No. 4 USC Men’s Water Polo Takes Loss At No. 1 UCLA

WESTWOOD, CALIF. — The No. 4 USC men's water polo team had No. 1 UCLA in reach before the Bruins made a power move to take control of things in Westwood, leaving the Trojans with a 16-9 loss at Spieker Aquatics Center. The Trojans go to 18-5 overall on the year, with their only losses having come to the nation's top two teams as the MPSF Tournament approaches next weekend.

In today's rivalry clash in Westwood, the Trojans fought to tie the score twice in the first frame, with Connor Cohen netting the first equalizer early. Down 3-1, USC got an opportunistic finish from Tom McGuire, who pounced on a rebound and knocked it in on a USC 6-on-5. Jack Vort sizzled in a score next for USC, and things were snarled up at 3-3. UCLA hit next, however, and USC was down 4-3 after eight minutes of action. Goals from Max Miller and Jake Carter had USC one back during the second, but the Bruins broke off a scoring rally that spanned into the second half. USC dipped behind 13-5 on UCLA's six-goal surge while the exclusion count continued to tip against the Trojans. Carson Kranz broke up the run with a booming blast that made it 13-16 in the final minute of the third, and Luka Brnetic delivered a field block to end that frame's action and bring up the fourth. There, the rivals matched each other's scoring efforts with three apiece. USC's Andrej Grgurevic and Zac Crenshaw both got on the Trojan scoresheet, while Cohen hammered home his second, and the game would wrap as a 16-9 UCLA win.

NEXT:
USC turns to MPSF Tournament competition next week, opening up against Austin College in a 12 p.m. quarterfinal clash on Friday (Nov. 22). Semifinals and placement games take place Saturday (Nov. 23) and Sunday (Nov. 24) with UCLA hosting the event at Spieker Aquatics Center.

NOTABLE:
- With his goal today, Max Miller has now scored in a team-best 21 of USC's 23 games so far this season.
- WIth two goals, Connor Cohen matched his career high as a Trojan.
- With his goal today, Andrej Grgurevic leads USC with goals in the past five games.

#1 UCLA 16, #4 USC 9
Nov. 16, 2024 | Spieker Aquatics Center (Goleta, Calif.)
USC     3 - 2 - 1 - 3 = 9
UCLA   4 - 6 - 3 - 3 = 16

SCORING:
USC — Connor Cohen 2, Tom McGuire, Jack Vort, Max Miller, Jake Carter, Carson Kranz, Andrej Grgurevic, Zac Crenshaw.
UCLA — Ryder Dodd 5, Frederico Jucá Carsalade 2, Makoto Kenney 2, Peter Castillo, Nico Tierney, Chase Dodd, Ben Larsen, Eli Liechty, Jack Larsen, Trey Doten.

SAVES: Bernardo Herzer (USC) 7, Garret Griggs (UCLA) 15.