USC
California (MPSF Championship)
No. 1 USC Has Win Streak Snapped In MPSF Final
November 26, 2006 | Men's Water Polo
Nov. 26, 2006
IRVINE, CALIF. - The top-ranked USC men's water polo team saw its undefeated run through the 2006 season hit a snag in the MPSF Tournament championship game on Sunday afternoon in Irvine, Calif. No. 2 California upended the streaking Trojans behind two second-half penalty shots to get the Bears to a 6-5 win over USC and claim the conference title. USC's winning streak has now been stopped at 44 straight victories with the loss, leaving the Trojans with a 25-1 record on the way into the 2006 NCAA Tournament, which runs Dec. 2-3 at Loyola Marymount. With California (29-4) having clinched the automatic berth from the MPSF, USC is a virtual lock for the at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament as the top-ranked team in the nation and with only one loss this year.
"Playing Cal this many times, you kind of begin to know each other. It's hard to beat someone that many times in the same year," USC head coach Jovan Vavic said. "We accomplished our goals throughout the year, which were to be in the NCAAs and to be ranked No. 1."
In USC's fourth clash with Cal this year, the Trojans took an early lead. Pavol Valovic opened the scoring with a strike just 40 seconds into the game off a pass from fellow senior Thomas Hale. Cal tied it back up with a score from John Mann, but the Trojans jumped right back ahead when Tommy Corcoran punched in a score off a rebound for a 2-1 USC lead. The teams battled it out for the remainder of the first period until Spencer Warden sent in an equalizer for the Bears with 1:30 left in the first.
Tied 2-2 on the way into the second period, USC worked to get ahead again early in the frame. Gabor Sarusi pushed the Trojans up by one - with Hale again serving up the assist. The Trojans earned a 5-meter penalty shot just over a minute later, and Sarusi buried it for a 4-2 USC lead that would stand up until halftime.
USC's 4-2 lead melted away early in the second half when Michael Sharf scored for Cal to make it 4-3. Then it was the Trojans who were slapped with a penalty, and Brian Bacharach finished off the 5-meter strike for the Bears to again tie up the game. USC was unable to answer back and get a go-ahead score in the entire third period. That go-ahead goal would come, however. Arjan Ligtenberg took a pass from Corcoran and blazed in a score that game USC a 5-4 advantage with 5:54 remaining in regulation. But again the Bears had an answering strike - this one from Warden during a 6-on-5 to make it 5-5 with four minutes to go.
As the final minute of play drew near, the referees awarded Cal its second penalty shot of the half. Corcoran got tagged with the foul, and Jeff Tyrell lined up for the shot against USC goalie Adam Shilling. Tyrell put it away to push the Bears ahead 6-5 at 1:13, and the Trojans were unable to knock in a response to force overtime. Instead, USC came up short of back-to-back MPSF championships - although there is still a chance for the Trojans to defend their NCAA title with the upcoming NCAA Tournament at LMU from Dec. 2-3.
No. 2 California 6, No. 1 USC 5
USC 2 - 2 - 0 - 1 -- 5
CAL 2 - 0 - 2 - 2 -- 6
SCORING:
USC - Gabor Sarusi 2, Pavol Valovic, Tommy Corcoran, Arjan Ligtenberg.
CAL - Warden 2, Bacharach, Mann, Sharf, Tyrell.
SAVES: Adam Shilling (USC) 11, Mark Sheredy (Cal) 9.
