No. 4 USC Men’s Water Polo Sets Up For Sunday Visit To No. 14 UC Santa Barbara

Men's Water Polo | November 06, 2024

#4 USC (17-4) at #14 UC Santa Barbara (14-10)
Sunday, Nov. 10 | 12 p.m. | Goleta, Calif.
Series Record (since 1979): USC leads 78-13-2 (W4)
Last Meeting: USC 16, UCSB 8 (Sept. 16, 2023)
ESPN+ STREAM | STATS

THIS WEEK    
No. 4 USC takes a break from MPSF play to take a nonconference road trip this weekend, facing No. 14 UC Santa Barbara in a 1 p.m. matchup on Sunday (Nov. 10) at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, Calif.

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 17-4 overall, USC No. 4 in the nation as of the latest set of national rankings (released Nov. 6) after spending last week tied at No. 2.

LAST ACTION    
USC picked up an MPSF road split last week, falling at No. 2 Stanford and beating host No. 7 Cal in overtime.
#2 Stanford 9, #2 USC 5
In a defensive first frame, USC bounced back from an early Stanford goal to level it 1-1 on a skipper from Luka Brnetic before the close of the first. A back-and-forth battle continued in the next stretch before the Cardinal capitalized with two goals while the Trojans struggled to break through, and it was a 3-1 Stanford lead at halftime. USC found its form and punched up a pair of goals — from Stefan Brankovic and then Andrej Grgurevic — to knot things up at 3-3. USC would fall victim to a Stanford 5-meter penalty shot along with two 6-on-5 scores next, and the Trojans trailed 6-3 entering the fourth. Stanford struck off on another three-goal rally in the fourth, and USC was in a 9-3 hole. Luke Nelson and Zach Bettino tallied Trojan goals in the remaining time, but USC would wound up stuck with a 9-5 road loss when the buzzer sounded at Stanford.
#2 USC 17, #3 Cal 15 (ot)
A back-and-forth battle saw both teams build three-goal leads, with Cal finding a late equalizer to force OT. Goals from Stefan Brankovic and Max Miller paired with big defensive stops by the Trojans to claim the 17-15 overtime win. USC had three key players pick up three exclusions each by the late stages in the game, but the Trojans were undeterred. Before taking his third kickout, Stefan Brankovic converted a 5-meter penalty shot drawn by Max Miller to give USC a 16-15 edge early on in overtime. The Trojan defense put up a field block next, then got a save from Bernardo Herzer to preserve the one-goal margin entering the second OT frame. With 1:31 on the clock, Max Miller scooped up a rebound off a Cal save and hammered it home to take the Trojans ahead 17-15. Herzer came up with a brave takeaway soon after, and Cal was unable to carve down the deficit in the remaining time as USC locked in the road win. The Trojans had fallen in a three-goal hole during the second period of play, only to pull even by the close of the half as Robert López Duart scored a 5-meter penalty followed by a blast from Tom McGuire and another strike from López Duart to knot it at 9-9 for halftime. On the way into the fourth, Luke Nelson and Max Miller got to the back of the net for the Trojan cause, and it would be a 12-10 USC lead thanks in part to some big stops from Herzer. In that final stretch of regulation action, USC saw a three-goal advantage drip away, as Cal leveled it 13-13 and then again at 14-14. López Duart ripped in his fourth of the day to nudge USC ahead 15-14 with 2:51 to go, but the Bears bit back in scoring on a 7-on-6 advantage to force OT.
NOTABLE:
- With four goals today, Robert López Duart continues to lead USC in scoring this season, now with 45 goals.
- With their goals today, López Duart and Max Miller have each now scored in 19 of USC's 21 games so far this season.
- With a hat trick today, Carson Kranz matched his career high.
- With 11 saves today, Bernardo Herzer recorded his second straight and seventh overall game with double-digit saves this season.
- USC is now 72-71-2 all-time against Cal in a series dating back to 1979.

BY THE NUMBERS        
Now deep into the 2024 season, Robert López Duart and Max Miller currently spearhead USC's scoring charge, with 45 and 39 goals tallied, respectively. López Duart leads the crew with 14 multiple-goal outings to date. He and MIller have each scored at least once in 19 of USC's 21 games so far, with each having once held a streak of 13 straight games with at least one goal scored. López Duart has served up a team-high 24 assists, followed closely by Stefan Brankovic's 23. On the steals front, Bernardo Herzer has 28 and López Duart has 23. Miller and fellow two-meter man Martin have combined for 61 drawn exclusions, with Miller leading the count with 45 through 21 games of work. On the defensive end, three goalies have seen time in the cage, with redshirt sophomore Bernardo Herzer capping up in 17 games, redshirt junior Eric Hubner making five appearances and redshirt freshman Charles Mills checking in for seven 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 9.1 saves per game. As a team, USC has outscored its opponents 317-198 for an average of 15.1 goals per game offensively and 9.4 goals-against per game defensively. The USC defense has held opponents scoreless in eight periods of regulation play. USC also has recorded 12 games with 10 or more different scorers this season. The Trojans are also 3-0 in overtime games on the year.

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. 

SECOND SWEEPS WEEK    
On Oct. 28, USC landed pair of Trojans on the MPSF weekly honor roll for the second time this season. Scoring his first career MPSF West Player of the Week selection was senior Carson Kranz, while sophomore Robert López Duart secured his fourth MPSF West Newcomer of the Week award. MPSF West Player of the Week Kranz tied his carer high with a hat trick in USC's 18-10 win over visiting No. 10 UC Davis. He also tallied two steals in the win, which marked USC's final home game of the season and improved the Trojans to 16-3 overall. Kranz now hold 115 career goals as a Trojan. MPSF West Newcomer of the Week López Duart scored in a 13th consecutive game for USC, tallying a hat trick in USC's win over the Aggies. He also tallied an assist and a drawn exclusion in the victory. López Duart leads USC in scoring with 41 goals, and has scored at least once in 18 of USC's 19 games. USC also swept the MPSF weekly awards on Sept. 18, when Max Miller picked up MPSF Player of the Week honors and López Duart scored his second MPSF Newcomer of the Week award. 

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. •