The No. 18 Santa Clara men's water polo team (10-9; 4-3 WWPA) will host its home-opener against No. 8 Pepperdine (7-5) on Sat., Oct. 8th at noon. The Broncos will then travel to UC Davis (16-5; 10-1 WWPA) for a pivotal WWPA conference game on Sunday. The ball is set to drop at noon as well.
The Broncos game against Pepperdine will be a rematch of last year's 11th place game at the So Cal tournament. The Broncos upset then-No. 9 Pepperdine 12-10 in route to their first win over an MPSF team since 2005. Head coach Keith Wilbur is looking forward to playing at home, but believes the team gained valuable experience playing away from the Sullivan AquaticCenter.
"I think the team learned how to play in tough situations on the road for the first four weeks of the season, but getting to play at home will be a big boost for the guys," said Wilbur. "We are comfortable with our surroundings here, and having a good home crowd always brings a little extra energy to the game."
After Saturday's game, the Broncos will travel to UC Davis for a key WWPA conference clash. Santa Clara will look to build off their 10-7 loss to the Aggies in Stockton at the Nor Cal Tournament earlier this season.
"This is the last time we will see UC Davis during the regular season. They are in our conference, so it is a very important game for seeding at WWPA's. It is also important for us to learn how to execute and win games against the top teams in our conference."
Record Hunting
Two Broncos are in search of placing their names on the Bronco career leaders list. Daley Meistrell added seven assists to his career total, leaving him three away from tying Jack Wall as the all-time leader in assists. Case finished the weekend with three goals, giving him 128 in his career. Case now sits eighth all-time in goals scored. Michael Wishart is closing in on the top spot in the Broncos Career Blocks list, needing 74 more saves this season to claim the all-time record.
Young Guns
Five players have scored their first career goals this season. Jimmy Moore collected his first against California on Sept. 3, while Mark Davis, Kyle Surber and Matt Kochalko all registered their first goals at the Princeton Invtational. C.J. D'Arienzo found the back of the net vs. La Verne at the Aggie Shootout for his first career goal.
Home Sweet Home
The Broncos will play all eight home games this season in the month of October. The Broncos will host Senior Day on October 30th against the University of the Pacific.
Player of the Week
Michael Wishart was named the Sep. 21 WWPA Co-Player of the Week for his outstanding weekend at the annual Nor Cal Tournament. Wishart tallied 49 saves in four games, including a career-high 18 against No. 19 St. Francis. Wishart was also named WWPA player of the week for the week of Oct. 27, 2010.
