No. 3 USC Men’s Water Polo Pulls Double Duty In Westchester On Friday

THIS WEEK    
No. 3 USC has three clashes ahead this week, beginning with an exhibition meeting against Cuesta at 11 a.m. on Thursday (Oct. 10) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The next day (Oct. 11), the Trojans go across town to Westchester for a nonconference double-header hosted by LMU. USC has a 4 p.m. faceoff with Westcliff on the agenda before a 6 p.m. game against the host No. 16 Lions at Burns Center.

RANKINGS    
USC started the 2024 season ranked No. 4 in the national preseason poll and tied at No. 3 in the preseason MPSF Coaches Poll. Currently 12-2 overall, USC ranks No. 3 in the nation as of the latest set of national rankings (released Oct. 9). USC spent the first three weeks of competition ranked at No. 3 and was No. 2 for the next two weeks.

LAST ACTION    
USC wound up with a home split last weekend, handling No. 6 Cal in a high-scoring affair before falling in a more defensive battle with No. 3 Stanford.
#2 USC 16, #6 California 13
USC built a seven-goal lead during the third period of play to establish a winning position. Max Miller ripped in a season-high five goals for the Trojan cause, going back-to-back to close the third with USC up by seven. The Golden Bears would find their scoring touch late, but USC had this MPSF matchup in-hand throughout.  USC got nine scorers in on the offensive action, while goalie Bernardo Herzer piled up nine saves on the defensive end. The Trojans set the tone in the first period, with Max Miller crushing a setup pass from Carson Kranz to get USC on the board in the first minute. Cal equalized seconds later on a score out of set, only to see the USC defense clamp down to squash back-to-back Bear 6-on-5 chances. Kranz again had the helpful hand on USC's next goal — a searing skipper from Andrej Grgurevic — to net another USC lead. Herzer silenced Cal's next try from close range, and Luke Nelson had the last word of the first frame in hammering home a 5-meter penalty shot earned by Jack Martin. Cal and USC stayed largely in scoring stride in the next eight minutes, although USC had help from two big goals from Zach Bettino to help the Trojans grip a 7-4 lead at halftime. USC's offense exploded in the third with eight goals in eight minutes. The Trojans opened with a three-goal surge on strikes from Stefan Brankovic, Reed Stemler and Robert López Duart. Cal broke that up with an even score, just before USC rattled off another three-goal rally — this one sparked by a ripper from Evan Ausmus. Grgurevic delivered his third goal to top off a USC power play to get USC a 13-6 advantage, although Cal would convert its next two power plays. Miller struck twice on booming blasts to finish out the third as a 15-8 USC lead. The fourth saw Cal get in a groove, but it was too little, too late for the Golden bears. Tom McGuire wrapped the action with a big field block to snuff a late Cal 6-on-5, and USC had a 16-13 win in the books.
NOTABLE:
- With five goals on five shots taken, Max Miller moved into the scoring lead this season with 27 goals.
- López Duart had a game-high five assists.
- With three goals, Andrej Grgurevic matched his career high.
- With one goal, Stefan Brankovic extended his scoring streak to nine straight games.
- In a series dating back to 1979, USC is now even at 71-71-2 all-time against Cal
#3 Stanford 8, #2 USC 6
Stanford struck first, while the Trojans clanged the cage on numerous occasions in spite of several 6-on-5 opportunities in the first half. The Cardinal climbed out to a 5-0 lead on the Trojans before goalie Bernardo Herzer snuffed a Stanford 6-on-5 to give USC a lift. On the next trip down, Andrej Grgurevic found Luka Brnetic for a sizzling score from distance to break the scoring silence for USC and get the Trojans on the board. Robert López Duart nabbed a steal during a Stanford 7-on-6 setup and found the open net just before the buzzer to make it a 5-2 margin at halftime. USC's offensive frustrations mounted again in the third as a set of power plays went awry. Stanford, meanwhile struck at the post early and then added a 6-on-5 score and a 5-meter penalty shot to move out ahead 8-2 entering the fourth. That's where the Trojans found some momentum, although they would ultimately run out of time to complete a comeback. Max Miller earned an early 5-meter penalty shot that López Duart deposited in the first minute of the frame. He'd find Grgurevic for a fine finish that made it 8-4, and after a Brnetic field block stopped a Stanford 6-on-5, Miller earned a power play for the Trojans. The captain would be there for a rebound and a slam that got the margin to three with 2:26 to go. López Duart stole the ball again and went on a solo mission to cap off the counter, and it was 8-6 with 2:02 remaining. USC got some good looks down the stretch, but could carve the deficit down no further, as Stanford emerged with the win despite going scoreless in the last eight minutes.
NOTABLE:
- With three goals, Robert López Duart now leads USC in scoring this season with 29 goals.
- López Duart also now has recorded a team-high nine multiple-goal games season.
- López Duart and Max Miller have each now scored in 13 of USC's 14 games so far this season.
- López Duart and Miller also have each scored at least one goal in USC's last eight straight games.
- Miller drew a game-high six exclusions.

