USC Rolls On With 5-4 Win Over UC Irvine

Sunday, October 30

McDonald's Swim Stadium

12:00 PM

USC

UC Irvine*

Goalie Adam Shilling had 11 saves against the Anteaters to help clinch the 5-4 win.

USC Rolls On With 5-4 Win Over UC Irvine

October 31, 2005 | Men's Water Polo

Oct. 30, 2005

Final Stats

The USC men's water polo team never trailed against visiting No. 6 UC Irvine in Sunday's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation battle, but the Trojans had to clamp down on the Anteaters in order to pin up their 5-4 win and third straight MPSF victory. The victory improves top-ranked USC to 16-1 overall and 3-0 in MPSF play.

The Trojans jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter on goals from Ted Zepfel and Juan Delgadillo, but the Anteaters locked things up at 2-2 in the second frame. USC then mobilized for claim a 4-2 edge by halftime with a score from Juraj Zatovic and a 6-on-5 goal from Thomas Hale.

The third period was a defensive stalemate. USC threw up several field blocks against UC Irvine in the frame, as goalie Adam Shilling wasn't forced to make a single save in the third. Still, Shilling was a solid presence in the cage. Even without a block in the third, he finished off the game with a whopping 11 saves, including a clutch stop with just seconds left to play in the game. The Trojans stayed a step ahead of the Anteaters throughout the fourth quarter thanks in part to a second goal from Zatovic. UC Irvine climbed to within one, but Shilling's final save of the game clinched the 5-4 victory for the Trojans.

UCI 0 - 2 - 0 - 2 --- 4USC 2 - 2 - 0 - 1 --- 5
Scoring:USC -- Juraj Zatovic 2, Thomas Hale 1, Ted Zepfel 1, Juan Delgadillo 1.
UCI -- Cole Bitter 2, Dreason Barry, 2.
Saves: Adam Shilling (USC) 11, M. Garcia (UCI) 7.