STOCKTON, Calif. – The #4 Pacific men's water polo team (17-3, 2-0) defeated a strong conference opponent in #10 Pepperdine (11-10, 1-1) at home on Saturday for an exciting 18-13 Homecoming win.
"It was a great game, especially offensively from us. We came out and were able to put up some goals early," said Head Coach James Graham. "I think that we could have done a better job in defense in a few different situations, so there are some things we have to go back and work on a little bit. But overall, I liked the energy from the guys."
The Tigers started strong with a 4-0 lead and never looked back.
"Today's game was probably one of the games I was most nervous for because it's games like this where you really have to focus," said senior Bogdan Djerkovic. "When you know that you're the favorite. You've got the home crowd, and you have everything going your way; that's when you really have to focus."
Djerkovic, senior co-captain Jeremie Cote and sophomore Mihailo Vukazic led the Tigers with four goals apiece. Senior Matthew Hosmer and junior Flynn Howarth each put two in the net for Pacific. Senior Djordje Stanic and sophomore Gil Gvishi each netted one, as well.
"You can't rely on anything other than what you guys have and what you've been working on," said Djerkovic. "I think we accomplished that in some ways. We came out really strong, we pushed the tempo, but there's still a lot of room to improve."
Vukazic and Hosmer each had two assists in the game, leading the Tigers. Gvishi and graduate student Bae Fountain each assisted on a goal.
Both Graham and Djerkovic said the crowd played a vital role in the team's win.
"It was a great experience playing in front of the crowd," said Djerkovic. "We always loved playing at Pacific because of our fans. I think we have the best fan base in all of the NCAA."
"The crowd was great, and it was really fun to play in front of the Homecoming crowd; They brought a lot of energy," said Graham. It was an exciting atmosphere, and there is no place like playing at Pacific. So, the guys had a great time, we had a great time, and that's great to get a conference win and move to 2-0 in conference play."
Cote and Fountain led the team in steals with two each. Senior Calvin Behm and Stanic each stole the ball once to regain possession for the Tigers.
Fountain had 16 saves in the game for a 55.2% save percentage.
The Tigers are back home next Saturday when they host the #1 Stanford Cardinal (17-1, 0-1) at the Chris Kjeldsen Pool at 1 p.m., and the Tigers want the fans to show up and show out.
"We're playing against the number one team in the nation, and it's a chance at redemption," said Djerkovic. "Last time we played in their house, it didn't go how we hoped it would. We're getting another shot. So, if we could get everyone to come out, that'd be great. It's going to be a great time. It will be a great environment, and I can guarantee it will be a great game."
"The Stanford game is super important to the post-season. It's a game where we're going to need to win if we want to try to get the at-large bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament," said Graham. We need everyone to come out in force, and we're going to try to bring the energy and put on a great show. We hope that everyone shows up next weekend."
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