Sunday, November 24
Berkeley, Calif.
1:00 PM
USC
10
vs
6
UCLA
Players Mentioned
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water PoloPhoto by: Catharyn Hayne
Top-Ranked Trojans Go Big To Beat No. 3 UCLA 10-6 In MPSF Third-Place Game
November 24, 2019 | Men's Water Polo, Features
USC claims third and improves its resume for a good shot at an NCAA at-large berth.
BERKELEY, CALIF. — The No. 1 USC men's water polo team shrugged off yesterday's semifinal loss with a powerful performance in today's MPSF third-place game, swamping No. 3 rival UCLA 10-6 in Berkeley, Calif. Now 14-5 overall and holding two wins over the Bruins on the year, USC has significantly improved its chances of a 15th consecutive ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Hannes Daube was the driving offensive force for the Trojans in the first half, netting a hat trick for USC to help craft a lead that the Trojans would never relinquish.
The Trojans trailed early 1-0, but Daube delivered back-to-back blasts to tug USC into the lead at 2-1. UCLA got a late equalizer on a 6-on-5 finish to snarl it at 2-2 at the end of the first, but the Trojans took over in the second. Marin Dasic, Daube and Jacob Mercep fired USC ahead an up to a 5-2 lead while the Trojan defense kept the Bruins silent for seven minutes. UCLA broke through with another 6-on-5 goal, only to see Dasic step up, fake and fire to notch a 6-3 USC lead that stood to halftime.
In the second half, UCLA got no closer than two goals short of the Trojans. Each Bruin goal was swiftly answered by a USC blast. After Matt Maier nabbed a key steal, he'd feed Mercep for a counter finish that locked USC into a 7-4 lead early in the third UCLA got one to go minutes later, and then a series of Nic Porter saves and Trojan defensive takeaways, Jake Ehrhardt catapulted in a big one for the Trojans to make it 8-5 USC entering the fourth. UCLA would get another 6-on-5 to go on its first possession of the first, but that would be the last that the USC defense would allow. Porter saves and field blocks from Ehrhardt and Luka Karaman squashed several Bruin looks, while Maier rocked in a goal at the post that was followed minutes later by a ripper from Ehrhardt. Up 10-6 with 2:49 to go, the Trojans continued to stymie their rivals, preserving a dominant four-goal victory over the Bruins.
USC now awaits the release of the NCAA Tournament bracket, which is due to be announced later tonight (Nov. 24) on NCAA.com.
MPSF TOURNAMENT
THIRD PLACE
[1] USC 10, [3] UCLA 6
Nov. 23, 2019 | Spieker Aquatics Complex (Berkeley, Calif.)
USC 2 - 4 - 2 - 2 = 10
UCLA 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 = 6
SCORING:
USC — Hannes Daube 3, Marin Dasic 2, Jake Ehrhardt 2, Jacob Mercep 2, Matt Maier.
CAL — Jake Cavano 2, Andy Rodgers 2, Nicolas Saveljic 2.
SAVES: Nic Porter (USC) 12, Alex Wolf (UCLA) 11.
The Trojans trailed early 1-0, but Daube delivered back-to-back blasts to tug USC into the lead at 2-1. UCLA got a late equalizer on a 6-on-5 finish to snarl it at 2-2 at the end of the first, but the Trojans took over in the second. Marin Dasic, Daube and Jacob Mercep fired USC ahead an up to a 5-2 lead while the Trojan defense kept the Bruins silent for seven minutes. UCLA broke through with another 6-on-5 goal, only to see Dasic step up, fake and fire to notch a 6-3 USC lead that stood to halftime.
In the second half, UCLA got no closer than two goals short of the Trojans. Each Bruin goal was swiftly answered by a USC blast. After Matt Maier nabbed a key steal, he'd feed Mercep for a counter finish that locked USC into a 7-4 lead early in the third UCLA got one to go minutes later, and then a series of Nic Porter saves and Trojan defensive takeaways, Jake Ehrhardt catapulted in a big one for the Trojans to make it 8-5 USC entering the fourth. UCLA would get another 6-on-5 to go on its first possession of the first, but that would be the last that the USC defense would allow. Porter saves and field blocks from Ehrhardt and Luka Karaman squashed several Bruin looks, while Maier rocked in a goal at the post that was followed minutes later by a ripper from Ehrhardt. Up 10-6 with 2:49 to go, the Trojans continued to stymie their rivals, preserving a dominant four-goal victory over the Bruins.
USC now awaits the release of the NCAA Tournament bracket, which is due to be announced later tonight (Nov. 24) on NCAA.com.
MPSF TOURNAMENT
THIRD PLACE
[1] USC 10, [3] UCLA 6
Nov. 23, 2019 | Spieker Aquatics Complex (Berkeley, Calif.)
USC 2 - 4 - 2 - 2 = 10
UCLA 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 = 6
SCORING:
USC — Hannes Daube 3, Marin Dasic 2, Jake Ehrhardt 2, Jacob Mercep 2, Matt Maier.
CAL — Jake Cavano 2, Andy Rodgers 2, Nicolas Saveljic 2.
SAVES: Nic Porter (USC) 12, Alex Wolf (UCLA) 11.
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