MALIBU, Calif. — No. 13 Princeton University continued its Fall Break trip out to California with a 15-12 loss in Malibu at No. 8 Pepperdine University. Despite a late rally from the Tigers, the team’s comeback effort fell short as the Tigers were denied by the Waves for the second time in 2025 following a 17-15 setback on September 21 at the University of Southern California’s Uytengsu Aquatics Center during the Overnght Invitational.
Pepperdine went up 2-0 early in a defensive first quarter. Enrique Nuño opened the scoring for the Tigers on a penalty shot to set the score at 2-1 after eight minutes of play.
The Waves scored another pair before Luka Franulovic found the back of the cage. Princeton worked to chip away at the lead, but the Waves held a 7-4 lead at half.
The Tigers worked to execute a late rally in the fourth with three goals in the final four minutes, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
Gavin Appeldorn led the scoring with a hat trick, his third of the season, while Taylor Bell and Logan McCarroll each scored a pair. Luke Johnston, Franulovic, Tigran Sennett, Ádám Peocz and Nuño accounted for solo markers.
Pierre du Plessis had his first career double digit save outing with 11 on the day.
Information courtesy Princeton University Athletics Communications
