Water Polo Insider | October 15, 2026

Long Beach Wilson’s boys water polo program, established in 1932, has spent more than nine decades building one of Southern California’s most distinguished high school water polo traditions.

Now, the historic program faces serious questions about athlete safety, coaching oversight and team culture following allegations of violent hazing during an October 9-10, 2026, varsity boys tournament trip to Northern California.

Long Beach Wilson, a perennial Moore League champion and CIF Southern Section Open Division contender, is under investigation after multiple student-athletes reportedly suffered physical injuries during a gathering inside a San Jose-area hotel room on Friday, October 9.

The incident has already disrupted the Bruins’ season. Players have reportedly received school and athletic suspensions, 13 athletes were absent from a subsequent game roster, and a scheduled matchup against Loyola was canceled.

According to reporting by the Long Beach Post, Wilson head coach Zac Polmanteer acknowledged that teammates had subjected players to humiliating and physically harmful conduct, including striking athletes hard enough to cause injuries.

Additional allegations circulating online describe considerably more serious acts of violence.

With the CIF Southern Section playoffs approaching, Wilson faces a challenge that extends beyond replacing missing starters or maintaining its position among Southern California’s top-ranked teams.

The program must establish what happened, whether appropriate safeguards were in place and how it intends to restore the trust of athletes and families.

What Happened During the Tournament?

Long Beach Wilson traveled to Northern California to compete in the 2026 Bellarmine Memorial Cup, a 16-team varsity tournament held October 9–10 in the San Jose area.

Wilson's results:

October 9: Wilson 12, Punahou (Hawaii) 6

October 9: Wilson 12, San Ramon Valley 7

October 10: Soquel 7, Wilson 6

October 10: Corona del Mar 12, Wilson 11

Following Friday’s competition at the Bellarmine Memorial Cup on October 9, a large group of Long Beach Wilson varsity water polo players reportedly gathered in a hotel room.

In an October 12 email to parents, Coach Polmanteer acknowledged that several athletes had been subjected to mistreatment and that some suffered injuries from being struck by teammates.

He characterized the behavior as unacceptable and inconsistent with the program’s standards.
According to Polmanteer’s account, he learned the following day about noise complaints associated with the room and addressed violations involving curfew and team conduct.

However, he stated that he did not learn about the alleged hazing until the team returned to Long Beach on Sunday evening.

That timeline deserves close examination.
A noise complaint does not necessarily alert a coach to physical violence, and there is currently insufficient public evidence to establish that the coaching staff knowingly ignored reports of assault.

Nevertheless, the apparent delay between the incident and its disclosure raises questions about overnight supervision, communication among athletes and the procedures available for reporting mistreatment.

Determining when school personnel first received actionable information will be an important part of establishing institutional responsibility.

Allegations of Bags Placed Over Athletes’ Heads and Serious Injuries

The conduct described in the coach’s email is troubling even without the additional claims circulating on social media.

However, anonymous commenters discussing the incident have alleged that bags were placed over players’ heads while they were physically attacked.

Other unverified accounts mention concussions and a broken jaw.

The identity and firsthand knowledge of the commenters have not been established. Neither the reported injury diagnoses nor the alleged use of bags has been independently corroborated through medical records, official statements or law enforcement findings.

If investigators substantiate deliberate interference with breathing, restraint or repeated physical attacks, those findings could raise potential criminal concerns beyond school disciplinary violations.

Water polo is an inherently physical sport. At the varsity level, athletes must withstand aggressive center play, heavy defensive pressure, constant contact and the conditioning demands of high-intensity competition.

But those athletic demands have nothing to do with a teammate being intentionally assaulted away from the pool. Physical toughness is a competitive attribute. Violence against teammates is a serious breach of trust.

School Investigation Leads to Suspensions

Following the team’s return to Long Beach, Wilson administrators and coaches began interviewing athletes who attended the tournament.

According to Polmanteer’s communication, disciplinary consequences included suspensions from school and the water polo program.

Long Beach Unified School District subsequently confirmed that an investigation was underway and emphasized that hazing is prohibited within its schools and athletic programs.

The district declined to release individual disciplinary information, citing student confidentiality and the ongoing investigation.
The consequences became visible during Wilson’s October 13 Moore League matchup against Long Beach Poly.

According to the Long Beach Post and The562, 13 athletes who appeared on an earlier Wilson roster were missing from the Poly game roster, including much of the senior class that had previously made up the Bruins’ starting lineup.

Loyola Game Canceled as Postseason Uncertainty Grows

Wilson’s scheduled October 14 game against Loyola was canceled. Loyola’s water polo program publicly attributed the cancellation to issues within the Wilson program.

The Bruins were ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section’s September 28 playoff rankings, positioning them among the leading Open Division contenders.

Their remaining scheduled regular-season opponents include Lakewood on October 20 and Mira Costa on October 21. Whether suspended athletes will return before the postseason has not been publicly established.

Neither has the possibility of additional disciplinary action or CIF involvement.
Administrators now face a difficult balance between completing a fair investigation and addressing the immediate consequences for the remaining team.

The postseason calendar, however, should not dictate the speed or conclusions of an investigation involving student safety.

Questions About Team Culture and Parent Conduct at Wilson

The investigation has also generated discussion among parents, former athletes and members of the Long Beach water polo community.

Anonymous online commenters have alleged that hazing and aggressive behavior have existed within the program in previous years.

Separate community accounts have criticized the behavior of some Wilson spectators toward opposing athletes and families.

Nevertheless, investigators should determine whether previous complaints involving hazing, intimidation or harassment were received and how they were handled.

Adult behavior is relevant to the standards athletes learn. When parents direct hostility toward teenage opponents or normalize aggressive confrontations, they can weaken the expectation that competition should remain respectful.

Could Criminal Charges Follow?

The nature of the alleged violence raises questions about whether the incident could result in criminal proceedings. California law recognizes that certain hazing activities and intentional acts of violence may constitute criminal offenses.

Whether those provisions apply would depend on the evidence established by investigators, the nature of the conduct and the circumstances of each athlete’s involvement.

At the time of the initial Long Beach Post reporting, Long Beach police indicated that they were not involved. San Jose police had not confirmed whether they were investigating.

Long Beach Wilson’s Legacy of Excellence: Olympians, Champions and the Responsibility to Lead

Wilson has already demonstrated that it knows how to build a championship water polo team.
Now it must demonstrate that it can provide a safe, respectful and accountable environment for every athlete wearing its cap.

That responsibility is more important than any league title or CIF championship. Few high school water polo programs in the United States can match Wilson’s history of developing elite athletes.

Its alumni include some of the most accomplished players in American water polo, with careers spanning NCAA championships, Olympic medals and international competition.

Tony Azevedo, a five-time Olympian and four-time Peter J. Cutino Award winner and Coach of 6-8 Sports Academy, is widely regarded as one of the greatest American players of all time.

Adam Wright, a three-time Olympian and Olympic silver medalist, went on to become one of college water polo’s most accomplished coaches at UCLA.

Jody Campbell earned Olympic silver medals in 1984 and 1988.

Max Irving helped the United States capture bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The tradition extends across generations. Tim Shaw, Chi Kredell, Robert Lynn and Chay Lapin all represented the United States in Olympic water polo competition.

Matt Sagehorn became a three-time All-American at USC and contributed to back-to-back NCAA championships. Earlier Olympians Chuck Bittick and Jim Kelsey helped establish Wilson’s international legacy.

Wilson’s women’s water polo tradition is equally impressive. Lauren Wenger won Olympic gold in 2012 and silver in 2008. Maureen O’Toole, one of the pioneers of American women’s water polo, earned silver at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, while Jackie Frank captured bronze at the 2004 Athens Games.

These athletes represent generations of excellence, discipline, sacrifice and leadership. Their achievements helped establish Wilson as one of the most respected water polo programs in the country. That history deserves recognition, but it also comes with responsibility.

The standards established by generations of Olympians and national champions should be reflected in how today’s athletes treat one another, how coaches exercise leadership and how administrators respond when something goes wrong.

🚨 How to Report Hazing, Abuse or Misconduct in Long Beach Wilson Water Polo

Water Polo Insider encourages athletes, parents, former players, coaches and witnesses with firsthand information about hazing, bullying, physical violence, sexual misconduct or intimidation to report their concerns to the appropriate authorities.

You do not need to be a victim to report suspected misconduct. Anonymous reporting options are available.

Anonymous Reporting — U.S. Center for SafeSport

Website: https://uscenterforsafesport.org/report-a-concern/

Phone: 833-587-7233

SafeSport accepts anonymous online reports concerning abuse and misconduct involving individuals within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, including USA Water Polo participants.

Reports may involve sexual misconduct, physical abuse, emotional misconduct, bullying, harassment and hazing. SafeSport’s authority does not automatically extend to incidents solely involving high school athletics.

Anonymous Reporting — Wilson High School / Sandy Hook Promise

Website: https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/say-something-tips/

Wilson High School links to the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System, which allows students, parents and witnesses to report threats, violence, bullying, harassment and other safety concerns without identifying themselves.

Reports can be submitted online or through its 24-hour hotline: 1-844-5-SAYNOW.

Long Beach Unified School District — Anonymous School Safety Reporting

24-hour School Safety Communications Center: 562-997-8101

The district states that reports about school violence, bullying and other safety concerns can remain anonymous when requested.

CIF Southern Section

Mike West — Commissioner of Athletics
Email: mikew@cifss.org

Kristine Palle — Assistant Commissioner, responsible for boys and girls water polo
Email: kpalle@cifss.org

Phone: 562-493-9500
Website: https://cifss.org

Long Beach Wilson High School

Rebecca “Suzanne” Caverly — Principal
Email: RSCaverly@lbschools.net

John Janzen — Athletic Director
Email: JJanzen@lbschools.net

Joel Jelinowicz — Athletic Director
Email: JJelinowicz@lbschools.net

School phone: 562-433-0481

Long Beach Unified School District Leadership

David Zaid — Superintendent of Schools
Email: DZaid@lbschools.net

Superintendent’s Office: Superintendent@lbschools.net

Dr. Tiffany Brown — Deputy Superintendent
Email: TMBrown@lbschools.net

Edward Samuels — Assistant Superintendent, Secondary Schools
Email: ESamuels@lbschools.net

Secondary Schools Office: 562-997-8115

District Bullying and Harassment Complaints

Steve Rockenbach — Equity Compliance Officer and Director of Employee Relations
Email: SRockenbach@lbschools.net
Phone: 562-997-8220

Individuals should provide accurate information, identify what they personally witnessed versus what they heard from others, and preserve relevant evidence. Do not publicly disclose the identities of minors who may have been harmed.

Reports involving suspected child abuse or serious criminal violence should also be directed promptly to law enforcement or appropriate child-protection authorities. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Speaking up about athlete safety is not disloyalty to a team. Protecting young athletes is a responsibility shared by everyone involved in water polo.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Sources: Long Beach Post, October 14; The562, October 13 and 15; Loyola Athletics; Long Beach Unified School District statements reported by local media and social media platforms. Bellarmine College Preparatory water polo tournament.

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CWPA Men’s Water Polo Top 20: Stanford Holds No. 1, UC Davis Surges, LMU Cracks Top 10

The latest CWPA Men’s Varsity Top 20 rankings were released Wednesday, October 14, with Stanford maintaining its position at No. 1 ahead of UCLA, USC and California.

