STOCKTON, Calif. – The #4 Pacific men's water polo team (17-3, 2-0) hosts another Top 5 program at home this weekend when the Tigers take on the #3 Stanford Cardinal (17-1, 0-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22.
Stanford was #1 in the country up until falling to UCLA last week, causing them to drop in the polls.
"We're excited to host Stanford, one of the top teams in the country. It'll be a great test for us as we continue to adapt and try to become the best version of ourselves," said Head Coach James Graham.
The Tigers faced the Cardinal in September at the MPSF Tournament and fell 11-5. They're looking for revenge in front of their home crowd, decked out in orange for the Orange-Out at the pool.
Pacific has an 8-27 record against the Cardinal since 2005, so the battle on Saturday will be no small feat, and the team knows that.
"What's important for us to understand, as we head into the most critical part of the season, is that on any given day, the best team doesn't win; the team that plays the best wins," said Graham. "That's what we have to be focused on; playing the best."
Pacific has won four straight, six of its last seven, with an 18-13 win over #10 Pepperdine in GCC play last Saturday. The Tigers scored the game's first four goals and put up 11 goals in the first half to power them to the win. Sophomore Mihailo Vukazic, senior co-captain Jeremie Cote, and senior GCC Player of the Week Bogdan Djerkovic scored four goals.
Vukazic leads the team with 62 points, scoring 42 goals with 20 assists. He is third in the league in points and fourth in goals.
Five Tigers are in the GCC's Top 10 in scoring. Djerkovic is third with his 43, followed by senior Matthew Hosmer and Vukazic with 42, Cote with 37 (8th) and sophomore Reuel D'Souza with 35 (10th).
D'Souza is tied for fourth in the GCC in assists with 26 and fourth in points with 61.
Graduate student goalkeeper Bae Fountain leads the GCC in saves with 142.
Saturday's game at the Chris Kjeldsen Pool is Family Day, with a pregame tailgate starting at 11:30 a.m., including face painting, a DJ, giveaways and a food truck.
Tickets are available at: https://bit.ly/3S357NW.
Live stream: https://wccsports.com/watch/?sid=488899
Live stats: https://www.thefosh.net/live/13186
To stay up to date on all things Pacific men's water polo, download the Pacific Tigers Athletics mobile app and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
