No. 3 USC Men's Water Polo Racks 19-9 Road Win Over No. 8 UC Davis

Sunday, September 28

Davis, Calif.

12:00 p.m.

USC

12-1

UC Davis

6-7

Southern California

UC Davis

USC goalie Charlie Mills defends the cage against Long Beach State

Photo by: John McGillen

No. 3 USC Men's Water Polo Racks 19-9 Road Win Over No. 8 UC Davis

September 28, 2025 | Men's Water Polo

Box Score 2025 USC Schedule

Nine different Trojans scored goals in a victory over the Aggies

DAVIS, Calif. – The third-ranked USC men's water polo team (12-1) won its third straight game on a decisive 19-9 victory over No. 8 UC Davis (6-7) at the Schaal Aquatics Center on Sunday-afternoon, Sept. 28.

Nine different Trojans contributed goals with four apiece from seniors Andrej Grgurevic and Mihailo Vukazić. Redshirt senior Jack Martin had a hat trick and senior Evan Ausmus and freshman Strahinja Krstic each had a pair. Junior Robert López Duart—for his 100th-career goal—freshman Efe Naipoglu, sophomore Taj Whitehead, and junior Zach Bettino each scored one goal apiece.

López Duart and Vukazić have scored in all 13 of the Trojans' games this season. Junior Stefan Brankovic racked up four assists while senior Jack Vort added three. Grgurevic and junior Luke Nelson each had two assists. In goal, redshirt sophomore Charles Mills faced 27 Aggie shots and produced eight saves (.471).

Ausmus got the Trojans on the board with the first of five first-quarter goals. It was 3-0 before the Aggies responded with a goal by Brody Crouch. USC scored two more and Davis had one more in the tank to end the opening frame with the Trojans up, 5-2.

UC Davis closed the gap with a 3-2 second quarter. Grgurevic and Krstic had the two Trojan goals, but the Aggie defense forced turnovers and frustrated the USC attack to go to the break down just two, 7-5.

USC went in front by four goals with a 3-1 burst to open the second half. Nelson had the assist on López Duart's 100th-career goal for the 10-6 lead and by the time the waters had settled on the third quarter, the Trojans had built a five-goal lead, 13-8. Relentless, the Trojans topped the game off with a 6-1 fourth quarter, which included the last five goals of the contest.

UP NEXT
The Trojans open conference play on the road with a game at No. 4 Stanford on Saturday (Oct. 4). The teams will meet at the Avery Aquatic Center in Stanford, Calif., at 1 p.m. PT. USC already owns a win over the Cardinal this season—a 14-12 overtime victory—in the third-place game of the Overnght MPSF Invitational on Sept. 21.