.
• Not taking his foot off of the pedal, Pavillard found the back of the net for the sixth time at the 3:46 mark in the fourth, tying his season-high for goals as Pacific pushed their lead to 14-7.
• Making sure to put the nail in the coffin, Colak scored his second goal of the match with 52 seconds left. Despite a late goal from the Waves, the Tigers would hold on to secure their fourth home victory of the season, winning by a final score of 15-8.

 
WHAT COACH GRAHAM SAID:
 
On Pavillard's performance: "In order to be at the top, you have to have a few all-stars, and Pavillard is definitely one of them. Some days it's him, some days it's Ege, some days it's Luis or Jeremie… There is a lot of guys that can do things. Today was his opportunity to be great, and he was, and that was a critical factor for us to get the win."
 
On keeping momentum going forward: "I always tell the team, 'Whatever happened last week means nothing'. That's our big thing… In order for us to be successful, we have to have championship habits. We have to be completely focused on the moment…We can't be worried about the future or the past. We can enjoy this for a couple hours, but then we immediately have to move on for next weekend's game. I'm proud of the guys right now as they have shown an amazing ability to be consistent… This was one of the best defensive efforts we have had so far. We've proven we can score goals, but now we have to prove to ourselves we have the defense to compete for a national championship."
 
UP NEXT: Pacific will hit the road for another crucial conference matchup as the Tigers will head south to face Long Beach State on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:00 pm. Following their defeat of the Waves, UOP is looking to remain undefeated in GCC play in their matchup with the 49ers. Video and live stats links will be available on pacifictigers.com.
 
FOLLOW US: For updates and more information on Pacific men's water polo, be sure to follow along on Twitter @UOPWaterPoloU, Instagram @PacificWaterPolo and on Facebook @PacificMensWaterPolo.