Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 10 NCAA Men’s Varsity Round-Up

November 30, 2017; Uytengsu Aquatics Center, Los Angeles, California, USA; Waterpolo: NCAA: UC Davis Aggies vs University of the Pacific Tigers; Pacific Utility Luke Pavillard guarded by UC Davis Attacker Colter Knight Photo credit: Catharyn Hayne- KLC fotos

Luke Pavillard leads #6 Pacific with 34 goals. Photo Courtesy: Catharyn Hayne

With many conferences starting play, this weekend promises compelling NCAA men’s varsity water polo action. Swimming World breaks down the action for the Top Ten teams in the most recent CWPA men’s varsity poll.

#1 University of Southern California (12-0) will have a busy schedule of non-conference matches today and tomorrow and Sunday. The Trojans open this morning at the Lancer Joust in Riverside, CA, facing #14 Cal-Baptist before they face La Verne in the afternoon. On Saturday, they will play DIII teams Concordia University and University of Redlands. On Sunday, Head Coach Jovan Vavic’s team will face #5 University of California-Santa Barbara; they already have an 10-3 win over the Gauchos.

After dropping a narrow 11-8 decision last weekend to the top-ranked Trojans, tomorrow #6 Pacific will host #2 University of California-Los Angeles (13-0) at the Chris Kjeldsen Pool in Stockton. On Sunday, the Bruins and super frosh Jake Cavano—honored this week as the MPSF/KAP7 Player of the Week—will travel up the coast to face #8 University of California-Davis.

Photo Courtesy: Stanford Athletics

#3 Stanford University (7-0) will continue a leisurely start to this season, as the Cardinal—now fully stocked with the return of Ben Hallock and Dylan Woodhead—will face #17 San Jose State tomorrow at Avery Aquatic Center. The season for Head Coach John Vargas’ team will go into overdrive next Saturday, when USC travels to The Farm for a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match-up, to be carried by the Pac-12 Network.

Last Saturday the Golden Bears of #4 University of California (10-1) took out their frustrations on hapless San Jose State, dealing the #17 Spartans a 22-1 thrashing. Next up? Kirk Everist’s squad will travel to #13 University of California at Irvine on Saturday and then to the spectacular environs of Malibu to play #11 Pepperdine. We’ll see just how much the return of Johnny Hooper energizes Cal.

#5 University of California-Santa Barbara will take another crack at the Trojans; key so far to the Gauchos’ success is senior Boris Jovanovic (26 goals), who has led them to a 12-4 record thus far in what in a breakout season for Head Coach Wolf Wigo’s team. On Saturday Pacific (5-4) will look to knock down the Bruins; junior Luke Pavillard has picked up where he left off last season—when he was nominated for the Cutino Award, the sport’s highest honor in America—notching 34 goals, a remarkable average of almost four goals a game. If he notches that total against the Bruins, there’s a good chance of a Tiger victory in Stockton.

Their’s nothing like the Terriers’ home pool—a challenge for any opponent. Photo Courtesy: St. Francis Athletics

The most intriguing team playing this week is #7 Harvard (8-3), which tomorrow opens its Northeast Water Polo Conference schedule, traveling to New York tomorrow for a shallow-deep double-header; first against Iona in New Rochelle and then against St. Francis College in Brooklyn. Waiting for the Crimson on Sunday morning in New Jersey: #11 Princeton. The longest local trip by the East’s top team will test the mettle of Head Coach Ted Minnis’ squad; how they fare this weekend may indicate if the Crimson has a shot at a three-peat for a conference title and another trip to NCAAs.

#8 University of California-San Diego—tied this week in the polls with University of California-Davis—jumped up three spots from last week’s poll on the strength of a huge 7-5 win over Long Beach State a week and a half ago, which dropped the 49ers down to #10. The Tritons (9-2; 2-0 WWPA) hope to continue that upward trajectory with a contest later today against Western Water Polo Association foe, Air Force.

The Aggies of UC Davis (7-3) will host the Bruins on Sunday; it’s a tough match-up for Dan Leyson’s squad, but the trio of Ido Goldschmidt (20 goals), Marcus Anderson (19 goals) and Jack Stafford (18) should make for an entertaining match in Northern California.

Long Beach State University (6-4) has dropped its last three matches, to Cal, UC San Diego and UCLA, the latter a 9-7 decision that saw the 49ers draw within one late in the fourth period before succumbing to the Bruins. Head Coach Gavin Arroyo has a weekend off to recalibrate before hosting Golden Coast Conference foe Pepperdine next Friday. That LBS is having is experiencing growing pains is not a surprise; prized freshmen Aaron Arias, Matt Morris and Garrett Zaan represent a bright future whose time has perhaps not yet arrived.

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