The biggest movement came outside the top six, as UC Davis jumped six spots, Loyola Marymount climbed into the Top 10, and Long Beach State, Pacific and San Jose State each dropped three positions.

CWPA Men’s Varsity Top 20

Stanford (1)
UCLA (2)
USC (3)
California (4)
Fordham (5)
UC Irvine (6)
Princeton (9) ↑2
T8. UC San Diego (10) ↑2
T8. Loyola Marymount (11) ↑3
Long Beach State (7) ↓3
Pacific (8) ↓3
UC Davis (18) ↑6
Pepperdine (14) ↑1
T14. UC Santa Barbara (12) ↓2
T14. California Baptist (16) ↑2
San Jose State (13) ↓3
Navy (15) ↓2
Santa Clara (17) ↓1
Harvard (RV) NEW
Saint Mary’s (T20)
Previous rankings in parentheses.

Biggest Storylines

Stanford remains the team to beat. The Cardinal received 99 of a possible 100 voting points, maintaining their position ahead of UCLA. The top six teams remain unchanged, but the separation between the nation’s leading programs will be tested as conference competition intensifies.

UC Davis makes the biggest jump. The Aggies climbed from No. 18 to No. 12 following an impressive 16–9 road victory over San Jose State. Davis responded to a third-quarter comeback by scoring seven fourth-quarter goals, demonstrating its ability to regain control under pressure.

LMU is making noise in the WCC. The Lions moved into a tie for No. 8 after defeating Pacific 12–11 in sudden-death overtime. LMU erased a two-goal deficit late in overtime before Gabrijel Burburan scored the winner. The Lions are proving they can compete with established Top-10 programs.

Princeton moves into the Top 7. The Tigers climbed two positions and remain the highest-ranked program in the Northeast Water Polo Conference.

Long Beach State and Pacific lose ground. Both programs dropped three positions. Pacific’s overtime loss to LMU and Long Beach State’s recent results have tightened the competition in the middle of the rankings.

San Jose State takes a hit. The Spartans dropped from No. 13 to No. 16 following their seven-goal loss to UC Davis. Defensive consistency and limiting exclusions will be important areas to address moving forward.

Harvard enters the Top 20. The Crimson move into the rankings at No. 19, replacing Brown, which falls into the receiving-votes category.
Also Receiving Votes: Brown (3), Cal State Fullerton (3), Concordia (1).

Water Polo Insider Analysis

The top six remain unchanged, but the real movement is happening between No. 7 and No. 18.

UC Davis and LMU are demonstrating that the gap between traditional national powers and the rest of the field may be narrowing. Both programs are producing meaningful results against ranked competition, not simply accumulating wins against weaker opponents.

The WCC is particularly interesting. LMU, Pacific, Pepperdine, UC Davis, Long Beach State and San Jose State are all competing for position, and head-to-head conference results are beginning to reshape the national rankings.

The question heading into the weekend isn’t necessarily whether Stanford deserves No. 1.
It’s which programs outside the top six have the personnel, defensive discipline and tactical execution to challenge the established contenders.

Discussion:

Which team is most underrated in this week’s Top 20?

Is UC Davis legitimately a Top-12 program, and does LMU deserve to be ranked ahead of Pacific and Long Beach State?

Follow: r/WaterPoloInsider and r/WaterPolo

Water Polo Insider | Thursday, October 15, 2026

Thursday’s confirmed Top-20 action featured No. 5 Fordham hosting Iona in the annual Judge Cup rivalry.

The Rams controlled the game from the opening quarter, scoring 15 first-half goals and extending their home winning streak to 38 matches.

No. 5 Fordham 24, Iona 10

Fordham established control immediately, building an 8–2 first-quarter advantage behind two goals apiece from Oktavian Veklyuk and Luca Provenziani.

The Rams scored the first three goals of the second quarter, extending their lead to 11–2 before taking a commanding 15–5 advantage into halftime.

Iona struggled to contain Fordham’s balanced attack, which produced goals from 11 different players.

Fordham player stats

Diego Tresa — 4 goals
Oktavian Veklyuk — 3 goals
Petar Kulas — 3 goals
Karlo Dragosevic — 3 goals
Luca Provenziani — at least 2 goals

Tresa led the Rams, while freshmen Veklyuk, Kulas and Dragosevic combined for nine goals.

Iona player stats

Iona finished with 10 goals. Individual scoring and assist totals were not included in Fordham’s published recap.

Goalkeepers: Individual saves were not available in the reviewed official report.

Game Analysis

Fordham’s opening-quarter execution and scoring depth.

The Rams established a six-goal lead before Iona could settle into the game. By halftime, Fordham had already scored 15 goals.

From a coaching perspective, the most significant takeaway is Fordham’s ability to generate offense beyond its established stars.

Tresa’s four goals and the nine combined goals from three freshmen illustrate the depth head coach Brian Bacharach has developed.

When 11 players contribute goals, opponents cannot concentrate their defensive attention on one or two primary scoring threats.

The early separation also allowed Fordham to dictate the pace rather than chase possessions.

Exclusions and extra-man opportunities:

Verified game-specific totals were not available, so no conversion percentages are reported.
Fordham improved to 16–1, while Iona fell to 6–16.

The Rams also extended their winning streak against Iona to 13 consecutive meetings.

Biggest Takeaways

Fordham continues building momentum. The Rams improved to 16–1 and retained their No. 5 national ranking in the latest CWPA poll.

The freshman class is producing. Veklyuk, Kulas and Dragosevic combined for nine goals, providing substantial offensive support.

Fordham’s home advantage remains formidable. The Rams have won 38 consecutive home matches dating to 2022.

The Rams are winning with depth. Eleven different players scored against Iona, demonstrating that Fordham’s offense extends well beyond its leading scorers.

Fordham delivered a convincing 24–10 victory, retaining the Judge Cup and extending its home winning streak.

Official source: Fordham Athletics — Judge Cup Game Recap, October 15, 2026⁠.

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The second weekend of October delivered major results across NCAA men’s water polo, with conference races beginning to take shape and several nationally ranked teams producing statement victories.

UC San Diego upset Long Beach State in its Big West opener, Fordham completed a four-game sweep, and Stanford reinforced its position atop the national rankings. Loyola Marymount defeated Pacific in sudden death, UC Davis swept its WCC road trip, and USC and UCLA delivered convincing victories.

Pepperdine provided the weekend’s most extraordinary finish when goalkeeper Max Smirnov scored from the length of the pool at the overtime buzzer.

Friday, October 9

No. 10 UC San Diego 13, No. 7 Long Beach State 12

UC San Diego opened Big West competition with an important road victory over Long Beach State.

The Tritons trailed 6–5 at halftime before producing six third-quarter goals to seize control.

Landon Akerstrom led UCSD with four goals and an assist. Grant Kurtz added two goals and three assists, while Christian Hammonds contributed one goal and three assists.

For Long Beach State, Zalán Nagy scored three goals and added an assist. Marc Frigola Navarro finished with two goals and an assist.
Akerstrom’s fourth goal ultimately stood as the game-winner.

Game Analysis: UC San Diego’s third-quarter offense proved decisive. The Tritons overcame a halftime deficit and secured an early conference advantage against a higher-ranked opponent.

No. 5 Fordham 20, Wagner 8

Fordham opened its demanding four-game weekend with a commanding victory over Wagner.

The Rams scored 13 first-half goals and built a 13–4 halftime advantage.

Fordham’s offensive depth allowed the Rams to control the tempo throughout the game, preventing Wagner from mounting a meaningful comeback.

Game Analysis: Fordham established control early through consistent offensive execution. Its 13 first-half goals effectively decided the contest before halftime.

No. 11 Loyola Marymount 12, No. 20 Saint Mary’s 10

Loyola Marymount opened its Northern California road trip with a conference victory in Moraga.

The Lions converted 12 of 24 shots, finishing with 50% shooting efficiency. Saint Mary’s scored 10 goals on 34 attempts.

LMU’s efficiency proved important in a competitive conference matchup.

Game Analysis: Shot selection and finishing separated the teams. LMU generated fewer attempts but converted its opportunities at a substantially higher rate.

No. 18 UC Davis 13, No. 17 Santa Clara 8

UC Davis opened WCC play with an impressive five-goal road victory.

Lucas Wulfhorst and Oleg Shatskikh each scored three goals to lead the Aggies.

UC Davis improved to 9–7 overall and 1–0 in conference competition.

Game Analysis: The Aggies combined balanced scoring with a strong defensive performance, limiting Santa Clara to eight goals and establishing early momentum in WCC play.

Saturday, October 10

No. 1 Stanford 22, No. 17 Santa Clara 9

Stanford continued its impressive run at Avery Aquatic Center, improving to 13–1 overall.

The Cardinal led 6–1 after the first quarter, 12–3 at halftime and 19–6 entering the fourth.

Connor Ohl scored four goals, while Ryan Ohl and Max Zelikov contributed three apiece.

Fifteen Stanford players found the back of the net.

Santa Clara’s Dylan Hazen and Jamie de Zwart scored twice each.

Game Analysis: Stanford’s offensive depth continues to distinguish the Cardinal. With 15 players contributing goals, Stanford demonstrated its ability to generate offense throughout the lineup while maintaining control from the opening quarter.

No. 2 UCLA 21, No. 16 California Baptist 9

UCLA returned to action with a dominant performance at Spieker Aquatics Center.

Bode Brinkema scored a career-high five goals, while Peter Castillo and Wade Sherlock added three apiece.

Ryder Dodd, Luka Gladović, Frederico Jucá Carsalade, Ben Liechty and Vinnie Merk each scored twice.

California Baptist’s Paulo Hernandez scored twice, while goalkeeper Tyler Carson recorded 10 saves.

UCLA led 7–1 after the opening quarter and 12–3 at halftime.

The Bruins converted five of six extra-man opportunities and improved to 16–1 overall.
UCLA also defeated Golden West College 23–8 in an exhibition contest, which does not count toward its official record.

Game Analysis: UCLA’s first-quarter execution established immediate control. Eight Bruins scored multiple goals, and the team’s extra-man efficiency demonstrated the offensive precision that makes UCLA one of the nation’s leading programs.

No. 3 USC 15, No. 10 UC San Diego 9

USC responded to its previous loss against Stanford with a convincing victory at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.

Gavin Conant and Robert López Duart scored three goals apiece. Efe Naipoglu contributed two goals and four assists, while Luke Nelson added two goals.

Goalkeeper Charles Mills recorded 10 saves in three quarters.

For UC San Diego, Jaime Bhattacharyya scored three goals, while Christian Hammonds and Liam Amburgey added two each.

USC overcame an early 2–0 deficit, scoring 12 of the next 13 goals to build a 12–4 lead after three quarters.

The Trojans recorded 17 steals.

Game Analysis: USC’s defensive pressure dictated the contest. The Trojans repeatedly disrupted UCSD’s possessions and converted defensive stops into scoring opportunities, demonstrating their ability to control a nationally ranked opponent.

No. 5 Fordham 16, No. 6 Princeton 14

Fordham secured one of Saturday’s most important victories, defeating Princeton in a nationally ranked matchup.

Andras Toth scored five goals and added three assists. Luca Provenziani contributed two goals and five assists.

Fordham led 9–7 at halftime before Princeton rallied to tie the game 11–11 after three quarters.

The Rams opened the fourth with three consecutive goals. Princeton later reduced the deficit to 15–14, but Peter Kulas scored late to secure the victory.

