Saturday, October 21
Los Angeles, CA
1:00 PM
USC
13
vs
8
UC Irvine
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
Photo by: Dan Avila
Top-Ranked Trojans Take Control In 13-8 Win Over No. 6 UC Irvine
October 21, 2017 | Men's Water Polo, Features
A five-goal rally puts USC in the lead to stay at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — The No. 1 USC men's water polo team shrugged off an opening goal by No. 6 UC Irvine and manufactured a five-goal scoring surge to take control of today's nonconference clash at Uytengsu Aquatics Center, finishing off the day with a 13-8 win over the visiting Anteaters. The win bumps USC to 19-1 overall on the year.
After USC's first attempt off the bar was deemed to be saved before floating fully into the cage, UC Irvine's answering shot also would wind up bobbing into goal territory and was whistled as a goal for the Anteaters. The 1-0 lead for the visitors was short-lived, however, as tireless work from Lachlan Edwards at two-meters got USC up on a power play that saw Matteo Morelli hit Blake Edwards for a ripper that locked it up 1-1 just over a minute later. That would spark a rally for the Trojans, who had goalie McQuin Baron squash a UCI power play before Thomas Dunstan earned and finished off a 6-on-5 series for USC to get the Trojans into the lead to stay. Zach D'Sa made it 3-1 before the close of the first period with an incredible extra effort from underwater. To start the second, Marko Vavic rifled in a blast from distance to make it 4-1, then issued a booming field block to send USC back the other way again. The freshman would find Matteo Morelli soon after for a slick off-speed score, and USC was up 5-1 on the Anteaters. UCI would manage two goals before halftime, but USC had two of their own on tap, as D'Sa continued his antics with a nifty lob before Mihajlo Milicevic rocketed in a score off the bar, and USC held a 7-3 advantage at halftime.
Thomas Dunstan was the man of the hour to start the second half, nabbing a steal and then faking and firing in his second goal to net an 8-3 lead for the Trojans. UC Irvine managed back-to-back goals next, but Vavic had back-to-back blasts of his own at the ready. Vavic took a feed from Dunstan to sizzle in a 6-on-5 finish for a 9-5 USC lead, then capped off a USC counterattack with his third goal of the day thanks to a setup from Matteo Morelli and Dunstan. That had USC up 10-5 entering the fourth period. Captain James Walters hammered home his first of the day to kick off the final frame, with Morelli finding Sam Slobodien for a counterattack jam to boost USC ahead 12-5 with 3:12 to go. Will Rubschlager would take over the cage for Baron from there, while freshman Christian Hockenbury joined the scoresheet with a searing skipper that answered a UC Irvine 6-on-5 strike, making it 13-6 with 1:35 left. The Anteaters managed two final goals before the final buzzer, wrapping the game as a 13-8 USC victory.
The Trojans are done with action for the weekend and will set up for two games coming up next week. USC visits Concordia on Friday (Oct. 27) at 1:30 p.m. before returning home for Senior Day at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The Trojans will honor their 13-man senior class in a pregame ceremony before facing San José State at 1 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 28).
#1 USC 13, #8 UC Irvine 8
Oct. 21, 2017 | Uytengsu Aquatics Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)
USC 3 - 4 - 3 - 3 = 13
UCI 1 - 2 - 2 - 3 = 8
SCORING:
USC — Marko Vavic 3, Thomas Dunstan 2, Zach D'Sa 2, Blake Edwards, Matteo Morelli, Mihajlo Milicevic, James Walters, Sam Slobodien, Christian Hockenbury.
UCI — Miles Kalbus 2, Kyle Trush 2, Casey Lynton 2, Antoine Lena, Robby Stiefel.
SAVES: McQuin Baron (USC) 6, Will Rubschlager (USC) 0, Matej Matijevic (UCI) 13.
After USC's first attempt off the bar was deemed to be saved before floating fully into the cage, UC Irvine's answering shot also would wind up bobbing into goal territory and was whistled as a goal for the Anteaters. The 1-0 lead for the visitors was short-lived, however, as tireless work from Lachlan Edwards at two-meters got USC up on a power play that saw Matteo Morelli hit Blake Edwards for a ripper that locked it up 1-1 just over a minute later. That would spark a rally for the Trojans, who had goalie McQuin Baron squash a UCI power play before Thomas Dunstan earned and finished off a 6-on-5 series for USC to get the Trojans into the lead to stay. Zach D'Sa made it 3-1 before the close of the first period with an incredible extra effort from underwater. To start the second, Marko Vavic rifled in a blast from distance to make it 4-1, then issued a booming field block to send USC back the other way again. The freshman would find Matteo Morelli soon after for a slick off-speed score, and USC was up 5-1 on the Anteaters. UCI would manage two goals before halftime, but USC had two of their own on tap, as D'Sa continued his antics with a nifty lob before Mihajlo Milicevic rocketed in a score off the bar, and USC held a 7-3 advantage at halftime.
Thomas Dunstan was the man of the hour to start the second half, nabbing a steal and then faking and firing in his second goal to net an 8-3 lead for the Trojans. UC Irvine managed back-to-back goals next, but Vavic had back-to-back blasts of his own at the ready. Vavic took a feed from Dunstan to sizzle in a 6-on-5 finish for a 9-5 USC lead, then capped off a USC counterattack with his third goal of the day thanks to a setup from Matteo Morelli and Dunstan. That had USC up 10-5 entering the fourth period. Captain James Walters hammered home his first of the day to kick off the final frame, with Morelli finding Sam Slobodien for a counterattack jam to boost USC ahead 12-5 with 3:12 to go. Will Rubschlager would take over the cage for Baron from there, while freshman Christian Hockenbury joined the scoresheet with a searing skipper that answered a UC Irvine 6-on-5 strike, making it 13-6 with 1:35 left. The Anteaters managed two final goals before the final buzzer, wrapping the game as a 13-8 USC victory.
The Trojans are done with action for the weekend and will set up for two games coming up next week. USC visits Concordia on Friday (Oct. 27) at 1:30 p.m. before returning home for Senior Day at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The Trojans will honor their 13-man senior class in a pregame ceremony before facing San José State at 1 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 28).
#1 USC 13, #8 UC Irvine 8
Oct. 21, 2017 | Uytengsu Aquatics Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)
USC 3 - 4 - 3 - 3 = 13
UCI 1 - 2 - 2 - 3 = 8
SCORING:
USC — Marko Vavic 3, Thomas Dunstan 2, Zach D'Sa 2, Blake Edwards, Matteo Morelli, Mihajlo Milicevic, James Walters, Sam Slobodien, Christian Hockenbury.
UCI — Miles Kalbus 2, Kyle Trush 2, Casey Lynton 2, Antoine Lena, Robby Stiefel.
SAVES: McQuin Baron (USC) 6, Will Rubschlager (USC) 0, Matej Matijevic (UCI) 13.
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