No. 4 USC Men’s Water Polo Rides Early Surge To Beat No. 14 UC Santa Barbara 12-8

SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. — The No. 4 USC men's water polo team scored the first four goals of the game to put host No. 14 UC Santa Barbara on its heels in a nonconference road clash that wrapped as a 12-8 Trojan victory. USC led by as much as five goals in the first half before the Gauchos got some help from the 5-meter penalty spot to cut the margin to two, although the Trojan defense would lock things down in the fourth to secure the win. USC is now 18-4 overall.

Zach Bettino lit the offensive fuse for the Trojans with an early left-handed laser on USC's first possession. The Trojans would score on every possession in the first five minutes of action while crafting a 6-1 lead, with Stefan Brankovic scoring twice in that early USC surge. Before the close of the first, Jake Carter ripped in his second goal, and USC was up 7-2 after eight minutes of action. The Gauchos found a groove next, through, thanks to a pair of 5-meter penalty shots that helped the host team carve the deficit to 8-5 at halftime. 

UC Santa Barbara got a third penalty shot to go in the third, tugging the Trojans to within two at 8-6 midway through that frame. Bettino buried his second for a lift, and Max Miller struck out of set for USC before the Gauchos got a late lob to land and make it a 10-8 scoreline entering the fourth. The USC defense made a significant stand in the final frame, while Luka Brnetic blasted two more goals for the Trojan cause on the offensive end. Goalie Bernardo Herzer had the last word of the day in snuffing UCSB's fourth penalty try, securing the final 12-8 victory for USC.

NEXT:
USC will wrap the regular season on the road next week, paying a visit to crosstown rival UCLA for a 1 p.m. meeting on Saturday (Nov. 16) in Westwood.

NOTABLE:
- With his goal today, Max Miller has now scored in a team-best 20 of USC's 22 games so far this season.
- With a hat trick today, Luka Brnetic matched his career high.
- USC has now won five straight games vs. UC Santa Barbara, with a 79-13-2 all-time record.

#4 USC 12, #14 UC Santa Barbara 8
Nov. 10, 2024 | Dos Pueblos HS (Goleta, Calif.)
USC     7 - 1 - 2 - 2 = 12
UCSB   2 - 3 - 3 - 0 = 8

SCORING:
USC — Luka Brnetic 3, Zach Bettino 2, Stefan Brankovic 2, Jake Carter 2, Andrej Grgurevic, Jack Martin, Max Miller.
UCSB — Brock Zamanian 2, Adam Gyenis, Luke Bachler, Marko Ilic, Kai Ross.

SAVES: Bernardo Herzer (USC) 8, Levi Lentin (UCSB) 9.