Courtesy: USC Athletics
BERKELEY, CALIF. — The No. 3 USC men’s water polo team took another tight and tough loss on the road in falling 10-9 to No. 2 California today in Berkeley. A rematch on the same stage as last year’s NCAA Championship game, the Trojans and Golden Bears were in battle mode again. USC got out ahead 7-4 at halftime, but the Bears went on a scoring run that carried Cal into the lead and held for the MPSF win. USC is now 10-4 overall and 0-3 in MPSF play.
USC drummed up the first goals of the day with Luka Brnetic and Massimo Di Martire striking in the first two minutes of action. Cal converted on back-to-back power plays to level it, only to see USC first back as Tom McGuire earned a 6-on-5 for USC. Carson Kranz found Max Miller for the slam at the post, and then Kranz finished off a one-on-one look to take the Trojans ahead 4-2. Jake Carter squashed Cal’s next power play with a field block, and USC was in good position going into the second. Early in that next frame, Miller earned the exclusion for USC, and Brnetic crossed to Zach Bettino for a nearside blast that had USC ahead 5-2. USC had an answer for Cal’s next two goals, with Tony Nardelli striking out of set and Jake Carter issuing a rocket blast on a 6-on-5 to carry USC ahead 7-4 for halftime.
The Trojans would follow a Cal score with a Kranz counter strike to get USC’s lead back to three next. The Bears’ defense stiffened from there, however, and USC was unable to get to the back of the next for an excruciatingly long stretch. Cal, meanwhile, would fin four straight goals, taking its first lead of the day with a 6-on-5 finish that made it 9-8 Bears with 4:49 to go in the fourth. For the second time in the half, USC would have an apparent 6-on-5 goal called off to negate a USC opportunity to equalize. Cal got some padding with another goal at 1:23, with Kranz having the last word and breaking USC’s silence with his third of the day to make it 10-9 Cal with just six seconds to go.
NEXT:
USC turns next to competition closer to home, paying a visit to crosstown rival UCLA for their first MPSF meeting of the season in a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday (Oct. 14) at Spieker Aquatics Center.
NOTABLE:
– With three goals today, SR Carson Kranz matched his career high.
– With their goals today, GS Massimo Di Martire and SR Max Miller continue to lead USC in scoring this season with 26 goals each.
– Di Martire leads the team with goals scored in 13 different games this season.
– USC is now 69-70-2 all-time against Cal, with losses in the last six meetings.
#2 California 10, #3 USC 9
Oct. 8, 2023 | Spieker Aquatics Complex (Berkeley, Calif.)
USC 4 – 3 – 1 – 1 = 9
CAL 2 – 2 – 3 – 3 = 10
SCORING:
USC —Carson Kranz 3, Luka Brnetic, Massimo Di Martire, Max Miller, Zach Bettino, Tony Nardelli, Jake Carter.
CAL —Max Casabella 4, Albert Ponferrada 3, Jake Howerton 2, Jake Stone.
SAVES: Bernardo Herzer (USC) 7, Adrian Weinberg (CAL) 8.