Goalkeeper Viktor Savic recorded seven saves.
Game Analysis: Fordham’s fourth-quarter response was decisive. After surrendering its halftime advantage, the Rams regained control with a three-goal run and executed well enough late to protect the victory.

No. 5 Fordham 16, No. 15 Navy 13

Fordham completed its Saturday sweep with another ranked victory.

Alessandro Salipante scored three goals, while Luca Provenziani contributed three goals and two assists.

The Rams led 7–5 at halftime before extending their advantage to 14–7 in the second half.
Navy narrowed the final margin but could not erase Fordham’s lead.

Viktor Savic finished with nine saves.

Game Analysis: Fordham demonstrated impressive offensive consistency against two nationally ranked opponents on the same day. The Rams scored 32 combined goals against Princeton and Navy, reinforcing their position among the country’s leading programs.

No. 7 Long Beach State 21, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 7

Long Beach State rebounded from Friday’s loss to UC San Diego with a dominant victory.

Artur Diaz and Harper Stewart scored three goals apiece.

The Beach scored the game’s first seven goals and led 11–3 at halftime.

Long Beach State extended the advantage to 16–6 after three quarters before winning the fourth 5–1.

Game Analysis: Long Beach State established control immediately. Its seven-goal opening run created separation and allowed the Beach to maintain a comfortable advantage throughout the contest.

No. 7 Long Beach State 15, Pomona-Pitzer 8

Long Beach State completed its Saturday doubleheader with another convincing victory.

Gabi Acosta and Corbin Stanley each scored five goals, accounting for 10 of the Beach’s 15 goals.
Long Beach State led 4–1 after the opening quarter and 6–1 at halftime.

Goalkeeper William Whitstone helped hold Pomona-Pitzer scoreless in the second quarter.

Game Analysis: Acosta and Stanley dominated the offensive production, combining for two-thirds of Long Beach State’s goals. The Beach finished Saturday unbeaten and improved to 13–5 overall.

No. 14 Pepperdine 16, Air Force 15 — Overtime

Pepperdine delivered the weekend’s most remarkable finish.

Trailing 15–14 in overtime, Tyce di Pretoro scored with five seconds remaining to tie the game.

Air Force regained possession and attempted a final shot, but Pepperdine goalkeeper Max Smirnov made the save and immediately launched the ball the length of the pool.

The shot found the empty net as time expired, giving Pepperdine a 16–15 victory.

Smirnov finished with eight saves, three steals and the game-winning goal.

Milo Joseph and Erik Ionescu scored three goals apiece, while Joseph drew six exclusions.

Game Analysis: Smirnov’s game-winning shot demonstrated extraordinary awareness and execution. Recognizing the empty cage immediately after the save turned what appeared to be a game headed for sudden death into a dramatic Pepperdine victory.

No. 16 California Baptist 14, No. 12 UC Santa Barbara 12

California Baptist ended UC Santa Barbara’s six-game winning streak in the Gauchos’ Big West opener.

Finn Genc led UCSB with three goals. Charlie Johnson, Camren Simoncelli and Dash D’Ambrosia scored twice each.

Goalkeeper Wyatt Pieretti recorded eight saves.
For California Baptist, Andrea Nuzzo and Wyatt Bugbee scored four goals apiece.

UCSB led 7–6 at halftime and 10–9 after three quarters, but California Baptist outscored the Gauchos 5–2 in the fourth.

Game Analysis: California Baptist’s fourth-quarter execution decided the contest. UCSB controlled portions of the game but could not protect its late lead, allowing the Lancers to secure an important conference victory.

Sunday, October 11

No. 5 Fordham 17, George Washington 12

Fordham completed its four-game weekend sweep with a victory over George Washington.

Freshman Oktavian Veklyuk scored four goals, while Alessandro Salipante, Diego Tresa and Karlo Dragosevic contributed two each.

Fordham led 9–6 at halftime before George Washington narrowed the margin.

The Rams responded with a five-goal run to regain control.

Fordham improved to 15–1 overall and 6–0 in MAWPC competition.

The victory extended the Rams’ home winning streak to 37 games and their MAWPC regular-season winning streak to 60.

Game Analysis: Fordham’s depth and composure stood out throughout the weekend. The Rams handled four opponents in three days and demonstrated the ability to respond when challenged.

No. 11 Loyola Marymount 12, No. 8 Pacific 11 — Sudden Death

Loyola Marymount delivered one of Sunday’s most significant victories at Chris Kjeldsen Pool in Stockton.

Nico Furneaux scored three goals and added an assist. Gabrijel Burburan contributed three goals, including the sudden-death winner.

Mateo Obando recorded four assists, while goalkeeper Pablo De Souza made 10 saves.
For Pacific, Gabor Holl scored four goals and Borisz Kasa-Gal added three.

LMU led 6–3 at halftime before Pacific rallied.
The Tigers eventually took an 11–9 lead in overtime, but Furneaux scored with 25 seconds remaining and Luka Dimic tied the game with one second left.

Burburan scored the winner 55 seconds into sudden death.

LMU improved to 12–6 overall and 3–0 in WCC play.

Game Analysis: LMU’s late-game execution was exceptional. The Lions erased a two-goal overtime deficit in the final 25 seconds before winning in sudden death, demonstrating the composure required to win difficult conference road games.

No. 18 UC Davis 16, No. 13 San Jose State 9

UC Davis completed an impressive WCC road sweep with a seven-goal victory at SRAC Pool.
Thomas Kiesling and Timothy Kerr scored three goals apiece.

Lucas Wulfhorst, Oleg Shatskikh and Oriol Viñas contributed two each.

For San Jose State, Mitchell Keightley scored three goals.

UC Davis led 8–2 at halftime before San Jose State produced five consecutive third-quarter goals, cutting the deficit to 9–7.

The Aggies responded by winning the fourth quarter 7–2.

UC Davis improved to 10–7 overall and 2–0 in WCC competition.

Game Analysis: UC Davis demonstrated strong late-game discipline. After allowing San Jose State to close the gap, the Aggies regained control with seven fourth-quarter goals and completed an important conference road sweep.

Water Polo Insider | Weekend Takeaways

Fordham delivered the weekend’s strongest four-game performance. Victories over Wagner, Princeton, Navy and George Washington reinforced the Rams’ position among the nation’s leading programs.

UC San Diego made an immediate Big West statement. The Tritons’ victory over Long Beach State established an early conference advantage against a nationally ranked opponent.

Stanford continues to set the national standard. The Cardinal followed its previous victories over UCLA and USC with a dominant 22-goal performance against Santa Clara.

Loyola Marymount emerged as a major WCC contender. The Lions completed an unbeaten conference road trip, highlighted by their sudden-death victory over Pacific.

UC Davis deserves national attention. The Aggies defeated Santa Clara and San Jose State on the road, opening WCC competition 2–0.

USC’s defensive performance was impressive. Seventeen steals against UC San Diego demonstrated the Trojans’ ability to disrupt opposing offenses.

UCLA continues to demonstrate its offensive depth. Eight players scored multiple goals against California Baptist, with Bode Brinkema leading the way.

Pepperdine produced the weekend’s defining individual moment. Max Smirnov’s full-pool buzzer-beater against Air Force was one of the season’s most extraordinary finishes.

UC Santa Barbara faces an early conference challenge. The Gauchos’ six-game winning streak ended against California Baptist, placing additional importance on their upcoming Big West games.

Upcoming Games | October 16–17

Friday, October 16

No. 12 UC Santa Barbara at No. 10 UC San Diego — 6 p.m. PT

Long Beach State vs. Cal State Fullerton — 7 p.m. PT

UC Davis vs. Pacific — 7 p.m. PT

Saturday, October 17

No. 2 UCLA at No. 3 USC — 1 p.m. PT

No. 1 Stanford at No. 4 California — 1 p.m. PT

The national spotlight shifts to Los Angeles, where UCLA and USC meet in one of the most anticipated MPSF matchups of the season.

Stanford’s visit to California also carries significant conference implications, while the Big West and WCC races continue to develop.

Rankings: October 7 CWPA Men’s Varsity Top 20. Coverage period: October 9–11, 2026.

Please Follow r/waterpoloinsider and r/waterpolo for more water polo news and conversations.

Saturday delivered a packed schedule of men’s college water polo, featuring ranked matchups, conference battles, multiple doubleheaders and one of the most dramatic finishes of the season.

No. 1 Stanford 22, No. 17 Santa Clara 9

Stanford established control immediately, outscoring Santa Clara 6–1 in the first quarter and building a 12–3 halftime lead.

The Cardinal added seven third-quarter goals before closing out a 13-goal victory.

Stanford player stats:
Connor Ohl — 4 goals
Ryan Ohl — 3 goals, 3 assists
Max Zelikov — 3 goals, 1 assist
Evan Wu — 1 goal, 2 assists
Konstantinos Mathiopoulos — 1 goal, 1 assist
James Rozolis-Hill — 1 goal
Simone De Vecchis — 1 goal
Alex Gheorghe — 1 goal
Daniel Mnatsakanian — 1 goal
Botond Balogh — 1 goal
Collin Caras — 1 goal
Dimitris Chatzis — 1 goal
Nick Austen — 1 goal
Will Schneider — 1 goal
Ben Forer — 1 goal
Kai Kaneko — 2 assists
Ben Oerlemans — 1 assist

Goalkeepers: Bernardo Herzer — 8 saves; Cormac Mulloy — 1 save; Harrison Rohlen — 0 saves.

Santa Clara player stats:
Dylan Hazen — 2 goals
Jamie De Zwart — 2 goals, 1 assist
Charlie Kosinski — 1 goal, 1 assist
Henry Engs — 1 goal
Nick Zimmerman — 1 goal
Hank Woodman — 1 goal
Weston Bancroft — 1 goal
Finn Swanson — 2 assists
Jensen Welton — 1 assist
Reece Hammond — 1 assist

Goalkeepers: Harrison Labrosse — 5 saves; Tyler Swensen — 1 save; Connor Clougherty — 0 saves.

Game Analysis: Stanford’s offensive balance and first-half execution. The Cardinal scored 12 goals before halftime and received contributions throughout its lineup.

Stanford improved to 13–1 overall.

No. 2 UCLA 21, No. 16 California Baptist 9

UCLA responded after California Baptist scored the opening goal, answering with seven consecutive goals to seize control.

The Bruins led 12–3 at halftime and maintained their advantage throughout the second half.

UCLA player stats:
Bode Brinkema — 5 goals, 1 assist
Wade Sherlock — 3 goals, 1 assist
Peter Castillo — 3 goals
Ryder Dodd — 2 goals, 3 assists
Luka Gladović — 2 goals, 2 assists
Ben Liechty — 2 goals, 1 assist
Vinnie Merk — 2 goals, 1 assist
Frederico Jucá Carsalade — 2 goals
Jack Merrill — 1 assist
Max Matthews — 1 assist
Danilo Dragović — 1 assist
Harper Gardner — 1 assist

Goalkeepers: Nate Tauscher — 5 saves; Harper Gardner — 3 saves; Griffen Price — 1 save.
Brinkema led UCLA with a career-high five goals.

