A combined 10 exclusions peppered the first eight minutes of action in USC's matchup with Long Beach State. USC got a 2-1 lead on the board, but would trail the Beach 5-3 by halftime. The Trojans would be stuck playing catchup until 14 seconds left in overtime, when Jack Vort sizzled in a near-post blast that would stand as the winner. Prior to that, USC was one back entering the fourth. Andrej Grgurevic pulled the Trojans even twice in the fourth — at 8-8 off a feed from Luka Brnetic and then at 9-9 to follow a spinning setup from Robert López Duart. Again the Beach moved back on top, but a captain connection from Carson Kranz to Max Miller knotted the game at 10-10 with 1:41 to go in regulation. USC's defense was up to the task, with a Grgurevic field block helping to secure a trip to overtime.

The Beach struck twice to go up 12-10, only to see USC regroup and reload. Max Miller earned a 5-meter penalty shot that López Duart deposited to make it 12-11, and then Vort found Jack Martin for a slam at the post to level it 12-12 late in the first OT. Defensive stops anchored by takeaways from Kranz and Grgurevic kept the Beach at bay, and after a USC timeout it was Kranz finding Vort for the heroic finish to lead it 13-12. Long Beach State misfired on its final look, and USC had a key win in the books with another game ahead later in the afternoon.

Up against No. 2 Stanford in its final group play game of the event, USC trailed 3-2 in the second before edging ahead 4-3 by halftime on goals from López Duart and Grgurevic. The exclusion count would tip heavily against the Trojans in the second half, and USC was staring at a 9-7 deficit midway through the fourth. A booming field block from Jack Martin helped turn away the Cardinal soon after, and USC would find an offensive spark later in the frame. With backs against a wall, the Trojans again dug deep. López Duart found Max Miller for a blast that got USC one back with 2:20 on the clock. Just over a minute later, Kranz hit Stefan Brankovic for a searing skipper on a USC 6-on-5 to pull even at 9-9 with 1:07 left in regulation. USC's defense stood strong, and another overtime was on deck for the Trojans.

Stanford struck first in OT in its eighth power play of the game, going up 10-9 with 24 seconds on the clock. López Duart served up a pass to Kranz for a close-range strike, and it was even again at 10-10 just before the close of the first OT. That proved to be a spark for the Trojans. Kranz set up Grgurevic for a ripper to get USC its first lead since the first half, up 11-10 with 1:44 on the clock. Defenses reigned for the next stretch, with Evan Ausmus and Grgurevic combining forces for a timely takeaway in the final minute. López Duart unleashed an opportunistic shot with the Stanford goalie out of the cage, netting a 12-10 lead for the Trojans with 23 ticks to go. USC goalie Bernardo Herzer worked his way to a new career high with his 15th and 16th saves of the game to keep USC's lead intact until a last-gasp Stanford strike wrapped the action as a 12-11 USC final victory.

NOTABLE:
- WIth a combined eight goals today, Robert López Duart continues to lead USC in scoring, now with 22 goals.
- With his five-goal outing vs. Stanford, López Duart set a new career high as a Trojan.
- López Duart also has now recorded a team-high seven multiple-goal games.
- López Duart, Max Miller, Jack Martin and Stefan Brankovic have each now scored in nine of USC's 10 games so far this season.
- With 16 saves vs. Stanford, Bernardo Herzer set a new career high.

NEXT: USC is now through to the Overnght MPSF Invitational championship game, with the No. 3 Trojans taking on No. 1 UCLA at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow (Sept. 21) at Spieker Aquatics Complex in Berkeley, Calif.

Overnght MPSF Invitational

GROUP PLAY
#3 USC 13, #10 Long Beach State 12 (OT)
Saturday, Sept. 21 | Legends Aquatics Center (Berkeley, Calif.)
USC 2 - 1 - 4 - 3 — 2 - 1 = 13
LBSU 3 - 2 - 3 - 2 — 2 - 0 = 12

SCORING:
USC — Robert López Duart 3, Max Miller 3, Carson Kranz 2, Andrej Grgurevic 2, Stefan Brankovic, Jack Martin, Jack Vort..
LBSU — Evan Cain 4, Corbin Stanley 3, Gabi Acosta 3, Marc Frigola, Itai Roth.

SAVES: Bernardo Herzer (USC) 2, Eric Hubner (USC) 3, Liam Ward (LBSU) 12.

#3 USC 12, #2 Stanford 11 (OT)
Saturday, Sept. 21 | Spieker Aquatics Complex (Berkeley, Calif.)
USC 1 - 3 - 3 - 2 — 1 - 2 = 12
STAN 1 - 2 - 4 - 2 — 1 - 1 = 11

SCORING:
USC — Robert López Duart 5, Max Miller 2, Carson Kranz 2, Andrej Grgurevic 2, Stefan Brankovic.
STAN — Soren Jensen 2, Chase McFarland 2, Jackson Painter 2, CJ Indart, Riley Pittman, Ethan Parrish, Gavin West, Will Schneider.

SAVES: Bernardo Herzer (USC) 16, West Temkin (STAN) 9.