USC
Golden West
No. 1 USC Opens MPSF With Win
September 24, 2011 | Men's Water Polo
Sept. 24, 2011
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -- The No. 1 USC men's water polo team stayed in defensive control in today's MPSF opener against visiting No. 8 UC Irvine at McDonald's Swim Stadium. The Anteaters would work to within one goal while the USC offense lulled, but the Trojans closed things out with a push to the end for a 7-4 victory. USC now holds a 6-0 overall record and is 1-0 in MPSF action.
UC Irvine was a familiar foe for the Trojans, who had faced and beaten the Anteaters last weekend at the NorCal Tournament. In today's conference collision, UCI got a powerful performance from goalie Jimmy Friedrich -- a former Trojan who is finishing out his remaining eligibility as a master's student at UC Irvine. Friedrich collected 14 saves for the Anteaters defense, slowing USC's offensive production enough to keep things close early in the second half. USC had surged to a 3-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game, but Friedrich turned away several USC shots that would have padded the lead. Meanwhile, the Anteaters closed to make 3-2 in the second frame before some slick passing broke a hole for the Trojans as Kosta Genidounias hit Peter Kurzeka for his second goal of the day to boost USC ahead 4-2 for halftime.
A successful UC Irvine 6-on-5 closed the gap to 4-3 with 6:12 on the clock in the third period of play, but Forest Monroe would put a stop to the Anteaters' next power play opportunity with a field block, and USC was off to the races to create some room against UCI. Kurzeka found Monroe for a finish from the post that made it 5-3, and Stephen Siri notched his second goal of the day with a 6-on-5 strike that made it 6-3 USC on the way into the fourth. There, another setup from Kurzeka put Michael Rosenthal on the attack vs. Friedrich, and Rosenthal sailed it to the back of the cage for a 7-3 USC advantage. UC Irvine had the last word with Mitch Wise's third goal of the game on an Anteater 6-on-5, but that was a wrap on the scoring, as USC pocketed the 7-4 victory in the MPSF kickoff.
USC would follow up that conference clash with a test against junior college power Golden West. USC managed a tight 10-8 decision vs. the Rustlers in a result that does not count toward USC records.
Sept. 24, 2011 -- McDonald's Swim Stadium
#1 USC 7, #8 UC Irvine 4
USC 3 - 1 - 2 - 1 = 7
UCI 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 = 4
SCORING:
USC -- Peter Kurzeka 2, Stephen Siri 2, Jeremy Davie, Forest Monroe, Michael Rosenthal.
UCI -- Mitch Wise 3, Winston Newland.
SAVES: Joel Dennerley (USC) 6, Jimmy Friedrich (UCI) 14.
USC 10, Golden West 8
USC 3 - 4 - 3 - 0 = 10
GW 2 - 1 - 3 - 2 = 8
SCORING:
USC -- Jeremy Davie 2, Connor Virjee 2, Kosta Genidounias 2, Ivan Kustic 2, Marc Vonderwiedt, Jack Plaga.
GW -- Bero Rusz 2, Marko Madaras 2, Kevin Oliveira 2, Ricardo Guimaraes, Luca De Vivo.
SAVES: Ely Bonilla (USC) 5, Will Simon (USC) 3, Taylor Lapin (GW) 5.
Players Mentioned