California Baptist player stats:
Paulo Hernandez — 2 goals, 1 assist
Whitley Beamon — 1 goal
Wyatt Bugbee — 1 goal
Micah Grantham — 1 goal
Andrea Nuzzo — 1 goal
Alessandro Tiberio — 1 goal
Collin White — 1 goal
Rafa Martinez — 1 goal

Goalkeepers: Tyler Carson — 10 saves; Tanner McCreary — 0 saves.

Game Analysis: UCLA’s shooting efficiency and extra-man execution. The Bruins converted 21 of 38 shots and five of six extra-man opportunities.
UCLA improved to 16–1.

No. 3 USC 15, No. 10 UC San Diego 9

USC overcame an early 2–0 deficit and controlled the middle two quarters.

The Trojans led 3–2 after the first quarter, 7–3 at halftime and 12–4 entering the fourth.

USC player stats:
Gavin Conant — 3 goals, 1 assist
Robert López Duart — 3 goals, 1 assist
Efe Naipoglu — 2 goals, 4 assists
Luke Nelson — 2 goals
Camden Kocur — 1 goal, 1 assist
Ante Jerkovic — 1 goal, 2 assists
Ben Mirisch — 1 goal
Nate Simoncelli — 1 goal
Taj Whitehead — 1 goal
Charles Mills — 1 assist
Tyler Anderson — 1 assist
Chase Landa — 1 assist
Zach Bettino — 1 assist

Goalkeepers: Charles Mills — 10 saves; Nemo Pavoggi — 1 save; Luke Harris — 1 save.

UC San Diego player stats:
Jaime Bhattacharyya — 3 goals
Christian Hammonds — 2 goals, 1 assist
Liam Amburgey — 2 goals, 1 assist
Finn Bugelli — 1 goal
Bryan Shapirshteyn — 1 goal
Chase Martsolf — 2 assists
Reef Lippa — 1 assist

Goalkeepers: Jack Elder — 4 saves; Alex Hegeman — 3 saves.

Game Analysis: USC’s defensive pressure. The Trojans generated 17 steals and limited the Tritons to two goals across the second and third quarters combined.

No. 5 Fordham 16, No. 9 Princeton 14

Fordham earned a significant ranked victory in a back-and-forth game that remained undecided until the final minutes.

The teams were tied 3–3 after the first quarter. Fordham built a 9–7 halftime lead, but Princeton recovered to tie the game 11–11 after three.

Fordham opened the fourth with three consecutive goals. Princeton rallied to within one before Petar Kulas scored the insurance goal.

Fordham player stats:
Andras Toth — 5 goals, 3 assists
Luca Provenziani — 2 goals, 5 assists
Additional Fordham scorers included Karlo Dragosevic, Petar Kulas and Oktavian Veklyuk. Their complete individual goal totals and the remaining scoring distribution were not confirmed in the reviewed recap.

Goalkeeper: Viktor Savic — 7 saves.

Princeton player stats:
Ádám Peocz — 5 goals
Taylor Bell — 3 goals
Ádám Swart — 2 goals
Tibi Cojocariu — 1 goal
Ádám LeSieur — 1 goal
Mateusz Palcza — 1 goal
Otto Stothart — 1 goal

Goalkeeper: K. Kovács — 14 saves.

Game Analysis: Fordham’s fourth-quarter response. Princeton had erased a two-goal halftime deficit, but the Rams scored three unanswered goals to regain control.
Toth and Provenziani combined for 15 points, while Peocz’s five goals and Kovács’ 14 saves kept Princeton competitive.

No. 5 Fordham 16, No. 15 Navy 13

Fordham completed its Saturday sweep with a second ranked victory.

The Rams led 3–1 after the first quarter and 7–5 at halftime before building a 14–7 advantage during the second half.

Fordham player stats:
Alessandro Salipante — 3 goals
Luca Provenziani — 3 goals, 2 assists
Goalkeeper: Viktor Savic — 9 saves.

The remaining Fordham individual scoring totals were not fully established from the reviewed game recap.

Navy player stats:
Navy scored 13 goals. Complete individual goals, assists and goalkeeper saves were not established from the official game material reviewed.

Game Analysis: Fordham’s second-half separation. Navy stayed within two goals through halftime, but the Rams created a seven-goal lead before the Midshipmen recovered.
Fordham improved to 14–1 overall and 5–0 in MAWPC play.

No. 7 Long Beach State 21, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 7

Long Beach State opened with seven unanswered goals against the nationally ranked Division III Stags.

The Beach led 11–3 at halftime and 16–6 entering the fourth.

Long Beach State player stats:
Harper Stewart — 3 goals, 1 assist
Artur Diaz — 3 goals
Corbin Stanley — 2 goals, 1 assist
Marc Frigola Navarro — 2 goals
Chase Krupitzer — 2 goals
Gabi Acosta — 2 goals
Shayan Rezvani — 2 goals
Federico Gulisano — 1 goal, 1 assist
Zalán Nagy — 1 goal, 1 assist
Keegan Moore — 1 goal
Dante D’Sa — 1 goal
Charles Montano — 1 goal
Olivér Sudár — 2 assists
Goalkeepers: William Whitstone — 3 saves; Sergi Ramon — 2 saves.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps player stats
Christopher Petrossian — 2 goals
Jack Balas — 1 goal, 1 assist
Jeffrey Koretz — 1 goal
Asher Engelberg — 1 goal
Gavin Netherton — 1 goal
Stryker Scales — 1 goal
Evan Liberatore — 2 assists
Caiden Titus — 1 assist

Goalkeeper: Chase Campbell — 7 saves.

Game Analysis: Long Beach State’s opening-quarter execution. The Beach scored seven times while shutting out CMS, creating an advantage the Stags could not overcome.

No. 7 Long Beach State 15, Pomona-Pitzer 8
Long Beach State completed its Saturday sweep with a victory over the nation’s No. 1 Division III team.

The Beach led 4–1 after the first quarter and 6–1 at halftime, shutting out Pomona-Pitzer in the second.

Long Beach State player stats:
Corbin Stanley — 5 goals
Gabi Acosta — 5 goals, 1 assist
Olivér Sudár — 2 goals, 3 assists
Zalán Nagy — 1 goal, 3 assists
Marc Frigola Navarro — 1 goal
Artur Diaz — 1 goal
Harper Stewart — 2 assists
Keegan Moore — 1 assist

Goalkeeper: William Whitstone — 13 saves.

Pomona-Pitzer player stats:
Michael Soybel — 2 goals, 1 assist
Zach Whitfield — 2 goals
Alex Minton — 2 goals
Indigo Lee — 1 goal, 2 assists
Jaden Winters — 1 goal, 1 assist
Max Distaso — 1 assist

Goalkeeper: Leo Dilascia — 7 saves.

Game Analysis: Long Beach State’s finishing and Whitstone’s 13-save performance. Pomona-Pitzer generated more shots, but Stanley and Acosta combined for 10 goals.

Long Beach State improved to 13–5.

No. 9 Princeton 14, Iona 7

Princeton recovered from its earlier loss to Fordham with a strong finish against Iona.
The Tigers led 6–4 at halftime, but Iona cut the deficit to 7–6 in the third quarter.

Princeton responded by outscoring the Gaels 7–1 over the remainder of the game.

Princeton player stats:
Tibi Cojocariu — 4 goals
Gavin Appeldorn — 2 goals
Enrique Nuño — 2 goals
Taylor Bell — 2 goals
Ádám Swart — 2 goals
Ádám LeSieur — 1 goal
Luke Weichert — 1 goal

Goalkeeper: K. Kovács — 9 saves.

Iona player stats:
Charlie Harbour — 2 goals
Jack Robinson — 2 goals
Pavle Musikic — 1 goal
Samson Williams — 1 goal
Christian Couch — 1 goal

Goalkeeper: Eric Caplener — 5 saves in two quarters.

Game Analysis: Princeton’s closing run. The Tigers turned a one-goal contest into a seven-goal victory by dominating the final stretch.

No. 9 Princeton 15, LIU 12

Princeton completed its three-game Saturday schedule with a second victory.

The Tigers built an early lead and held off Long Island University to finish the day 2–1.

Princeton player stats:
Oliver Marcin — 5 goals
Tibi Cojocariu — 3 goals
Mateusz Palcza — 3 goals
Enrique Nuño — 2 goals
Ádám Peocz — 1 goal
Boti Kovács — 1 goal

Goalkeeper: K. Kovács — 9 saves.

LIU player stats:
LIU scored 12 goals. Complete individual goals, assists and goalkeeper saves were not established from the official material reviewed.

Game Analysis: Princeton’s offensive balance and ability to finish a demanding three-game day with consecutive victories. Marcin’s five goals led the Tigers, while Cojocariu and Palcza added three apiece.

No. 16 California Baptist 14, No. 12 UC Santa Barbara 12

California Baptist delivered one of Saturday’s biggest ranked upsets, defeating UCSB on the road.

CBU led 4–2 after the first quarter, but the Gauchos scored five times in the second to take a 7–6 halftime advantage.

The Lancers responded in the second half and won the fourth quarter 5–2.

California Baptist player stats:
Wyatt Bugbee — 4 goals
Andrea Nuzzo — 4 goals, 1 assist
Rafa Martinez — 3 goals, 5 exclusions drawn
Collin White — 1 goal
Micah Grantham — 1 goal
Michael Abshier — 1 goal
Whitley Beamon — 2 assists
Luca Imbriolo — 1 assist
Paulo Hernandez — 1 assist
Goalkeeper: Tanner McCreary — 15 saves.
UC Santa Barbara player stats
Finn Genc — 3 goals, 1 assist
Charlie Johnson — 2 goals, 4 assists
Dash D’Ambrosia — 2 goals, 1 assist
Camren Simoncelli — 2 goals
Kai Ross — 1 goal
Sloan Brown — 1 goal
Hayden Tully — 1 goal
Oliver Sherwood — 1 assist

Goalkeeper: Wyatt Pieretti — 8 saves.

Game Analysis: McCreary’s goalkeeper performance and California Baptist’s fourth-quarter finishing. UCSB generated five more shots, but McCreary made 15 saves and the Lancers outscored the Gauchos 5–2 in the final period.

No. 14 Pepperdine 16, Air Force 15 — Double Overtime

Pepperdine delivered Saturday’s most remarkable finish.

The Waves led 4–1 after the first quarter and 11–8 entering the fourth, but Air Force rallied with five fourth-quarter goals.

Tom Leggett gave Air Force a 15–14 lead with 24 seconds remaining in the second overtime.
Pepperdine’s Tyce di Pretoro tied the game with five seconds left.

Air Force pulled its goalkeeper for an extra attacker on the final possession. Pepperdine goalkeeper Max Smirnov stopped the shot and immediately launched the ball the length of the pool, scoring into the empty net as time expired.

Pepperdine player stats:
Milo Joseph — 3 goals, 6 exclusions drawn
Erik Ionescu — 3 goals, 1 assist
Tyce di Pretoro — 2 goals, 2 assists, 3 steals, 3 field blocks
Csanád Bella — 2 goals, 4 steals
Hunter Danko — 2 goals, 2 steals
Charles Warmington — 1 goal, 3 assists, 3 field blocks
Alex Piccin — 1 goal, 1 assist
Jon Carcarey — 1 goal
Max Smirnov — 1 goal
Cade Anderton — 1 assist

Goalkeeper: Max Smirnov — 8 saves, 3 steals and the winning goal.