BY THE NUMBERS        
Fourteen games into the season, Robert López Duart and Max Miller currently spearhead USC's scoring charge, with 29 and 28 goals tallied, respectively. López Duart leads the crew with nine multiple-goal outings to date. He and MIller have each scored at least once in 13 of USC's 14 games so far. The Trojans' assists leader is  Stefan Brankovic with 14, followed by 13 from López Duart and 12 from Carson Kranz. On the steals front, Bernardo Herzer has 20 and López Duart has 15. Miller and fellow two-meter man Martin have combined for 43 drawn exclusions, with Miller leading the count with 32 through 14 games of work. On the defensive end, three goalies have seen time in the cage, with redshirt sophomore Bernardo Herzer capping up in 11 games, redshirt junior Eric Hubner making four appearances and redshirt freshman Charles Mills checking in for six games. Herzer has set the season's high mark with his career-high 16-save outing vs. Stanford on Sept. 21. All told, USC's goalkeeping corps is averaging 8.5 saves per game. As a team, USC has outscored its opponents 219-134 for an average of 15.6 goals per game offensively and 9.6 goals-against per game defensively. The USC defense has held opponents scoreless in five periods of regulation play.

ROBERT MAKES HIS MPSF MARK    
USC not only grabbed four wins in its first weekend of work in 2024, the Trojans also got on the board with the first MPSF Newcomer of the Week award of the season. A new face on the Trojan roster this year, sophomore transfer Robert López Duart secured the selection after serving up nine goals for USC at the Triton Invitational. López Duart was USC's top scorer at the event last weekend, where his nine goals helped the Trojans go 4-0. His first goal as a Trojan came in a two-goal outing versus No. 10 Long Beach State, netting an early 3-2 lead in an eventual 14-6 win. He had two steals and three drawn exclusions in that season-opening victory as well. López Duart scored once in limited playing time during USC's 20-6 win over Cal State Fullerton, and then set his USC high mark with a four-goal outburst along with two assists against No. 8 UC Davis in an 18-12 win. He'd end the event with two goals in USC's 21-6 win over Westcliff. 

SWEEPS WEEK            
USC men's water polo made it an MPSF awards sweep on Sept. 16 after a winning home stand that saw the Trojans tack up three victories at Uytengsu Aquatics Center to improve to 7-0 on the year. For their impact play across USC's weekend wins, Max Miller was named MPSF West Player of the Week while Robert López Duart earned his second MPSF West Newcomer of the Week honor. Miller crossed the 100-goal threshold during the first game of USC's winning three-game home stand, pinning up a team-high three goals in a 15-11 win over No. 9 UC Irvine to get to 101 career goals. The next day, Miller served up a team-high three goals again — all in the first half — during USC's 16-7 victory over No. 4 Pepperdine to keep USC undefeated at 7-0 on the year. Miller also drew three exclusions in the win over the Waves. In a 21-9 win over Whittier, Miller drew two exclusions, having earned one exclusion to go with his three goals vs. the Anteaters that same day. Miller now holds 104 career goals as a Trojan. López Duart stands as USC's top scorer this season, now with 13 goals after scoring twice in the Trojans' over UC Irvine and twice in the victory over Pepperdine. That gave him a team-leading five multiple-goal games this season for USC, which is now 7-0 overall with USC's three home wins over the weekend. Also against UCI, López Duart recorded two steals and a field block. He also had two steals in USC's win over the Waves — with one drawn ejection in those two games as well. 

THAT'S THREE            
Three weeks into his career as a Trojan, Robert López Duart collected his third set of MPSF West Newcomer of the Week honors after another powerful weekend of work. López Duart led USC with 10 goals scored at the Overnght MPSF Invitational, setting his USC career high with a five-goal outing — including the game-winner — in a 12-11 overtime win over No. 2 Stanford. In USC's 13-12 overtime win over No. 10 Long Beach State, López Duart scored a team-high three goals and had two assists. He also scored once in USC's win over UC Davis and once in a loss to No. 1 UCLA in the title match. López Duart still stands as USC's top scorer so far this season, now with 25 goals scored.

CENTURY CLUBBIN'            
In USC's home opener, two Trojans hit the 100-goal mark during the same period of play. In their second season as team captains and fifth seasons of work as Trojans, Carson Kranz and Max Miller each nailed their 100th career goals. With his second goal of the game, Miller tallied his 100th to get USC a 7-5 lead over UC Irvine. Exactly four minutes later, Kranz drilled a 5-meter penalty shot to also notch his 100th. The pair are now on an elite list of 46 Trojans to have scored 100 goals in their USC careers.

