Anteaters Hold Off No. 7/10 Pepperdine, 13-12

IRVINE, Calif. – No. 9/8 UC Irvine held off a late fourth quarter rally from No. 7/10 Pepperdine to collect the 13-12 victory inside the Anteater Aquatics Complex on Sunday afternoon.
 
In a game where they never trailed, the Anteaters took the season sweep of the Waves en route to their fifth straight win, their longest win streak of the season.
 
Johann Thrall paced the UCI offense behind four goals and an assist for his seventh hat-trick of the season.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Thomas Cass, Stewart Campbell, and Luka Krstic tallied two goals each
• Jackson Matos, Jack Stevens, and Ethan Spoon finished with a goal apiece
• Graduate student Jacob Pyle stopped 13 shots in the win, eight in the first period
• Matos dished a game best two assists along with two steals
• Tyler Padua drew four exclusions while Thrall collected three drawn kickouts
• Both teams converted four power play chances
• No. 7/10 Pepperdine was led by Christian Hosea with four goals and one assist

SCORING BREAKDOWN

• First period: No. 9/8 UC Irvine kicked off the scoring when Jack Stevens found the back of the net at 6:21 off the pass from Luka Krstic. The Waves equalized at 4:01 on a power play chance. Then, the Anteaters went on a three-goal tear starting at 3:25 with a Jackson Matos shot from the outer right side and ending with Johann Thrall's (0:25) nearside put in. with three seconds left, No. 7/10 Pepperdine scored on a five-meter to bring the game within two, 4-2.
  • Thrall (2), Matos (1), and Stevens (1)
• Second period: The scoring was balanced in the second stanza with both teams trading goals back and forth. Pepperdine fought back from the deficit as they managed to score five goals. However, UCI answered back effectively with five of their own. The Waves brought the game within one point once while the Anteaters led by three twice. The half ended on a 6-on-5 goal for Pepperdine to bring the game to 9-7.
  • Krstic (2), Campbell (1), Cass (1), Thrall (1)
• Third period: Defense stepped up from each team in the second half as the first 4:44 of the period remained scoreless. The Waves found a nearside opening at 3:16 for the first score before Ethan Spoon grabbed the deflection off the cross bar for a ripping shot at 2:50. On the next offensive possession for UCI, Samuel Otta threw over to Thrall (2:05) for the catch and shoot. Pepperdine bounced the ball in the back of the cage with 30 seconds remaining to close to 12-10.
  • Campbell (1), Spoon (1), Thrall (1)
• Fourth period: Another strong defensive showing from both sides kicked off the final eight minutes. UCI played it pretty when Ethan Shipman found Thomas Cass (4:57) in the center who lifted for a back post flick. No. 7/10 Pepperdine's offense was ignited on the following drive (4:25) and then made it interesting at 2:08 as they made it a one-point game, 13-12. Poorly timed fouls and missed passes from the Waves allowed the Anteaters to hold the ball which subsequently ran down the clock to seal the win.
  • Cass (1)

 
UP NEXT
The Anteaters travel to northern California for a Big West clash with fellow undefeated No. 10 UC Davis in league play on Nov. 1 before a Nov. 3 meeting with No. 12 San Jose State.