Air Force player stats:
Tom Leggett — 7 goals, 3 assists
Max Ellis — 3 goals
Jonah Vander Veen — 3 goals, 3 assists
Sam Storrs — 2 goals, 1 assist
Brady Kopperud — 2 assists
Shane Borunda — 2 assists
Tobin Hunt — 1 assist
Owen Imasaki — 1 assist

Goalkeeper: Wyatt Sturgeon — 15 saves.

Game Analysis: Smirnov’s final-second save and full-pool shot. Air Force received 10 points from Leggett and 15 saves from Sturgeon, but Pepperdine executed the final two possessions to win. Pepperdine improved to 7–10 overall and 1–1 in WCC play.

Harvard 14, No. 19 Brown 8

Harvard earned its first victory over a nationally ranked opponent this season, defeating Brown in NWPC play.

Brown opened the scoring on a five-meter penalty from Máté Tymcyna, but Harvard answered with three consecutive goals.

The Crimson led 6–3 at halftime and 11–5 after three quarters.

Harvard player stats:
Lukas Peabody — 3 goals
Jack Burghardt — scored
Tyler Hogan — scored
Clay Carrington — scored
Connor Kim — scored
Eight Harvard players scored. Complete individual totals for the remaining scorers were not established from the reviewed official recap.

Goalkeeper: Oliver Price — save total not confirmed.

Brown player stats:
Máté Tymcyna — 3 goals
Roland Csendes — 2 goals
Hugo Molnar — 1 goal
Dominik Balla — 1 goal
Ramzi Megali — 1 goal

Goalkeepers: Ryan Miele and Santiago Soza played; individual save totals were not confirmed.

Game Analysis: Harvard’s defensive response after Brown’s opening goal. The Crimson took control with three unanswered goals and maintained its advantage throughout the second half. Harvard improved to 6–10 overall and 3–1 in NWPC play.

No. 19 Brown 15, MIT 12

Brown recovered from its loss to Harvard with a victory over MIT. The Bears led 5–2 after the first quarter and 8–4 at halftime.

MIT battled back during the third, cutting Brown’s lead to 9–7 before the Bears scored three unanswered goals to rebuild their advantage.

Brown player stats:
Roland Csendes — at least 3 goals
Máté Tymcyna — 2 goals
Griffin Tunney — 3 goals
Mac Berry — 2 goals
Ramzi Megali — 2 goals
Hugo Molnar — 1 goal
Dominik Balla — 1 goal
Brown’s reviewed recap did not fully reconcile all 15 goals into individual totals.

Goalkeeper: Ryan Miele — complete save total not confirmed.

MIT player stats:
Andras Beleznay — 4 goals
Caspar Lightner — 2 goals
Derek Schaffer — 2 goals
Rick Lundh — 2 goals
Kieran Kearns — 1 goal, 2 assists
Kunal Rajadhyax — 1 goal

Goalkeepers: Joshua Woren — 6 saves; Armaan Gill — 2 saves.

William Ewald recorded three steals and drew four exclusions.

Game Analysis: Brown’s response whenever MIT threatened. The Engineers cut the deficit to two during the third quarter, but the Bears answered with a three-goal run.

Air Force 14, Austin College 8

Air Force recovered from its double-overtime loss to Pepperdine with a six-goal victory over Austin College. The Falcons scored six times in the opening quarter and led 9–4 at halftime.

Air Force player stats:
Matthew Woodroof — 4 goals, 1 assist
Pierce Bateman — 3 goals, 2 assists
Colin Sullivan — 3 goals
Tobin Hunt — 1 goal
John Cowles — 1 goal
William Stewart — 1 goal
Brandon Walton — 1 goal, 1 assist
Derek Hymer — 1 assist
Brandon Hansen — 1 assist

Goalkeepers: Jay Pyle — 2 saves; Bode Farren — 5 saves.

Austin College player stats:
Adrian Halberg — 2 goals, 1 assist
Sebastian Scheier — 2 goals
Jordan Pomier — 1 goal
Peyton Dimmock — 1 goal
Carlos Camarena — 1 goal
Aaron Mendoza — 1 goal
Conner Halbrook — 2 assists
Owen Altermatt — 1 assist
Justin Gonzalez — 1 assist

Goalkeepers: Caleb Maddox — 6 saves; Jordan Pomier — 2 saves.

Game Analysis: Air Force’s six-goal opening quarter. Woodroof and Bateman combined for seven goals and three assists, allowing the Falcons to finish their Saturday doubleheader with a victory.

The Day in Review:

Fordham delivered the strongest ranked doubleheader. The Rams defeated Princeton and Navy, improving to 14–1 overall. Andras Toth’s five-goal, three-assist performance against Princeton was one of Saturday’s top individual efforts.

California Baptist earned a significant Big West victory. Tanner McCreary made 15 saves, while Wyatt Bugbee and Andrea Nuzzo scored four goals apiece against UCSB.

USC controlled UC San Diego with defensive pressure. The Trojans recorded 17 steals and held the Tritons to two goals across the second and third quarters.

UCLA dominated with shooting efficiency. Bode Brinkema scored five goals, and the Bruins converted five of six extra-man opportunities against California Baptist.

Stanford continued its offensive dominance. Connor Ohl scored four goals, Ryan Ohl contributed three goals and three assists, and the Cardinal improved to 13–1.

Pepperdine delivered the finish of the day. Max Smirnov’s full-pool buzzer-beater ended a double-overtime game in which Air Force’s Tom Leggett recorded seven goals and three assists.

Long Beach State swept two of the nation’s top Division III programs. Corbin Stanley and Gabi Acosta combined for 10 goals against Pomona-Pitzer, while William Whitstone made 13 saves.

Princeton showed resilience. After losing a close game to Fordham, the Tigers defeated Iona and LIU. Ádám Peocz scored five against Fordham, while Oliver Marcin scored five against LIU.

Harvard earned an important ranked conference victory. The Crimson defeated Brown behind balanced scoring and strong defensive play.

Editorial note: Some player breakdowns remain incomplete where the reviewed official reports did not establish full totals.

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Water Polo Insider | Friday, October 9, 2026

Friday produced three ranked-versus-ranked victories and six confirmed games involving teams in the CWPA Men’s Varsity Top 20

No. 5 Fordham 20, Wagner 8

Fordham established control with seven first-quarter goals and built a 13–4 halftime lead.

Fordham player stats:
Alessandro Salipante — 3 goals
Oktavian Veklyuk — 3 goals
Andras Toth — 2 goals
Laszlo Strasser — 2 goals
Barnabas Eppel — 2 goals
Petar Kulas — 2 goals

Six additional Fordham players scored once each, giving the Rams 12 different scorers.

Goalkeepers: Viktor Savic — 6 saves;
Alejandro Cheline — 2 saves.

Wagner player stats:
Noah Garrison — 2 goals
Kelly Murphy — 1 goal
Landon Castillo — 1 goal
Nadav Carmon — 1 goal
Vince Varga — 1 goal
Toby Zeeck — 1 goal
Smith Connors — 1 goal

Complete individual assist and Wagner goalkeeper save totals were not established in the official recaps reviewed.

Game Analysis: Fordham’s offensive depth. The Rams scored 13 times in the opening half, forcing Wagner to chase the game from the beginning.

Fordham improved to 12–1 overall and 4–0 in MAWPC play.

No. 6 UC Irvine 19, Cal State Fullerton 6

UC Irvine controlled the game from the opening quarter, leading 6–2 after eight minutes and 11–4 at halftime.

The Anteaters added six third-quarter goals to extend their advantage to 17–5.

UC Irvine player stats:
Cole Francisco — 5 goals, 1 assist
Wyley Dale — 4 goals
Ethan Spoon — 2 goals
Ben Atkinson — 2 goals
Johann Thrall — 2 goals, 3 assists
Samuel Bowman — 1 goal, 1 assist
Ben Youngblood — 1 goal
Jayson Hubbard — 1 goal, 1 assist
Ryan Fresca — 1 goal, 1 assist
Brody Luke and Gage Verdegaal added two assists each.

Goalkeepers: Nico Assalian — 12 saves;
Vincent Vega — 2 saves.

Cal State Fullerton player stats:
Ethan MacLeod — 3 goals, 1 assist
Jason Joseph — 1 goal
Dustin Drobeck — 1 goal
Cade Zeilinger — 1 goal
Jace Peterson — 2 assists

Goalkeeper: Ethan Ivey — 11 saves.

Team statistics

UC Irvine: 19 goals on 34 shots, 13 assists and 14 combined goalkeeper saves.

Cal State Fullerton: 6 goals on 32 shots, 3 assists and 11 goalkeeper saves.

Game Analysis: Irvine’s shooting efficiency and goalkeeper performance. Fullerton generated 32 attempts but scored only six times. The Anteaters converted 19 of 34 shots and received 14 combined saves.

No. 10 UC San Diego 13, No. 7 Long Beach State 12

UC San Diego earned Friday’s biggest ranked road victory after trailing 6–5 at halftime.
The Tritons scored six goals in the third quarter, taking an 11–10 advantage into the fourth.

UC San Diego player stats:
Landon Akerstrom — 4 goals, 1 assist
Grant Kurtz — 2 goals
Mason Presley — 2 goals
Jackson Boettner — 2 goals
Bryan Shapirshteyn — 1 goal
Finn Bugelli — 1 goal
Christian Hammonds — 1 goal

Long Beach State player stats:
Zalán Nagy — 3 goals
Marc Frigola Navarro — 2 goals
Harper Stewart — 2 goals
Gabi Acosta — 2 goals
Olivér Sudár — 2 goals
Corbin Stanley — 1 goal

Complete individual assists and goalkeeper save totals for both teams are not available from the full official statistical table.

Game Analysis: UC San Diego’s six-goal third quarter. The Tritons overcame Long Beach State’s early advantage and maintained their composure in the fourth.

UC San Diego improved to 12–4 overall and 1–0 in Big West play.

No. 8 Pacific 13, No. 13 San Jose State 10

Pacific recovered from a 5–4 first-quarter deficit and held San Jose State scoreless throughout the third quarter.

The Tigers took a 7–6 halftime lead before extending it to 10–6 after three.

Pacific player stats:
Gabor Holl — 4 goals, 1 assist
Petar Popovic — 3 goals, 2 assists
Borisz Kasa-Gal — 2 goals, 2 assists
Ori Buzaglo — 2 goals
Yoav Rendler — 1 goal, 3 assists
Enzo Fernandez — 1 goal, 2 assists

Goalkeeper: Gergely Kiss — 8 saves.

San Jose State player stats:
Samu Biros — 4 goals
Mitchell Keightley — 2 goals
Aidan Johnson — 2 goals, 1 assist
Peter Kolos Kohári — 1 goal, 1 assist
Louis Fehrensen — 1 goal
Vince Biros — 2 assists

Goalkeepers: Stellan Karkazis — 4 saves; Alexey Poletaev — 0 saves in the opening quarter.

Pacific committed eight exclusions, compared with nine for San Jose State. Pacific converted two five-meter penalties, while San Jose State converted one. Ori Buzaglo drew five exclusions for Pacific.

Game Analysis: Pacific’s defensive adjustment. San Jose State scored five goals in the first quarter but managed only one over the next 16 minutes.

Pacific improved to 5–5 overall and 1–0 in WCC play.

No. 11 LMU 12, No. 20 Saint Mary’s 10

LMU built a 9–4 lead after three quarters before Saint Mary’s mounted a six-goal fourth-quarter comeback.

