Friday, September 27
Westchester, Calif.
3:40 PM
USC
14
vs
6
Princeton
Players Mentioned
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
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
Photo by: Katie Chin
No. 5 Trojans Tack Up 14-6 Win Over No. 14 Princeton To Open SoCal Invite
September 27, 2019 | Men's Water Polo, Features
USC defense allows just one second-half goal to outpace the Tigers.
WESTCHESTER, CALIF. — The No. 5 USC men's water polo team enlisted a total team effort to take down No. 14 Princeton to kick off the SoCal Invitational today at LMU's Burns Aquatics Center. Twelve different Trojans scored while the Trojan defense surrendered just a single second-half goal en route to the victory. With the win, USC advances to a 12 p.m. matchup against No. 4 Pacific tomorrow (Sept. 28) to wrap group play at UCLA's Spieker Aquatics Center. The win also improves the Trojans to 5-1 overall on the year.
The Tigers pounced first in this one, drumming up two early goals to put the Trojans on their heels. USC would respond in kind with a five-goal rally into a lead it would not relinquish. Hannes Daube single-handedly snarled up the score with back-to-back blasts. And after a power play save by Vaios Vlahotasios, Jake Ehrhardt found Sam Slobodien for an acrobatic finish at the post to get USC into the lead. Jacob Mercep finished off a Daube pass next, and the freshman Chris Sturtevant faked and fired to build out a 5-2 USC lead entering the final minute of the first frame. Princeton would break its silence and manufacture two goals around a ripper from Ehrhardt, and it was a 6-4 USC lead after eight minutes of action.
The scoring pace cooled a bit from there, thanks in part to some stingier defense by the Trojans. Princeton managed just a single goal in the second period, while three new Trojans hit the scoresheet on the day. A nice passing series saw Daube hit Mercep, who found senior Matt Maier for a slam that made it 6-4. Troy Furniss zipped one in a couple minutes later, and freshman Marcus Longton delivered next on the way to a 9-5 USC halftime advantage.
Nic Porter took over the cage for the second half on USC's defensive end, where the sophomore would wind up hauling in nine saves, including three that squashed Princeton 6-on-5 opportunities. The Tigers were unable to crack the USC defense until the final minute of the second half when a power play strike made its way through. By then, though, USC had pinned five more goals on the board. Mercep punched up his second after Daube earned a 5-meter penalty shot for the Trojan cause. And four more Trojans broke through in the second half, with Luke Wyatt launching a left-handed laser, Alexander Lansill finishing a USC 6-on-5, Marin Dasic hammering home a cross pass from Wyatt, and Grayden Reynolds muscling in a strike out of set to top off USC's 14-6 victory.
Champions at last year's event, the Trojans will need to get past Pacific tomorrow (Sept. 28) at 12 p.m. in order to score a semifinal slot. That semi would be at 5:20 p.m. at Spieker Aquatics Center that same afternoon. Sunday will see the placement games underway, culminating in a 1 p.m. championship bout.
SOCAL INVITATIONAL
#5 USC 14, #14 Princeton 6
Sept. 27, 2019 | Burns Aquatics Center (Westchester, Calif.)
USC 6 - 3 - 4 - 1 = 14
PU 4 - 1 - 0 - 1 = 6
SCORING:
USC — Hannes Daube 2, Jacob Mercep 2, Sam Slobodien, Chris Sturtevant, Jake Ehrhardt, Matt Maier, Troy Furniss, Marcus Longton, Alexander Lansill, Marin Dasic, Luke Wyatt, Grayden Reynolds.
PU — Yurian Quinones 2, Casey Conrad, Keller Maloney, Wyatt Brown.
SAVES: Vaios Vlahotasios (USC) 4 [`st half], Nic Porter (USC) 9 [2nd half], Antonio Knez (PU) 8 [1st half], Billy Motherway (PU) 4 [2nd half].
The Tigers pounced first in this one, drumming up two early goals to put the Trojans on their heels. USC would respond in kind with a five-goal rally into a lead it would not relinquish. Hannes Daube single-handedly snarled up the score with back-to-back blasts. And after a power play save by Vaios Vlahotasios, Jake Ehrhardt found Sam Slobodien for an acrobatic finish at the post to get USC into the lead. Jacob Mercep finished off a Daube pass next, and the freshman Chris Sturtevant faked and fired to build out a 5-2 USC lead entering the final minute of the first frame. Princeton would break its silence and manufacture two goals around a ripper from Ehrhardt, and it was a 6-4 USC lead after eight minutes of action.
The scoring pace cooled a bit from there, thanks in part to some stingier defense by the Trojans. Princeton managed just a single goal in the second period, while three new Trojans hit the scoresheet on the day. A nice passing series saw Daube hit Mercep, who found senior Matt Maier for a slam that made it 6-4. Troy Furniss zipped one in a couple minutes later, and freshman Marcus Longton delivered next on the way to a 9-5 USC halftime advantage.
Nic Porter took over the cage for the second half on USC's defensive end, where the sophomore would wind up hauling in nine saves, including three that squashed Princeton 6-on-5 opportunities. The Tigers were unable to crack the USC defense until the final minute of the second half when a power play strike made its way through. By then, though, USC had pinned five more goals on the board. Mercep punched up his second after Daube earned a 5-meter penalty shot for the Trojan cause. And four more Trojans broke through in the second half, with Luke Wyatt launching a left-handed laser, Alexander Lansill finishing a USC 6-on-5, Marin Dasic hammering home a cross pass from Wyatt, and Grayden Reynolds muscling in a strike out of set to top off USC's 14-6 victory.
Champions at last year's event, the Trojans will need to get past Pacific tomorrow (Sept. 28) at 12 p.m. in order to score a semifinal slot. That semi would be at 5:20 p.m. at Spieker Aquatics Center that same afternoon. Sunday will see the placement games underway, culminating in a 1 p.m. championship bout.
SOCAL INVITATIONAL
#5 USC 14, #14 Princeton 6
Sept. 27, 2019 | Burns Aquatics Center (Westchester, Calif.)
USC 6 - 3 - 4 - 1 = 14
PU 4 - 1 - 0 - 1 = 6
SCORING:
USC — Hannes Daube 2, Jacob Mercep 2, Sam Slobodien, Chris Sturtevant, Jake Ehrhardt, Matt Maier, Troy Furniss, Marcus Longton, Alexander Lansill, Marin Dasic, Luke Wyatt, Grayden Reynolds.
PU — Yurian Quinones 2, Casey Conrad, Keller Maloney, Wyatt Brown.
SAVES: Vaios Vlahotasios (USC) 4 [`st half], Nic Porter (USC) 9 [2nd half], Antonio Knez (PU) 8 [1st half], Billy Motherway (PU) 4 [2nd half].
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