NCAA WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS : UCI Holds Off Pepperdine, Takes On No. 1 Cal Tonight

LONG BEACH —  On a day when everything seemed to be going as expected, UC Irvine got a last-quarter scare from Pepperdine but held on to defeat the Waves, 11-8, in the opening round of the NCAA water polo championships at Belmont Plaza.

It was the fourth-ranked Anteaters’ fourth consecutive victory over fifth-ranked Pepperdine, but it might have been the most difficult. Irvine led, 8-4, after three quarters, but Pepperdine rallied to cut the lead to two goals several times in the final seven minutes, and on two occasions the Waves had possession of the ball but couldn’t convert.

Until Pepperdine bounced back, it looked as if the final match of the day would be the fourth rout by a higher-seeded team. Earlier, top-ranked California (29-0) emptied its bench against Navy in a 15-2 victory, second-ranked Stanford (21-5) played without two injured starters but ruined the first trip to the tournament by Princeton (18-4) with an 18-5 victory. Third-ranked USC (20-8) had little trouble with UC San Diego (22-8) in a 16-7 victory.

In the semifinals tonight, Irvine plays two-time defending champion Cal at 6:30, and Stanford meets USC at 8. Cal has won 42 consecutive matches.

Irvine’s lead didn’t seem secure until the final seconds of the match. Ahead, 10-8, with 50 seconds to go, Irvine turned the ball over. Pepperdine set up quickly in its offense, but 14 seconds later a lob shot by the Waves’ Zachary Holder barely missed. Irvine controlled, and with 15 seconds remaining, Anteater Mark Stevenson sent a skip shot under the arm of Pepperdine goalie Peter Schuler for a final score.

Two-meter man Steve Gill, who was the tournament’s top scorer last year when Irvine finished fourth, led the Anteaters with three goals Friday night. Gill was marked closely every time he swam into the hole and several times went to the top of the pool to receive the ball.

“We didn’t want to get frustrated,” Gill said of the Wave defense, which helped spur the fourth-quarter comeback bid. “We just kept a clear head and knew mentally what we would have to do on defense to win the game.”

Irvine held Pepperdine to two goals in power-play situations and to only four shorthanded goals in 32 tries during the four-game series.

Pepperdine Coach Terry Schroeder thinks Cal will have its hands full with Irvine.

“Gill is the best two-meter man that Berkeley will have to face this year,” he said.

Cal has won all four meetings with the Anteaters this season, but none by more than two goals.