The Lions survived the late pressure to secure an important WCC road victory.

LMU player stats:
Gabrijel Burburan — 3 goals
Soren Martin — 3 goals, 1 assist
Roman Saroyan — 2 goals, 2 assists
Caden Poulleau — 1 goal, 1 assist
Luka Dimic — 1 goal, 1 assist
Bence Barics — 1 goal
Jake Bonavia — 1 goal
Eduardo Carraresi — 2 assists
Nico Furneaux — 2 assists

Goalkeeper: Pablo De Souza — 16 saves.

Saint Mary’s player stats:
Mason Black — 3 goals, 2 assists
Hamish Ellison — 2 goals, 2 assists
Donovan Swann — 2 goals
Jacob Carlson — 1 goal, 3 assists
Leo Hachem — 1 goal, 2 assists
Nick Valente — 1 goal

Goalkeeper: Federico Castrucci — 6 saves.
Team statistics

LMU: 12 goals on 24 shots, 10 assists and 16 goalkeeper saves.

Saint Mary’s: 10 goals on 34 shots and 6 goalkeeper saves.

LMU committed 11 exclusions compared with eight for Saint Mary’s. Leo Hachem drew five exclusions for the Gaels.

Game Analysis: LMU’s shooting efficiency and Pablo De Souza’s 16-save performance. Saint Mary’s generated 10 more shots but could not overcome the five-goal deficit entering the fourth quarter.

No. 18 UC Davis 13, No. 17 Santa Clara 8

UC Davis and Santa Clara entered halftime tied 6–6 before the Aggies produced a decisive third-quarter shutout. Davis scored four unanswered goals to take a 10–6 lead.

UC Davis player stats:
Lucas Wulfhorst — 3 goals, 2 assists
Oleg Shatskikh — 3 goals
Austin Quick — 2 goals, 1 assist
Thomas Kiesling — 1 goal
Thomas Marr — 1 goal
Oriol Viñas — 1 goal
Gabe Bensen — 1 goal
Cassius Wolf — 1 goal

Goalkeeper: Baxter Chelsom — 5 saves.

UC Davis recorded 13 goals, seven assists and nine steals.

Santa Clara player stats:
Ashton Brown — 2 goals
Charlie Engs — 2 goals
Henry Engs — 1 goal
Luke Baird — 1 goal
Darion Wang — 1 goal
Imme van der Schaaf — 1 goal

Santa Clara finished with eight goals and six assists. Its complete individual assist distribution and goalkeeper save total were not established in the reviewed statistical material.

Santa Clara committed 13 exclusions, compared with eight for UC Davis. Lucas Wulfhorst converted a five-meter penalty and two extra-man opportunities.

Game Analysis: UC Davis’ third-quarter defense. Santa Clara had erased an early deficit, but the Aggies shut the Broncos out for eight minutes while scoring four unanswered goals.

The Day in Review: UC San Diego delivered Friday’s biggest ranked victory. The Tritons defeated No. 7 Long Beach State on the road behind a six-goal third quarter.

Pacific made a strong WCC statement. Gabor Holl scored four times, Gergely Kiss made eight saves, and Pacific shut San Jose State out in the third.

UC Davis won with defense. The Aggies held Santa Clara scoreless in the third quarter after entering halftime tied.

LMU relied on goalkeeper play. Pablo De Souza’s 16 saves helped the Lions survive a late Saint Mary’s comeback.

Fordham demonstrated offensive depth. Twelve Rams scored in a 20-goal victory over Wagner.

UC Irvine combined efficient finishing with strong goalkeeper play. The Anteaters scored 19 goals and received 14 combined saves.

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I’m new to water polo, how do you catch the ball without it bouncing off your palm?

Game at Westminster HS

Some people on my team brought it to my attention that I’m shooting on the way down instead of at the top so I went ahead and recorded myself at home best I could to try and see what their talking about. I honestly don’t really see anything wrong with this but would love to see others opinions/advice. Thanks!

So I’m on JV for the third year because my varsity couch has favorites and I’m not one but that’s not the point of this, so he handles everything and builds everything off of theses two players we have, our holeset and our fastest and today we had a game against a team we blew out in a tournament a couple weeks ago and our holeset had a dr appointment on its own not a big deal but here’s the kicker, he moved our fast guy to varsity and moved two varsity kids down got mad at US when everything fell apart but in the second half we made a come back when my into double overtime then lost by 2 points and varsity had the same problem but instead of having there main guys taken it was dealing with a new guy but they won by 1 point

https://discord.gg/j92yM729Y Waterpolo game that is coming to roblox

Sunday closed a major weekend of men’s college water polo with Stanford completing one of the strongest two-day road trips of the season. One day after handing No. 1 UCLA its first loss, the No. 2 Cardinal beat No. 3 USC 16-12. UCLA responded by holding off No. 4 Cal, while No. 9 Princeton and No. 15 Navy added conference victories.

No. 2 Stanford 16, No. 3 USC 12

Stanford completed a huge Los Angeles weekend by beating USC one day after taking down No. 1 UCLA.

The Cardinal couldn’t have started much better defensively. Stanford shut USC out in the first quarter and built a 6-0 lead before the Trojans finally scored with 6:18 remaining in the second.

USC didn’t fold. The Trojans erupted for seven second-quarter goals and cut Stanford’s advantage to 9-7 at halftime. But Stanford absorbed the run, pushed the lead back to 14-11 by the end of the third and scored the first two goals of the fourth to regain complete control.

Stanford goals: James Rozolis-Hill 3, Ben Forer 3, Alex Gheorghe 2, Connor Ohl 2, Konstantinos Mathiopoulos 2, Will Schneider 2, Ryan Ohl 1, Dimitrios Chatzis 1.

Stanford assists: Ben Forer had a verified assist. Stanford’s published recap does not provide a complete individual assist table, so additional assists are not being assigned.
Stanford’s published recap also does not list complete goalkeeper save totals, so none are being inferred.

The same applies to USC’s complete individual goals, assists and goalkeeper saves: USC’s Sunday recap/box-score data was not fully accessible through the official sources during this review, so I’m not reconstructing statistics from secondary sites.

The difference: the opening eight minutes. Stanford forced USC to spend the rest of the afternoon chasing a six-goal deficit. The Trojans made an impressive second-quarter run, but against a team as balanced as Stanford, digging out of 6-0 takes a tremendous amount of energy.

Stanford finished the weekend 2-0 against No. 1 UCLA and No. 3 USC, scoring 35 goals against the two Los Angeles powers.

No. 1 UCLA 13, No. 4 Cal 11

This was much closer than a typical 1-vs.-4 matchup.

UCLA led 3-2 after the first, but Cal completely shut the Bruins out in the second and carried a 4-3 lead into halftime.

UCLA finally found its offense in the third. The Bruins scored six times—including two five-meter penalties—to take a 9-7 lead.

Cal answered immediately.

Ilias Angelopoulos scored twice and Beso Akhvlediani added another as the Bears opened the fourth on a 3-0 run, turning a 9-7 deficit into a 10-9 lead.

Then came the turning point.

UCLA drew consecutive five-meter penalties. Ryder Dodd converted both, putting the Bruins back ahead 11-10. Peter Castillo followed with a close-range finish for the insurance goal before Dodd eventually finished the game into an empty net.

UCLA
Goals: Ryder Dodd 5; Frederico Jucá Carsalade 2; Peter Castillo 2; Luka Gladović 2; Max Matthews 1; Jackson Harlan 1.
Assists: Ryder Dodd 3; Frederico Jucá Carsalade 1; Luka Gladović 1; Bode Brinkema 1; Ben Liechty 1. UCLA was officially credited with 8 team assists.
Goalkeeper: Nate Tauscher — 8 saves, 4 steals.
Dodd finished with 5 goals and 3 assists for eight points, producing the biggest offensive performance of the game.

Cal
Goals: Ilias Angelopoulos 4; Tomas Perrone 3; Beso Akhvlediani 2; Alex Oprea 1; Patrik Kolak 1.
Assists: Beso Akhvlediani 3; Mason Netzer 2; Tomas Perrone 1; Patrik Kolak 1; Brennan Fuchslin 1; Loui Schuler 1.
Goalkeeper: Aran Pina — 9 saves, 2 steals.
Akhvlediani finished with 2 goals and 3 assists, while Angelopoulos scored four on six shots and drew three exclusions.

Cal was charged with 20 exclusions compared with UCLA’s 12.

UCLA scored five extra-man goals and went 4-for-4 from five meters. Cal scored five extra-man goals and converted its lone penalty.
Those penalties were enormous. Two of UCLA’s four five-meter conversions came on consecutive fourth-quarter possessions after Cal had taken a 10-9 lead.

The difference: UCLA’s ability to generate five-meter opportunities. Cal did enough defensively to shut UCLA out for an entire quarter and regained the lead late, but four converted penalties gave the Bruins a scoring source that Cal couldn’t match.

No. 9 Princeton 16, No. 19 Brown 8
Brown actually landed the first punch.
Mac Berry opened the scoring, and after Princeton went ahead 2-1, Robert Norell tied it before Roland Csendes put Brown back in front 3-2.

Then Princeton took over.

The Tigers scored six more before halftime, with Brown getting only a late Jaxson Tierney goal during the stretch. Princeton carried an 8-4 lead into halftime and scored the first three goals of the second half to effectively put the game away.

Princeton
Goals: Tas Palcza 4; Ádám Peocz 3; Gavin Appeldorn 2; Otto Stothart 2; Enrique Nuño 1; Taylor Bell 1; Tibi Cojocariu 1.
Princeton’s official recap lists those scorers but does not publish a complete individual assist table, so assists are not being inferred.
Goalkeeper: Kristóf Kovács — 15 saves.
That is the number that jumps off the page. Kovács gave Princeton 15 saves in an eight-goal ranked victory.

Brown
Goals: Robert Norell 2; Mac Berry 1; Roland Csendes 1; Jaxson Tierney 1; Filip Josipovic 1; Colton Bell 1; Ramzi Megali 1.
Brown’s official recap does not provide complete individual assist totals.

Goalkeepers: Ryan Miele started; Will Corr took over in the second half. Brown’s official recap does not publish their individual save totals, so none are being assigned.

The difference: Princeton’s defensive response. Brown got exactly the start it wanted and twice held a lead. Once Princeton settled in defensively, however, Brown stopped getting enough clean finishes. Kovács’ 15 saves allowed the Tigers to turn defensive possessions into sustained momentum at the other end.

Princeton improved to 14-1 overall and 3-0 in NWPC play.

No. 15 Navy 15, Bucknell 8
This was much closer through three quarters than the final score suggests.

Navy led only 2-1 after the first and 6-3 at halftime. The Midshipmen stretched the advantage to 10-6 in the third, but Bucknell continued answering and pulled within 10-8 with 11 seconds remaining.

That became the game’s biggest sequence.
Navy immediately went the length of the pool and scored with one second remaining in the third, restoring an 11-8 advantage.

Bucknell never scored again.

Navy shut the Bison out 4-0 in the fourth quarter and scored the final five goals of the game.

Navy
Goals: Quinn Bartlett 4; Aiden Day 3; Declan Bartlett 3; Billy Zech 2; Maximus Arnold 1; Kiefer Black 1; James Mulvey 1.
Navy’s official recap does not publish a complete individual assist table, so assists are not being guessed.
Goalkeeper: Ryan Munch — 9 saves.