BACK FOR MORE            
USC returns five players who scored 20 or more goals last year to account for almost half of USC's scoring. That includes three returning All-Americans in Zach Bettino and captains Carson Kranz and Max Miller, while USC also boasts an All-American goalie in Bernardo Herzer. USC's "senior" class is sizable, as Kranz and Miller enter their fifth seasons along with fellow veterans Tom McGuire and Reed Stemler along with true seniors Luka Brnetic, Jake Carter, Eric Hubner and Aidan Wattson. 

SHARPSHOOTERS            
Firepower is far from a concern for these balanced Trojans. On the perimeter, the right side is taken care of with lefties Zach Bettino and Jack Vort along with right-handed attackers like Stefan Brankovic, Jake Carter and Andrej Grgurevic, who also shines as a master of the counterattack.  Opposite them, Trojan fans will enjoy the USC debut of Robert López Duart and the rise of Luke Nelson, while key returners Carson Kranz, Tom McGuire, Aidan Wattson and Evan Ausmus boast the ability to strike from anywhere in the pool, and redshirt freshman Chase Landa is also set to factor into USC's offensive machine.

FIRE IN THE HOLE            
The two-meter slot will be a busy one, as USC has strength, depth and skill at both ends. Senior hole guard Luka Brnetic, who trained with the Croatian National Team last summer, is tabbed as a cornerstone of Pintaric's defensive scheme along with fellow seniors Connor Cohen and Reed Stemler. Sophomore Spencer Averitt brings back his intensity to that spot as well to bring extra depth in the hole. Offensively, USC's top scorer in 2024, Max Miller, is back for year five of work in the center position. Junior Zac Crenshaw returns as well to bring size and experience to USC's two-meter attack, while Jack Martin is cued up for his Trojan debut as a proven force and a deft left hand in front of the cage.

CAGE FIGHTERS    
Speaking of defense, the backbone sits between the pipes, where Bernardo Herzer emerged with All-American honors in his first season of work for the Trojans. His talented fellow goalies Eric Hubner and Charles Mills battled injuries last season, but both put forth ferocious stands in goal while healthy. All signs are pointing toward a reliable corps in the cage in 2024, with that trio back for more along with incoming freshman goalie Nemo Pavoggi.

NEW CREW    
Three not-so-secret weapons — Stefan Brankovic, Jack Martin and Robert López Duart — are officially capped up for the first time as Trojans in 2024. Brankovic and Martin sat out their first season at USC and are now raring to go. López Duart brought his All-American accolades collected as a freshman at Long Beach State over to USC last spring. Three true freshmen round out the 2024 USC roster with the additions of goalie Nemo Pavoggi along with driver Taj Whitehead and utility Ben Mirisch. 

PINTA'S PROGRAM    
Marko Pintaric, who has been part of 14 NCAA championships during his 23 years on the USC coaching staff, is in his sixth year at the helm of the Trojan men's program. Last season, he guided the Trojans to a 19th consecutive NCAA appearance, reaching the NCAA final for the 18th time in that span after also winning a second straight MPSF Tournament title. An All-American and 1998 NCAA champion as a player at USC, Pintaric served as co-head coach for the USC men for three seasons (2016-18), most recently helping the Trojans to the 2018 NCAA Championship. His USC coaching career began as an assistant coach to both the USC men and women in 2001.  

LAST SEASON    
USC's 2023 season saw the Trojans repeat as the MPSF Tournament champions in order to clinch a 19th straight trip to the NCAA tourney. Host of the 2023 NCAA even, USC reached the semifinals and fell in a one-goal loss to eventual champion Cal to finish 16-7 overall. At season's end, USC had five players earn ACWPC All-America honors led by first-time First Team pick Max Miller. USC also had Massimo Di Martire and Carson Kranz earn spots on the Second Team, while Zach Bettino and Bernardo Herzer earned Honorable Mention in their first seasons of work as Trojans.

THE PLACE TO BE.    
The University of Southern California is the undeniable, unequaled and unquestioned top destination for student-athletes. USC is both home to 136 national team championships and one of the top-ranked private research institutions in the world. Located in the heart of the thriving Los Angeles metropolitan area, it is situated in one of the most diverse and visible media markets in the world. USC's campus is driving distance from the beautiful beaches of Southern California, the majestic mountains range of the Sierra Nevada, the sprawling splendor of the Redwood and Sequoia national forests, and the mysterious Mojave Desert. The student-athlete experience at USC is truly unmatched. •