Courtesy: USC Athletics
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — The No. 4 USC men’s water polo team captured a crucial conference victory in home waters with a decisive 10-6 win over visiting No. 3 Stanford today at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The Trojan defense shut out the Cardinal for an 11-minute stretch to help set their course, with goalie Bernardo Herzer amassing a career-high 14 saves in the game. USC improves to 12-5 overall and is now 2-1 on the year against Stanford. The Trojans’ MPSF record now sits at 1-4.
USC’s Andrej Grgurevic drummed up goals in the first minute of the first two periods to set up the Trojans for early advantages. Stanford would answer back both times, and after USC clanged the post on three straight shots, the Trojans broke through with a 1-on-1 finish from Carson Kranz. Max Miller would earn a power play for the Trojans next, and Massimo Di Martire rewarded his effort with a feed that Miller plucked out of the air and hammered how to get USC a 4-2 lead. Stanford scored a series of 6-on-5 advantages in the next stretch, however, and converted on two of those chances to knot it at 4-4 for halftime.
The Trojans found a winning groove next, silencing the Cardinal while punching up three goals of their own. Di Martire fed Miller for a power move and blast at set to get USC back on top, and then Tony Nardelli hauled in a rebound and mashed it through to tug the Trojans to a 6-4 advantage. After Herzer hauled in another huge save, Luka Brnetic laced a pass to Di Martire, who sailed in a savvy score to make it 7-4. That score would stand to the fourth, where Stanford scored on a 5-meter penalty shot to get within two. Reed Stemler earned a 5-meter for USC soon after, and Kranz crushed it for a lift back to a three-goal lead. Entering the final minute, Stanford opted to pull its goalie and create a 7-on-6 possession, only to see Herzer make a booming block and Joshua Waldoch snake the rebound and send the ball to the back of the Cardinal cage at the other end to make it 9-5. Stanford struck back with 34 ticks to go, and then Tom McGuire got it to Grgurevic for the sophomore’s third of the game and a 10-6 USC lead to top off the day’s work.
NEXT:
USC hosts its final regular-season game of the year next week when crosstown rival UCLA comes to Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The Trojans will celebrate Senior Day before squaring off against the Bruins at 1 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 11).
NOTABLE:
– RS FR goalie Bernardo Herzer set a new career high with 14 saves today — his second straight double-digit save outing and the sixth of his career.
– With a game-high three goals today, SO Andrej Grgurevic tied his career high.
– With two goals today, SR Carson Kranz extends his team-leading scoring streak to 11 straight games with at least one goal scored.
– With two goals today, SR Max Miller continues to lead USC in scoring, now with 30 goals this season.
– Miller also leads the team with 10 multiple-goal games this year.
– USC is now 76-65 all-time against Stanford in a series dating back to 1979.
– The Trojans are now 2-1 against the Cardinal this season.
– Stanford’s six goals marked the Cardinal’s lowest scoring output in a game this season.
#4 USC 10, #3 Stanford 6
Nov. 4, 2023 | Uytengsu Aquatics Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)
USC 1 – 3 – 3 – 3 = 10
STAN 1 – 3 – 0 – 2 = 6
SCORING:
USC — Andrej Grgurevic 3, Carson Kranz 2, Max Miller 2, Tony Nardelli, Massimo Di Martire, Joshua Waldoch.
STAN — Jackson Painter 3, Christopher Arakelian, Alex Gheorghe, Riley Pittman.
SAVES: Bernardo Herzer (USC) 14, Griffen Price (STAN) 8.