MALIBU — No. 6 UCSB showcased another solid outing in the pool as the team defeated No. 9 Pepperdine (7-7, 0-1) in its first MPSF water polo match on Saturday.
The opening of the game remained close as either team was able to pull away from one another. With goals from Matthew Hamilton, Matt Gronow, Nicholas Jordan and Bryce Miller, the Gauchos were able to take the 4-3 lead after the opening period.
The start of the second period was a shift in momentum as the Waves scored two straight goals to give themselves the 5-4 edge. UCSB showed its toughness though as the team stormed back with two goals from Eric Van de Mortel to give the team the 6-5 lead at the half.
Santa Barbara (14-4, 1-0) solidified its command in the match at the start of the second half. With a 7:01 score from Derek Shoemaker, the Gauchos jump started an offensive outburst that produced four goals within the third period. With goals from Kevin Cappon, Nicholas Jordan and Bryce Miller, UCSB held a solid 10-7 lead.
The concluding period of the match was all Gauchos as the team continued to poor on the offensive pressure. Within the period, UCSB scored an impressive total of seven goals against Pepperdine’s total of three. The Gauchos marched on to its first conference win of the season with a 17-10 victory over Pepperdine.
UCSB will have no time to celebrate its win as the team will host its first home match of the season against No. 5 Cal at noon.
