FOLLOW THE ANTEATERS
No. 14 UC Irvine (7-7, 0-0) at No. 9 Pepperdine (12-7, 0-0)
Saturday, Oct. 16 | 11 a.m. | Malibu, Calif.
Live stats | Video

The No. 14 Anteaters will embark on Golden Coast Conference play with a game at No. 9 Pepperdine on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 11 a.m. The game will be streamed on Wavecasts and live stats will be provided via the FOSH.

STORYLINES
- UCI entered the season ranked 13^th in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) national poll and moved to No. 14 this week
- The Anteaters are 7-7 on the season after a loss to No. 1 USC last weekend
- Casey Lynton leads UCI and is second in the conference in goals scored with 42. The senior also leads the GCC in total points with 67 and steals (35)
- Lynton notched 100 career goals earlier this season and currently leads the 'Eaters with 113 total goals
- Harrison Land has started 13 games in goal and has 97 saves on the season
- Zlatan Nikocevic is second on the team and third in the GCC with 38 goals scored
- After returning to the pool for the first time since 2019, the Anteaters opened the season 2-0 with wins against Chapman and Redlands
- Five Anteaters scored goals in their UCI debuts including Dylan Patist (6), Stewart Campbell (5), Thomas Cass (2), Archer Sauer (1), and Tyler Padua (1)
- UCI returns only 11 players from the 2019 squad as the 2021 team features 18 new Anteaters who will see action for the first time this season
- The Anteaters play eight regular season games at home as well as host the 2021 GCC Tournament in November for the first time since 2017
- UCI was ranked sixth in the GCC preseason poll
- Head coach Marc Hunt begins his 17^th season at the helm. He has amassed over 200 wins in 15 seasons and has a 204-199 (.506) overall record

WEEKEND REWIND
> The Anteaters hosted the No. 1 Trojans and ultimately dropped a 17-8 decision
> Tyler Padua, Dylan Patist and Casey Lynton each scored two goals
> Harrison Land played all four quarters in goal and finished with six saves
> USC's Jacob Mercep led all scorers with five goals

AGAINST THE WAVES
> Pepperdine is 12-7 on the season and is riding a six-game winning streak that dates back to Sept. 25
> UCI and Pepperdine met earlier this season at the MSPF Invite as the Waves earned an 18-10 victory
> The Anteaters have lost four-straight to the Waves and are looking for their first win against them since 2017

RETURNING 'EATERS
UC Irvine returns three all-conference players from the 2019 season including second team all-conference honoree senior Casey Lynton. Lynton was second on the team in goals (26), assists (21) and steals (21). He started every game for the 'Eaters in 2019 and has tallied 60 career goals.

Sophomore Chad Gornay and sophomore goalkeeper Harrison Land, who were both name on the GCC All-Freshman Team in 2019, also return for the 'Eaters. Gornay saw action in every game and scored nine goals, dished out 10 assists and drew eight exclusions.

Land started 16 games in goal, tallying 139 saves, good for fourth in the conference as a freshman. He finished his first year campaign with a .471 save percentage and a 9.75 goals against average.

Zlatan Nikocevic will also provide experience he finished the 2019 season with 18 goals while veterans Ivan Mercep and Carson Arnett had 13 and eight, respectively.

At center, Grant Chiponis and Kiyan Mohebbizadeh are expected to provide force and improve on their performances from the 2019 season.

Michael Sweica will also provide veteran leadership and depth to the talented Anteater team.

NEW FACES
The UCI roster will look almost entirely different with the addition of 18 new Anteaters. Joining Land in goal is newcomer Zayd Mahmoud, a USA National Youth Team player. Dylan Patist, Tyler Padua, Jacob Pyle and Nikola Ilic are also expected to make an immediate impact on the roster.

The new faces also include assistant coaches Bojan Hrlec and Randy Galza. Hrlec, a UCI alum, returns to his alma mater after coaching several club teams in the area. Hrlec was an All-American for the 'Eaters and graduated on the Dean's List in 2014. Galza joins the staff as a goalkeeper coach. He has several years of experience developing some of the top goalkeepers in the area.

UP NEXT
UCI continues conference play on the road with a game at San Jose State on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 12 p.m.