STOCKTON, Calif. – The #4 Pacific men's water polo team (10-1) hopes to continue its winning streak this weekend at the MPSF tournament hosted by Stanford.
"The MPSF invite presents an extreme challenge for teams in our situation. We will play four top opponents in a 40-hour window. It will challenge our focus and resilience," said Head Coach James Graham. "We are currently getting ready for what will be a test of our ability to face these teams in succession with composure and fortitude and hopefully persevere through the weekend."
The Tigers open the tournament Friday evening against #14 UC San Diego at 6 p.m. and will play either #3 Stanford or #10 LMU on Saturday. You can find the schedule and all other information for the MPSF Tournament at the tournament central webpage: https://admin.gostanford.com/gameday/mens-water-polo-vs-mpsf-invite/mwpolo/4445/
Pacific is 5-5 against the Tritons, winning the last four meetings. The two teams last met in 2017 when the Tigers won 21-8.
All six Golden Coast Conference men's water polo teams will be at the MPSF Invitational. The tournament will feature 13 teams ranked in the nation's Top 20, and the first round begins Friday with a pair of games featuring GCC match-ups.
Pacific will roll into the MPSF Tournament ranked fourth in the nation, moving up a spot after defeating then #3 USC at home last weekend. The Tigers are riding a five-game winning streak and are 10-1 on the season. Read about Pacific's move to #4 in the nation: https://pacifictigers.com/news/2022/9/21/mens-water-polo-pacific-moves-to-4-in-cwpca-poll.aspx
GCC Player of the Week sophomore Mihailo Vukazic leads the team and the GCC with 36 points, 22 goals and 14 counted assists, ranking him fourth and third, respectively, in the GCC. Read about Vukazic's Player of the Week award: https://pacifictigers.com/news/2022/9/22/mens-water-polo-vukazic-claims-gcc-player-of-the-week-title.aspx
The Tigers lead the league in scoring with five players in the top-six of the GCC rankings. Senior Matthew Hosmer leads the league with 29 goals, followed by senior Bogdan Djerkovic with 26 and sophomore Reuel D'Souza with 23. Senior Jeremie Cote is sixth in the GCC with 20.
Following Vukazic, senior Rene Peralta is fifth in the GCC in assists with 13. After Vukazic's first-place ranking, D'Souza sits third in the GCC with 33 points, and Hosmer is fourth with 31.
Graduate student goalkeeper Bae Fountain is fourth in the GCC for saves with 43.
Pacific MPSF Game 1 vs. #14 UC San Diego
Live Stats: https://scores.6-8sports.com/games/f662453a-c9df-4b6f-b5e4-26442fa5d252/game-cast
Live stream: https://pac-12.com/live/stanford-university
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.
