MALIBU, Calif. – On a warm fall afternoon in Southern California, the #17 Pacific men's water polo team dropped a high-scoring contest against #6 Pepperdine, 18-11, Friday at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.

The Tigers fall to 1-4 in West Coast Conference play and 12-12 on the season while the Waves improve to 5-1 in the conference standings and 24-5 on the year.
 
Ten different Tigers registered a point in the effort offensively. Junior Gil Gvishi and fifth-year senior Rene Peralta extended their season-long point streaks by scoring at least one goal. Graduate student Stefan Vavic led the Tigers in scoring with three points, including two goals for his fourth straight multi-goal performance.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Benjamin Gronbach earned the start in the cage, making four saves in the match.
 
Junior Declan McJilton scored the game's opening goal from far out, granting the Tigers an early 1-0 lead. Following a Pepperdine tying shot, junior Filip Norell reclaimed Pacific's advantage on a quick release from the middle for a 2-1 edge. The Waves struck twice before the end of the first quarter to carry a 3-2 lead into the second period.
 
A pair of goals by Pepperdine were the only tallies of the second quarter in which both goaltenders made acrobatic saves in front of their respective cages. The Waves led the Tigers, 5-2, at halftime.
 
The floodgates opened in the second half as both teams combined for 11 goals in the third period. Pacific trailed Pepperdine, 12-6, after three frames.
 
The Tigers looked to carry the spark on offense into the fourth period as junior Ran Souva found the back of the net twice in the frame early on. However, the Pepperdine defense stood its ground in the final minutes and ultimately sealed a 18-11 victory.
 
Pacific returns to action in their regular season finale against #12 Loyola Marymount at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12 at Burns Aquatic Center.