Bucknell
Jack Dillane scored Bucknell’s first goal. Tyler Hedblad and Hudson Tweed scored during the second quarter, while Jovan Udovicic scored twice in the third as Bucknell continued challenging Navy.

Bucknell’s official game story does not publish a complete individual goals-and-assists table or goalkeeper save total in the available recap, so incomplete totals are not being presented as full statistics.

Navy also converted multiple five-meter opportunities, including penalties by Aiden Day during key stretches.

The difference: the final second of the third quarter.

At 10-8, Bucknell had momentum and was heading into the fourth only two goals down. Navy’s immediate answer with one second remaining changed the emotional complexion of the game. The Midshipmen then shut Bucknell out for the final eight minutes and scored four more.

That’s a veteran response from a ranked team on the road.

Biggest Takeaways

Stanford owned the weekend. There isn’t a stronger two-game résumé in the country right now than beating No. 1 UCLA 19-15 and No. 3 USC 16-12 on consecutive days in Los Angeles. Stanford scored 35 goals against two of the country’s elite programs and showed two different ways to win—outlasting UCLA in a shootout and jumping USC 6-0 before managing the game from in front.

The next No. 1 vote just became fascinating. UCLA entered the weekend unanimously No. 1 and remains 15-1, but Stanford now owns the head-to-head result and followed it immediately with another top-three road win.

UCLA’s response mattered. Twenty-four hours after its first loss, UCLA found itself down to Cal at halftime and again at 10-9 late in the fourth. The Bruins responded instead of letting Saturday’s loss carry into Sunday. Ryder Dodd’s 5-goal, 3-assist performance was central to it.

Cal is much closer to the top three than its 9-4 record suggests. The Bears lost 15-14 to USC in sudden death Saturday and were leading UCLA 10-9 late Sunday. Aran Pina made 24 saves across the two games, and Cal has now repeatedly pushed the nation’s best teams deep into fourth quarters.

Kristóf Kovács had Sunday’s biggest goalkeeper performance. Fifteen saves while holding No. 19 Brown to eight goals gave Princeton exactly the kind of back-end performance that allows a good team to create separation.

Navy continues to move in the right direction. The Midshipmen improved to 12-2 and 3-0 in MAWPC play, and their 5-0 closing run against Bucknell showed an ability to finish after being pushed for three quarters.

Sunday reinforced what Saturday started: Stanford made the biggest national statement of the weekend, UCLA responded, Princeton continues to look legitimate, and Navy keeps building.

Official sources: CWPA September 30 Top 20⁠ · Stanford–USC official recap⁠ · UCLA–Cal official recap⁠ · UCLA–Cal complete Cal box score⁠ · Princeton–Brown official recap⁠ · Brown's Princeton recap⁠ · Navy–Bucknell official Navy recap⁠ · Bucknell's Navy recap⁠

Saturday, October 3 delivered one of the strongest men’s college water polo slates of the season. No. 2 Stanford handed No. 1 UCLA its first loss, No. 3 USC survived No. 4 Cal in sudden death, and No. 13 UC Santa Barbara picked up two ranked wins in San Jose.

No. 2 Stanford 19, No. 1 UCLA 15
Eight ties. A one-goal Stanford lead after each of the first three quarters. Then the Cardinal finally broke the game open with a seven-goal fourth.

UCLA pulled within 13-12 on Ryder Dodd’s fourth goal with 7:08 remaining, but Stanford created the separation UCLA had prevented all afternoon and handed the Bruins their first loss of the season.

Stanford: Alex Gheorghe 3 goals, Guido Leonardi 3, James Rozolis-Hill 3, Ben Forer 2, Gor Mnatsakanian 2, Connor Ohl 2, Jack West 2, Zsombor Balogh 1 and Dimitrios Chatzis 1. Bernardo Herzer made 9 saves.

UCLA: Ryder Dodd produced 4 goals and 5 assists, Ben Liechty had 1 goal and 3 assists, while Danilo Dragović, Frederico Jucá Carsalade, Max Matthews and Chase McFarland scored twice each. Ben Larsen and Wade Sherlock added one goal apiece. Nate Tauscher made 5 saves.

UCLA actually had the better 6-on-5 numbers, converting 6-of-10 compared with Stanford’s 2-of-6. Stanford countered by going a perfect 4-for-4 from five meters, while UCLA was 2-for-2.

The difference: Stanford didn’t need to dominate the extra-man game because it consistently produced goals elsewhere. Seven fourth-quarter goals against the nation’s No. 1 team was the decisive stretch. (UCLA Bruins)

No. 3 USC 15, No. 4 Cal 14 — Sudden Death

This was essentially a one-possession game for 40 minutes.

USC led 7-6 at halftime before Cal tied it 10-10 through three. The Bears went ahead 12-11 late in the fourth, but Luke Nelson converted an extra-man opportunity with less than a second remaining to force overtime. After two overtime periods still couldn’t settle it, Strahinja Krstic scored the sudden-death winner with 56 seconds remaining.

USC: Robert López Duart 4 goals; Luke Nelson 3 goals, 1 assist; Gavin Conant 2 goals; Apostolos Georgaras 2 goals, 2 assists; Strahinja Krstic 2 goals, 2 assists; Efe Naipoglu 2 goals, 2 assists. Ante Jerkovic led the distribution with 4 assists. USC totaled 15 goals and 14 assists. Charles Mills was huge with 15 saves, including two penalty stops.

Cal: Beso Akhvlediani 4 goals, 2 assists; Tomas Perrone 2 goals, 2 assists; Dominic Brown 2 goals, 1 assist; Ilias Angelopoulos 2 goals; Alex Oprea 2 goals and 3 assists; Amir Shafrir 1 goal; Patrik Kolak 1 goal. Cal totaled 14 goals and 12 assists. Aran Pina matched Mills with 15 saves.
Cal was charged with 17 exclusions and USC 14. The teams combined for 84 shots and 29 goals.

The difference: goalkeeper play kept both teams alive, but USC executed the two biggest possessions of the game—Nelson’s last-second regulation equalizer and Krstic’s sudden-death finish. USC has now beaten Cal twice this season. (USC Athletics)

No. 13 UC Santa Barbara 13, No. 9 San Jose State 12 — OT

UCSB built a 6-3 halftime lead before San Jose State completely changed the game in the second half. The Spartans eventually went ahead 10-9, and after UCSB regained an 11-10 advantage, Samu Biros scored with three seconds remaining to force overtime.

Charlie Johnson then scored both of UCSB’s overtime goals, including the winner with 35 seconds left.

UCSB: Luigi Canepa was outstanding with 5 goals and 2 assists. Charlie Johnson scored 4; Finn Genc had 2 goals and 3 assists; Sloan Brown and Dash D’Ambrosia each recorded 1 goal and 2 assists. UCSB finished with 13 goals and 9 assists. Wyatt Pieretti made 13 saves.

San Jose State: Sam Keightley produced 5 goals and 3 assists; Samu Biros scored 4; Aron Sárfalvi had 1 goal and 2 assists; Giancarlo Marquez and Aidan Johnson scored once each. Mitchell Keightley added 3 assists and Zalan Hegedus two. SJSU finished with 12 goals and 11 assists. Alexey Poletaev made 7 saves and Stellan Karkazis added 3, giving the Spartans 10.

UCSB had 12 exclusions and San Jose State 11.

The difference: Pieretti gave UCSB the goalkeeper performance it needed, while Canepa and Johnson supplied nine of the Gauchos’ 13 goals. Most impressive was UCSB’s response after losing the lead and then surrendering a tying goal with three seconds remaining. They reset and won the game in overtime. (University of California, Santa Barbara)

No. 13 UC Santa Barbara 14, No. 20 Saint Mary’s 8

UCSB completed its ranked sweep by jumping Saint Mary’s 4-0, weathering the Gaels’ second-quarter response and then winning the third quarter 5-1 to put the game away.

UCSB: Landon Lassahn 3 goals; Charlie Johnson and Camren Simoncelli 2 each; Kai Ross, Sloan Brown, Luigi Canepa, Finn Genc, Tyler Roller, Noah Loo and Hayden Tully one apiece. Ross, Canepa, Genc, Roller and Loo each recorded assists as UCSB finished with 14 goals and 6 assists. Wyatt Pieretti made 6 saves, Haakon Lacy 1 and Finn Byrne 1 for 8 total saves.

Saint Mary’s: Leo Hachem 3 goals; Donovan Swann 2; Nick Valente 2 goals and 1 assist; Mason Black 1. Ferran De Witt, Kyle Stilinovich and Stryder Stelck also recorded assists, giving Saint Mary’s 8 goals and 4 assists. Federico Castrucci made 7 saves; Griffin Lagsdin played the fourth.

Saint Mary’s had 10 exclusions to UCSB’s 13. UCSB converted two extra-man goals and three penalties; Saint Mary’s scored once on the extra man and once from five meters.

The difference: the third quarter. Saint Mary’s had fought back into the game, but UCSB’s 5-1 response eliminated the possibility of another tight finish. (University of California, Santa Barbara)

No. 7 Long Beach State 16, No. 20 Concordia Irvine 12

This was far more competitive than the final margin.

The teams were tied 7-7 at halftime, and Concordia came back again to make it 11-11 in the fourth. Then Gabi Acosta took over. Acosta scored four times in the final period, including consecutive goals that restored a 13-11 Long Beach lead.

Marc Frigola Navarro led Long Beach with 5 goals, Federico Gulisano scored 3 and Acosta had 4—all four coming in the fourth quarter. Long Beach also got an important third-quarter 6-on-5 goal from Zalán Nagy and another power-play conversion from Sam Abbott.

Long Beach goalkeeper Sergi Ramon produced three consecutive saves during a key third-quarter stretch. The official published recap available for this check does not provide a complete individual assist or goalkeeper-save breakdown for both teams, so those numbers are not being inferred.

The difference: closing ability. Concordia did enough to get a ranked road-neutral game back to 11-11. Long Beach then put the ball in the hands of its experienced attackers, and Acosta delivered four fourth-quarter goals. (Long Beach State University Athletics)

No. 7 Long Beach State 20, Redlands 8
DIVISION III MATCHUP — Redlands entered ranked No. 2 in Division III

Long Beach controlled this one from the opening quarter, leading 6-2 after eight minutes and 10-4 at halftime.

Marc Frigola Navarro scored 5 goals, Artur Diaz 4 and Corbin Stanley scored twice as 11 different Long Beach players scored. Long Beach finished with 20 goals, 10 assists and 13 steals.

Redlands scored 8 goals on 17 shots and recorded 2 assists. The official Long Beach recap does not provide a complete Redlands individual scoring/goalkeeper breakdown, so those numbers are not being guessed.

Long Beach drew 18 Redlands exclusions while being excluded 10 times itself.

The difference: depth and pressure. Long Beach generated 20 goals on only 28 shots and continued producing regardless of lineup combinations. (Long Beach State University Athletics)

No. 14 LMU 13, No. 11 Pepperdine 10

LMU won an important WCC opener by taking control immediately after halftime.

The Lions led 7-6 at the break before scoring the first three goals of the third quarter. That run became the separation Pepperdine couldn’t erase.

