Sunday, November 21
Stanford, Calif.
1:00 PM
USC
0
11
vs
9
California
0
1
2
3
4
F
Southern California
1
3
3
4
11
California
2
1
4
2
9
Team Stats
USC
CAL
Shots
30
36
Goals
11
9
Assists
8
9
Points
19
18
Exclusions
10
7
Steals
7
8
Sprints
3
1
1
Hannes Daube
4:48
Nikolaos Papanikolaou
3:12
George Avakian
0:03
2
Joshua Waldoch
6:37
Nikolaos Papanikolaou
4:00
Jake Ehrhardt
2:54
Jacob Mercep
0:59
3
Max Miller
6:44
Roberto Valera
4:59
Nikos Delagrammatikas
4:16
Jacob Mercep
4:02
Nikos Delagrammatikas
0:54
Nikos Delagrammatikas
0:05
Ashworth Molthen
0:00
4
Wyatt Barker
7:33
Roberto Valera
6:18
Carson Kranz
3:13
Hannes Daube
1:52
Jacob Mercep
1:10
Max Casabella
0:48
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
7
Goals
3
Assists
2
Points
5
Shots
5
Goals
2
Assists
2
Points
4
Shots
4
Goals
0
Assists
0
Points
0
Shots
3
Goals
1
Assists
0
Points
1
Players Mentioned
2M
/ Men's Water PoloDR
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water PoloDR
/ Men's Water PoloDR
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
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/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water PoloPhoto by: Stewart McGuire
No. 2 USC Men’s Water Polo Makes Fourth-Frame Rally To Take Third At MPSF Tourney, Beating No. 1 Cal 11-9
November 21, 2021 | Men's Water Polo
Jacob Mercep scores three, and Nic Porter makes 14 saves in a key postseason win for the Trojans.
STANFORD, CALIF. — The No. 2 USC men's water polo team nabbed a crucial win in a rubber match with top-ranked California, beating the Bears 11-9 in today's MPSF Tournament third-place game at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center. The Trojans trailed by one goal on three occasions, but hit the gas in the fourth frame with a three-goal surge to break a tie and take the lead for good. Jacob Mercep scored three goals in the win, while goalie Nic Porter hauled in 14 saves to stake his claim as the No. 4 all-time goalie at USC, now with 652 career saves. The Trojans improve to 17-2 overall with their second win over the Golden Bears this season.
After the close of the event, USC's Jacob Mercep and Nic Porter were both named to the MPSF All-Tournament Team.
USC drew first blood with a rocket from Hannes Daube midway through the first quarter, but Cal would equalize and then manage a go-ahead goal with a strike just three seconds before the buzzer. Early in the second, redshirt freshman Joshua Waldoch buried his first postseason goal to snarl things up 2-2, although Cal would have an answer for that one as well as fiery blast from Jake Ehrhardt. Tied up 3-3, it would be Jacob Mercep's first of the day to tug the Trojans on top 4-3 in the final minute of the half.
A wild third period ensued, as USC went ahead 5-3 on a slammer from Max Miller at the post off a Daube feed. Cal responded with back-to-back goals to level it, and then Mercep sizzled in a skipper to make it 6-5 at the midway point of the third. Cal hammered in back-to-back goals again to serve notice to the Trojans and move ahead 7-6 with just five ticks to go. In a last-ditch effort to close out the third, USC put Ashworth Molthen in the goalie cap, and Molthen delivered. He catapulted a shot from distance, beating the buzzer as he found the back of the net to lock things up at 7-7 entering the fourth.
In that final eight minutes, USC was on its game. Wyatt Barker ripped in the go-ahead goal out of the gates, but the Bears countered and evened it at 8-8 with 6:18 on the clock. The Trojan defense locked in for the next stretch, while the offense manufactured three straight scores to create some key space on Cal. Mercep found Carson Kranz on a 6-on-5 to make it 9-8 Trojans, and then Mercep would set up Daube for a hammer blow that got USC ahead 10-8 at 1:52. Porter snubbed the Bears at the other end next, and then Mercep sizzled in his third with 1:10 remaining, punching up an 11-9 advantage that would be dented only by a late Cal goal, which wrapped things up as an 11-9 Trojan victory.
NOTABLE:
- With 14 saves today, SR Nic Porter recorded his seventh straight game with double-digit saves — 11th overall this season and 35th as a Trojan.
