Friday, November 6
Moraga, CA
6:30 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
vs
Pepperdine
11/4/2026 12:31:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary's men's water polo team returns to action this week for its final two regular-season West Coast Conference matchups. The Gaels will host Pepperdine on Friday, November 6 for Senior Day before traveling to San Jose State on Sunday, November 8 to close out regular-season conference play.
GAME COVERAGE
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. No. 16 Pepperdine Waves
Friday, November 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Soda Aquatic Center – Moraga, Calif.
TICKETS | WATCH | LIVE STATS
Saint Mary's Gaels at No. 15 San Jose State Spartans
Sunday, November 8 at 12:00 p.m.
Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center – San Jose, Calif.
WATCH | LIVE STATS
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Battle Ranked Opponents on the Road…
Saint Mary's enters the week following a pair of road contests against nationally ranked conference opponents. The Gaels battled through a back-and-forth matchup against the No. 18 Broncos of Santa Clara on Friday, ultimately falling 11-10 before closing out the weekend with an 11-6 loss to the No. 9 UC Davis Aggies on Sunday.
Klerck and Castrucci Deliver Strong Performances…
Ethan Klerck led the Gaels offensively against Santa Clara, recording a hat trick and an assist. The junior added another assist against UC Davis, becoming one of just three Gaels to record at least 15 goals and 15 assists this season. Freshman goalkeeper Federico Castrucci also had a strong weekend in the cage, totaling 16 saves and seven steals across the two matchups. Castrucci currently ranks second in the WCC with 35 steals and seventh in the conference with 110 saves.
Senior Salute…
As Friday night's contest marks the final home match for the Gaels in 2026, the team will honor their lone senior, Mason Black, in a pregame ceremony. The program's veteran leader in its first year, Black ranks second on the team with 25 goals, and has played in a massive role in many of this year's program milestones, including a goal and an assist in the team's first ever win over Bucknell, a hat trick in the Gaels' home opener and an incredible six goal performance against Wagner.
ABOUT THE WAVES
No. 16 Pepperdine enters Friday's matchup with a 9-13 overall record and a 2-3 record in West Coast Conference play. The Waves' two conference victories came against Air Force in a 16-15 overtime win and Santa Clara in a narrow 17-16 contest. Most recently, Pepperdine fell 17-8 to UC Davis. Junior attacker Erik Ionescu leads the Waves offensively with 58 goals and 40 assists.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
No. 15 San Jose State enters Sunday's matchup with an 11-11 overall record and a 2-3 mark in West Coast Conference play. The Spartans are coming off a narrow 12-11 overtime victory over Santa Clara in their most recent contest. San Jose State also earned a conference win over Pepperdine earlier this season, defeating the Waves 16-13.
The Gaels will begin the action on Friday, November 6 at 6:30 p.m. to host the Waves and honor captain Mason Black on Senior Day. The action will continue on Sunday, November 8 when Saint Mary's travels to the South Bay to take on San Jose State at 12:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at smcgaels.com/tickets and the games will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
GAME COVERAGE
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. No. 16 Pepperdine Waves
Friday, November 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Soda Aquatic Center – Moraga, Calif.
TICKETS | WATCH | LIVE STATS
Saint Mary's Gaels at No. 15 San Jose State Spartans
Sunday, November 8 at 12:00 p.m.
Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center – San Jose, Calif.
WATCH | LIVE STATS
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Battle Ranked Opponents on the Road…
Saint Mary's enters the week following a pair of road contests against nationally ranked conference opponents. The Gaels battled through a back-and-forth matchup against the No. 18 Broncos of Santa Clara on Friday, ultimately falling 11-10 before closing out the weekend with an 11-6 loss to the No. 9 UC Davis Aggies on Sunday.
Klerck and Castrucci Deliver Strong Performances…
Ethan Klerck led the Gaels offensively against Santa Clara, recording a hat trick and an assist. The junior added another assist against UC Davis, becoming one of just three Gaels to record at least 15 goals and 15 assists this season. Freshman goalkeeper Federico Castrucci also had a strong weekend in the cage, totaling 16 saves and seven steals across the two matchups. Castrucci currently ranks second in the WCC with 35 steals and seventh in the conference with 110 saves.
Senior Salute…
As Friday night's contest marks the final home match for the Gaels in 2026, the team will honor their lone senior, Mason Black, in a pregame ceremony. The program's veteran leader in its first year, Black ranks second on the team with 25 goals, and has played in a massive role in many of this year's program milestones, including a goal and an assist in the team's first ever win over Bucknell, a hat trick in the Gaels' home opener and an incredible six goal performance against Wagner.
ABOUT THE WAVES
No. 16 Pepperdine enters Friday's matchup with a 9-13 overall record and a 2-3 record in West Coast Conference play. The Waves' two conference victories came against Air Force in a 16-15 overtime win and Santa Clara in a narrow 17-16 contest. Most recently, Pepperdine fell 17-8 to UC Davis. Junior attacker Erik Ionescu leads the Waves offensively with 58 goals and 40 assists.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
No. 15 San Jose State enters Sunday's matchup with an 11-11 overall record and a 2-3 mark in West Coast Conference play. The Spartans are coming off a narrow 12-11 overtime victory over Santa Clara in their most recent contest. San Jose State also earned a conference win over Pepperdine earlier this season, defeating the Waves 16-13.
The Gaels will begin the action on Friday, November 6 at 6:30 p.m. to host the Waves and honor captain Mason Black on Senior Day. The action will continue on Sunday, November 8 when Saint Mary's travels to the South Bay to take on San Jose State at 12:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at smcgaels.com/tickets and the games will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ Men's Water PoloGK
/ Men's Water PoloATT
/ Men's Water PoloSunday, November 01
Friday, October 30
Sunday, October 25
Friday, October 23