LMU: Nick Leung 3 goals, 1 assist; Gabrijel Burburan 3 goals; Caden Poulleau 2 goals, 2 assists; Nico Furneaux 2 goals; Mateo Obando 1 goal, 1 assist; Bence Barics and Soren Martin one goal each. Roman Saroyan distributed 3 assists, Eduardo Carraresi 2, Luka Dimic 1 and goalkeeper Pablo De Souza 1. LMU totaled 13 goals and 11 assists. De Souza made 9 saves.

Pepperdine: Hunter Danko 3 goals, 1 assist; Erik Ionescu 3 goals; Charles Warmington 2 goals, 2 assists; Cade Anderton and Brian Barnuevo one goal each. Max Burstein, Alex Piccin, Jackson Benners and Tyce di Pretoro added one assist each. Pepperdine totaled 10 goals and 7 assists. Max Smirnov made 13 saves.

LMU was charged with 10 exclusions to Pepperdine’s four.

The difference: LMU’s 4-1 third quarter. Pepperdine got an excellent 13-save performance from Smirnov, but LMU generated 36 shots, 11 assists and 10 steals and had too many different ways to create offense. (Loyola Marymount University Athletics)

No. 9 Princeton 15, Harvard 8

Harvard stayed within 7-5 at halftime before Princeton broke the game open after the break and carried an 11-6 advantage into the fourth.
Princeton: Otto Stothart 4 goals, Enrique Nuño 3, Tibi Cojocariu 2, Bence Kovács 2, with Ádám Peocz, Taylor Bell, Banos, Weichert and Sennett also scoring according to Princeton’s published recap. Kristóf Kovács made 12 saves.

Princeton’s official recap does not publish assists or Harvard’s complete individual offensive and goalkeeper statistics, so those figures are not being reconstructed from secondary sources.

The difference: defense after halftime. Princeton turned a competitive game into a comfortable win by controlling the third quarter, with Kovács’ 12-save performance anchoring the back end. (Princeton University Athletics)

No. 9 Princeton 20, MIT 14
MIT — Division III

Princeton completed its doubleheader sweep with 20 goals.

Otto Stothart scored 4, Tibi Cojocariu, Ádám Peocz and Henry Swart each scored 3, Taylor Bell scored twice, and LeSieur, Enrique Nuño, Andrew Tu, Joseph Hwang and Gavin Appeldorn added one each.

Princeton used two goalkeepers and got an extraordinary combined total: Pierre du Plessis 16 saves and Gus von Metzsch 9 saves.

The official Princeton recap does not provide assists or MIT’s complete individual scoring/goalkeeper statistics, so those figures remain unreported.

The difference: offensive depth. Princeton had four players score at least three and reached 20 despite MIT producing 14 of its own. (Princeton University Athletics)

No. 15 Navy 20, Mercyhurst 4

After a 1-1 start, Navy scored 12 unanswered goals and led 13-1 at halftime.

Navy: Aiden Berry, Declan Murphy and Hudson Parks each scored 3; JB Bergstedt, Connor Cashman and Austin Kahn scored twice; Maximus Arnold, Ryan Munch, Jack Pointner, Jack Rodoni and Erwin also scored as 11 Midshipmen found the net.

The official Navy recap does not publish complete assist totals or goalkeeper saves for either team, so those numbers are not being estimated.

The difference: Navy’s defensive pressure completely removed Mercyhurst from the game after the opening five-meter goal. The 12-0 run also allowed Navy to expand its rotation without losing control. (Naval Academy Athletics)

No. 19 Brown 16, LIU 10

LIU scored the first two goals. Brown answered with five straight and never gave the lead back.
Brown led 8-5 at halftime before Roland Csendes scored twice in less than a minute early in the third, stretching the advantage to 10-5.

Brown: Roland Csendes scored 6 goals and finished with nine points according to Brown’s recap. Dominik Balla scored twice, with Mac Berry, Hugo Molnar, Ramzi Megali and Jaxson Tierney among the other Brown scorers. Ethan Kittredge played all four quarters in goal.

Brown’s official recap does not publish a complete goals/assists table, Kittredge’s save total or LIU’s complete individual statistics, so those numbers are intentionally omitted.

The difference: Brown’s response. Going down 2-0 on the road didn’t change the Bears’ approach; they answered with five consecutive goals and controlled the game from there. (Brown University Athletics)

No. 20 Cal State Fullerton 20, La Verne 14
DIVISION III MATCHUP

Fullerton reached a season-high 20 goals, with Denes Dobi and Cade Zeilinger recording hat tricks. The Titans recovered after La Verne closed the opening quarter with four consecutive goals and gradually took control.

No. 20 Cal State Fullerton 14, Whittier 8
DIVISION III MATCHUP

Fullerton completed a 4-0 Gary Troyer Tournament weekend with the six-goal win over Whittier.

The official Fullerton site confirms both Saturday finals, but its detailed box-score pages were not reliably retrievable during this review. Complete individual assists, opponent scoring and goalkeeper saves are therefore not being guessed.

No. 20 Santa Clara — Alumni Game
EXHIBITION

Santa Clara’s Saturday schedule lists an Alumni Game at Sullivan Aquatic Center. This should not be treated as an NCAA varsity result or included in the team’s competitive record. (Santa Clara University)

No. 16 California Baptist / No. 20 Concordia Irvine Late Gary Troyer Games

California Baptist had Chapman and Biola scheduled Saturday, while Concordia Irvine had a second game against Cal Lutheran. As of this review, their official schedule pages still do not display verified final scores for those contests. They are therefore not being assigned results or statistics here. (Concordia University Irvine Athletics)

Biggest Takeaways

Stanford had the result of the day. The Cardinal didn’t just hand No. 1 UCLA its first loss—they scored 19 goals, including seven in the fourth quarter. UCLA was better on the extra man, but Stanford generated enough offense at even strength and from five meters to overcome it.

USC-Cal remains almost impossibly close. Both goalkeepers made 15 saves, the teams combined for 29 goals and the game required sudden death. USC’s ability to manufacture Nelson’s tying goal with less than a second left and Krstic’s winner was the difference between two extremely evenly matched teams.

UC Santa Barbara had the best two-win résumé of Saturday. The Gauchos beat No. 9 San Jose State in overtime and No. 20 Saint Mary’s later the same day. Luigi Canepa totaled six goals across the two games, Charlie Johnson scored six—including the overtime winner against SJSU—and Wyatt Pieretti delivered 13 saves in the upset.

LMU made an early WCC statement. No. 14 beating No. 11 Pepperdine matters, particularly with Pepperdine goalkeeper Max Smirnov making 13 saves. LMU overcame that with 11 assists, 10 steals and a decisive 4-1 third quarter.

Goalkeepers were everywhere Saturday. Charles Mills and Aran Pina each made 15 saves in USC-Cal, Wyatt Pieretti had 13 against San Jose State, Max Smirnov made 13 against LMU, Kristóf Kovács had 12 against Harvard and Bernardo Herzer stopped nine against UCLA.
And at the very top, Saturday changed the national picture.

No. 2 Stanford beat No. 1 UCLA head-to-head, while No. 3 USC survived No. 4 Cal.

Those results gave Sunday’s Stanford-USC and UCLA-Cal games even more weight—and will make the next CWPA No. 1 vote especially interesting.

- WaterPoloInsider

What are some exercises you guys do to strengthen your wrists for that strong flick?

Does anyone here find the moderating on WPX over zealous and designed to foist a specific world view?

Banned 3x for expressing opinions that buck the status quo. Is it just me or is there a right wing tendency to the posting...there is currently a raging debate where the majority wants to effectively ban foreigners from college level programs so that "they don't take spots away from REAL Americans".

https://waterpoloexchange.com/t/impact-of-ncaa-recruiting-on-water-polo-in-the-us/

The long-standing Long Beach Grunions swim team is launching a USA Masters water polo program.

Click the link for info.

There are two things to do before you join us in the pool.

1. Register with USA Water Polo - An active USA Water Polo membership is required to participate in USA Water Polo club practices. If you are already a member, make sure your membership is current before your first practice. Not ready to totally commit? Sign up for a 2 week trial USAWP Membership.
2. Join Our Interest List - Complete our short interest survey so we can learn a little about you and keep you updated as we get closer to launch.

First practice is Tuesday, October 20 at Westminster High School.

I’m particularly interested in what coaches see in the pool — breathing, body position, kicking, coordination, rotation, endurance, instruction time, etc.

I created a 3-minute anonymous survey to learn from experienced swim instructors and coaches.

https://tally.so/r/1A8AAL

I’m not selling anything or promoting a product in the survey.

If you work with children learning freestyle, I’d really appreciate your professional perspective.

Thank you to everyone willing to share their experience. Your input will help me understand the problem from the coach's perspective.

If you have a strong opinion about what makes freestyle difficult for young swimmers, I'd also love to hear it in the comments.

Hello everyone,

My name is Colin and I am currently in college trying to get my Kinesiology degree. I have an assignment coming up where I will need to interview people within my same field. As a water polo coach and someone who wants to coach at a more competitive level, I think this community would be a great start.

If anyone would be open to doing a quick Zoom interview, no more than 10 minutes, please let me know. I would be asking you questions about your experience as a coach as well as your opinions on the field itself.

I look forward to hearing from you.

This may sound pretty strange or weird for an experienced player, but I need to probably give context before. So in the group I’m in many wear jammers and briefs and are more on the casual club side. As a beginner I don’t know which to go for. Some advice from others more experienced on this would really give me more clarity. Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Title!

I'm a swimmer trying out a season of high school water polo. I'm 4'9 95 pounds as a sophomore lol and while I am the primary sprinter for our team, I find that I struggle with pressure passing and staying above the water when I'm being pushed. It isn't extreme enough for me to get calls, but when I'm being guarded I find that I can't move and stay afloat. Any tips? I have an issue with my hormones so I likely won't grow anymore. I'm on JV, but my region is quite competitive so I'm trying to improve as quickly as I can. Thank you!!

I've played waterpolo from 11 to 19 years of age, I'm now 26 and I joined a new team since I missed the sport so much. Recently I've been noticing that I'm either 100% or 0% of my physical ability during matches and I was wondering if it's a "me" problem, meaning that I'm not trained enough yet or if I've always got the wrong idea of how I should behave during a match.

What do you think? Are there some moments in which you can allow a bit of slack?

Just starting to play this sport and really want to practice catching and throwing in my spare time. Is it a good investment to buy one or just practice with the team with their rebounder?

Update: finally using my rebounder I got. Thanks for the comments and advice!!

Hey, I’m in my very senior years after 40 years in the pool. I’m looking for some sort of monitoring device, fitness tracker of sorts, that I can use during games.
Obviously, a ring or watch doesn’t work; chest band also off.

Do you know anything about any ankle band that might be useful?

Ta.

I played a lot of waterpolo as a teenager and loved it. But I got absolutely battered when it came to getting smacked in the head with the ball. Whenever I was in goal I’d get hit over and over again in the forehead. We even had a water obstacle course one time where we had to run across it while being pelted with waterpolo balls by other teammates. No idea how this was allowed lol but it was fun at the time. Remember getting hit right at the end of that on the side of my head and getting ringing in my ears. Man it was brutal but at the time when you are a teenager you never think about these things.

Hey, I need advice. This is my senior year and I blew out my knee for the fourth time. This time it was my MCL and the pain is a constant 6 I have been taking pain meds for it and also doing PT. I just need to know if I should quit and not continue the season or should I finish strong and do surgery in eight years time. Update on injuries Patelals 2 dislocated kneecap torn triceps popped disc concussion and 4 broken ribs