- Porter also took sole possession of No. 4 all-time on USC's career saves list, now with 652.
- With today's hat trick, SR Jacob Mercep now leads USC with 12 multi-goal games this season.
- With two goals today, RS JR Hannes Daube has now scored in 17 of USC's 19 games this season.
NEXT:
USC awaits the reveal of the NCAA Tournament bracket, to be released later today (Nov. 21) on ncaa.com.
MPSF CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
THIRD-PLACE GAME
[2] USC 11, [1] California 9
Nov. 21, 2021 | Avery Aquatic Center (Stanford, Calif.)
USC 1 - 3 - 3 - 4 = 11
CAL 2 - 1 - 4 - 2 = 9
SCORING:
USC — Jacob Mercep 3, Hannes Daube 2, Joshua Waldoch, Jake Ehrhardt, Max Miller, Ashworth Molthen, Wyatt Barker, Carson Kranz.
CAL — Nikos Delagrammatikas 3, Nikolaos Papanikolaou 2, Roberto Valera 2, Max Casabella, George Avakian.
SAVES: Nic Porter (USC) 14, Adrian Weinberg (CAL) 12.
After the close of the event, USC's Jacob Mercep and Nic Porter were both named to the MPSF All-Tournament Team.
USC drew first blood with a rocket from Hannes Daube midway through the first quarter, but Cal would equalize and then manage a go-ahead goal with a strike just three seconds before the buzzer. Early in the second, redshirt freshman Joshua Waldoch buried his first postseason goal to snarl things up 2-2, although Cal would have an answer for that one as well as fiery blast from Jake Ehrhardt. Tied up 3-3, it would be Jacob Mercep's first of the day to tug the Trojans on top 4-3 in the final minute of the half.
A wild third period ensued, as USC went ahead 5-3 on a slammer from Max Miller at the post off a Daube feed. Cal responded with back-to-back goals to level it, and then Mercep sizzled in a skipper to make it 6-5 at the midway point of the third. Cal hammered in back-to-back goals again to serve notice to the Trojans and move ahead 7-6 with just five ticks to go. In a last-ditch effort to close out the third, USC put Ashworth Molthen in the goalie cap, and Molthen delivered. He catapulted a shot from distance, beating the buzzer as he found the back of the net to lock things up at 7-7 entering the fourth.
In that final eight minutes, USC was on its game. Wyatt Barker ripped in the go-ahead goal out of the gates, but the Bears countered and evened it at 8-8 with 6:18 on the clock. The Trojan defense locked in for the next stretch, while the offense manufactured three straight scores to create some key space on Cal. Mercep found Carson Kranz on a 6-on-5 to make it 9-8 Trojans, and then Mercep would set up Daube for a hammer blow that got USC ahead 10-8 at 1:52. Porter snubbed the Bears at the other end next, and then Mercep sizzled in his third with 1:10 remaining, punching up an 11-9 advantage that would be dented only by a late Cal goal, which wrapped things up as an 11-9 Trojan victory.
NOTABLE:
- With 14 saves today, SR Nic Porter recorded his seventh straight game with double-digit saves — 11th overall this season and 35th as a Trojan.
- Porter also took sole possession of No. 4 all-time on USC's career saves list, now with 652.
- With today's hat trick, SR Jacob Mercep now leads USC with 12 multi-goal games this season.
- With two goals today, RS JR Hannes Daube has now scored in 17 of USC's 19 games this season.
NEXT:
USC awaits the reveal of the NCAA Tournament bracket, to be released later today (Nov. 21) on ncaa.com.
MPSF CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
THIRD-PLACE GAME
[2] USC 11, [1] California 9
Nov. 21, 2021 | Avery Aquatic Center (Stanford, Calif.)
USC 1 - 3 - 3 - 4 = 11
CAL 2 - 1 - 4 - 2 = 9
SCORING:
USC — Jacob Mercep 3, Hannes Daube 2, Joshua Waldoch, Jake Ehrhardt, Max Miller, Ashworth Molthen, Wyatt Barker, Carson Kranz.
CAL — Nikos Delagrammatikas 3, Nikolaos Papanikolaou 2, Roberto Valera 2, Max Casabella, George Avakian.
SAVES: Nic Porter (USC) 14, Adrian Weinberg (CAL) 12.
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