September 15, 2023
Warriors Battle No. 4 Pepperdine, No.11 UCSB
By Francisco Claudio
The Westcliff men's water polo team hit the road again to face off against some elite competition, the Pepperdine University Waves and the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.
The Warriors were coming off their first win of the season over the weekend when they defeated Riverside City College.
But this was going to be a bigger challenge against top-ranked opponents as the Warriors fell to the Waves 27-10 and 16-4 against the Gauchos.
Westcliff battled hard and played well against some of the best teams in the nation.
In the first match against Pepperdine, the Warriors were able to score after going down by two goals.
Even after the Waves tried to pull away and extend their lead, the Warriors tried answering back and held their ground.
The leading scorer for Westcliff was Adam Hodi with six goals followed by Andrej Maodus with two.
Brock Kammerer and Patrick Zsiros added a goal each to the effort.
Kammerer also added three assists and a game-high three-steals to round out a solid performance.
Goalkeeper Armin Jusztin had a busy day with 11 saves leading both teams.
Westcliff was able to score 10 goals from the 24 shots they took in the game.
"It was a great team effort, with great performances by Armin in the cage and Adam stepping up in a big way," said head coach Erik Zimmerman.
In the second match against UC Santa Barbara, Westcliff was able to score first to go up 1-0 after a goal from Maodus.
But the Gauchos replied back and didn't allow the Warriors to score again in the first period.
The Warriors weren't able to score as much against the Gauchos as fatigue set in from playing both matches with such a limited break.
Maodus had two key goals with Vincenzo Inguanta and Hodi adding one apiece.
Goalkeeper Jusztin prevented many from reaching the back of the net, saving nine big shots.
"We were tired with our games so close together, but we battled," Zimmerman said. "As an NAIA team, we know these games against some of the best teams in the nation will only make us stronger.
"I look forward to the future."
Westcliff will hit the road again which will be a common theme for them this season as they travel next door to Arizona.
They will play multiple matches over the weekend competing in the Arizona State Classic.