No. 3 USC Men’s Water Polo Downs No. 10 UC San Diego In Top-10 Clash

Saturday, October 10

Los Angeles, Calif.

1:00 p.m.

USC

13-2

UC San Diego

12-5

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
UC San Diego Men 2026	2	1	1	5	9
USC (M)	3	4	5	3	15

Photo by: Kevin Kim

No. 3 USC Men’s Water Polo Downs No. 10 UC San Diego In Top-10 Clash

October 10, 2026 | Men's Water Polo

Box Score

LOS ANGELES –The No. 3 USC men's water polo team hosted the No. 10 UC San Diego Tritons on Saturday afternoon as the squad looked to bounce back following last weekend's loss to Stanford.

The contest started as a defensive battle as both teams were held scoreless for the first three-plus minutes of the game. The Tritons struck first with a powerplay goal to go up 1-0. UC San Diego added a second goal this time on a 6-on-4 opportunity.

As the Trojan offense looked to get going, Luke Nelson ignited a spark as USC went on to score three unanswered goals to take a lead it would never relinquish.

After killing off a UC San Diego powerplay to open the second, Gavin Conant fired home his first of three goals to double the Trojan's lead. Robert López Duart recorded his second tally following a turnover by the Tritons to force the visiting team to take a timeout.

Strahinja Krstic earned an exclusion for USC before Conant scored once again to push the score to 6-2. The Tritons converted a penalty goal but Ben Mirisch responded with a powerplay tally to give the Trojans a 7-3 advantage at the break.

Five different Trojans found the back of the goal in the third frame as both Conant and López Duart completed their hat tricks. On the opposite end of the pool, the USC defense held UC San Diego to just one goal for the second consecutive stanza.

With a solid 12-4 lead heading into the final quarter of play, Nelson scored on the opening possession of the fourth. The two teams traded goals throughout the fourth, but the Trojan attack would be too much to overcome.

Conant and López Duart added three goals apiece to the stat sheet while Charles Mills made 10 saves in three quarters in the cage.

Scoring: Gavin Conant (3), Robert López Duart (3), Luke Nelson (2), Efe Naipoglu (2), Camden Kocur (1), Ante Jerkovic (1), Ben Mirisch (1), Nate Simoncelli (1), Taj Whitehead (1)

Saves: Charles Mills (10), Harris (1) Pavoggi (1)

Notables

Efe Naipoglu led the squad with six points on a pair of goals and four assists.
Robert López Duart's recorded his eighth hat trick and his team-high 11th multi-goal outing of the season.
Charles Mills registered 10 saves in three quarters in the cage for his second double-digit save performance of the year.
This was the ninth straight game that USC has registered two or more field blocks.
Six different Trojans recorded two or more steals.
The USC defense held the Tritons to just nine goals, marking the sixth time this year the Trojans have limited an opponent to single-digit scoring.

Up Next
The Trojans will host crosstown rival No. 2 UCLA at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 1:00 p.m. for the latest Battle of LA showdown. Prior to the contest, USC will honor its class of 2027 seniors – Charles Mills, Robert López Duart, Luke Nelson, Chase Landa and Zach Bettino.