Courtesy: USC Athletics
THIS WEEK
No. 2 USC is back in home waters for its next three games. First up in the home stand is this week’s meeting with No. 20 California Baptist. The Trojans (10-1) and the Lancers will square off at 5 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 27) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
RANKINGS
USC started the 2024 season ranked No. 4 in the national preseason poll and tied at No. 3 in the preseason MPSF Coaches Poll. Currently 10-1 overall, USC now ranks No. 2 in the nation as of the latest set of national rankings (released Sept. 25). USC spent the first three weeks of competition ranked at No. 3.
LAST ACTION
USC made a strong stand at the Overnght MPSF Invitational last week, winning three games in two days — including back-to-back overtime wins on Saturday — to reach the championship game. The Trojans tacked up wins over No. 12 UC Davis, No. 10 Long Beach State and No. 2 Stanford before falling to No. 1 UCLA in the final.
#3 USC 17, #12 UC Davis 9
Five different Trojans scored in USC’s quick 5-0 lead, and then Stefan Brankovic delivered his second to answer the Aggies’ first goal of the day. That has USC up 6-1 at the close of the first period. Brankovic recorded his first career hat trick in finishing off a pass from Zach Bettino to make it 7-2 USC in the second frame, and then USC struck out on a four-goal scoring surge that spanned halftime. Andrej Grgurevic, Luke Nelson and Reed Stemler helped USC out ahead 10-2 at halftime, and then Max Miller crushed a goal out of set to open the second half for the Trojans. The Aggies found some offense in the second half, but USC stayed right in stride. A missile strike from Luka Brnetic built a 14-8 USC lead entering the fourth, where Charles Mills checked into the cage to spell Bernardo Herzer. By the final buzzer, USC had three new scorers on the board, as Bettino, Jack Vort and Ben Mirisch each struck for the Trojan cause to round out a final 17-9 USC victory.
NOTABLE:
– With three goals, Stefan Brankovic set a new career high.
– With 14 different scorers today, USC has had at least 10 scorers in every game this season.
#3 USC 13, #10 Long Beach State 12 (OT)
A combined 10 exclusions peppered the first eight minutes of action, and USC trailed the Beach 5-3 at halftime. The Trojans would be stuck playing catchup until 14 seconds left in overtime, when Jack Vort sizzled in a near-post blast that would stand as the winner. Prior to that, USC was one back entering the fourth. Andrej Grgurevic pulled the Trojans even twice in the fourth — at 8-8 off a feed from Luka Brnetic and then at 9-9 to follow a spinning setup from Robert López Duart. Again the Beach moved back on top, but a captain connection from Carson Kranz to Max Miller knotted the game at 10-10 with 1:41 to go in regulation. USC’s defense was up to the task, with a Grgurevic field block helping to secure a trip to overtime. The Beach struck twice to go up 12-10, only to see USC regroup and reload. Max Miller earned a 5-meter penalty shot that López Duart deposited to make it 12-11, and then Vort found Jack Martin for a slam at the post to level it 12-12 late in the first OT. Defensive stops anchored by takeaways from Kranz and Grgurevic kept the Beach at bay, and after a USC timeout it was Kranz finding Vort for the heroic finish to lead it 13-12. Long Beach State misfired on its final look, and USC had a key win in the books with another game ahead later in the afternoon.
#3 USC 12, #2 Stanford 11 (OT)
Up 4-3 at halftime, USC was staring at a 9-7 deficit midway through the fourth. A booming field block from Jack Martin helped turn away the Cardinal soon after, and USC would find an offensive spark later in the frame. With backs against a wall, the Trojans again dug deep. López Duart found Max Miller for a blast that got USC one back with 2:20 on the clock. Just over a minute later, Kranz hit Stefan Brankovic for a searing skipper on a USC 6-on-5 to pull even at 9-9 with 1:07 left in regulation. USC’s defense stood strong, and another overtime was on deck for the Trojans. Stanford struck first in OT in its eighth power play of the game, going up 10-9 with 24 seconds on the clock. López Duart served up a pass to Kranz for a close-range strike, and it was even again at 10-10 just before the close of the first OT. That proved to be a spark for the Trojans. Kranz set up Grgurevic for a ripper to get USC its first lead since the first half, up 11-10 with 1:44 on the clock. Defenses reigned for the next stretch, with Evan Ausmus and Grgurevic combining forces for a timely takeaway in the final minute. López Duart unleashed an opportunistic shot with the Stanford goalie out of the cage, netting a 12-10 lead for the Trojans with 23 ticks to go. USC goalie Bernardo Herzer worked his way to a new career high with his 15th and 16th saves of the game to keep USC’s lead intact until a last-gasp Stanford strike wrapped the action as a 12-11 USC final victory.
NOTABLE:
– With his five-goal outing vs. Stanford, López Duart set a new career high as a Trojan.
– With 16 saves vs. Stanford, Bernardo Herzer set a new career high.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: #1 UCLA 12, #3 USC 9
USC put up a strong stand against the Bruins early, but UCLA made a 4-0 rally in the second quarter to pad out a lead. The Trojans would trail by as much as five goals in the third frame before heating up to force the issue in the fourth. Max Miller crushed a feed from Jack Vort to close out the third as a 9-5 margin. To kick off the fourth, Zach Bettino passed to Luka Brnetic for a booming blast to get USC within three. An even score by the Bruins got the margin to four, prompting USC to pick up the pace again. Robert López Duart crossed to Vort for a ripper to make it 10-7 with 5:11 to go next. After an Andrej Grgurevic steal squashed a UCLA 6-on-5, Grgurevic would find Miller for his third of the day to put USC within two midway through the fourth. UCLA dug in and found an even score and then another power play score to put the Trojans back by four entering the final minute. There, Carson Kranz hit López Duart to have the final word for USC in a final 12-9 loss. USC goalie Bernardo Herzer collected 11 saves for the Trojans, including a powerful stop against a Bruin 5-meter penalty shot. But the Bruins benefitted from an exclusion count that tipped against the Trojans 13-9.
NOTABLE:
– With a game-high three goals, Miller recorded his sixth multiple-goal game of the season.
– López Duart, Miller, Martin and Brankovic have each now scored in 10 of USC’s 11 games.
– Brankovic, López Duart and Miller each scored in all four games at the Overnght MPSF Invite.
– López Duart was USC’s top scorer at the event with 10 goals, followed by nine from Miller.
– With 11 saves vs. UCLA, Herzer recorded his third double-digit save outing of the season.
BY THE NUMBERS
Eleven games into the season, Robert López Duart and Max Miller currently spearhead USC’s scoring charge, with 23 and 20 goals tallied, respectively. López Duart leads the crew with seven multiple-goal outings to date. He, MIller, Stefan Brankovic and Jack Martin have each scored at least once in 10 of USC’s 11 games so far. The Trojans’ assists leader is Stefan Brankovic with 10, and on the steals front Bernardo Herzer has 13 and Carson Kranz has nine. Miller and fellow two-meter man Martin have combined for 31 drawn exclusions, with Miller leading the count with 22 through 11 games of work. On the defensive end, three goalies have seen time in the cage, with redshirt sophomore Bernardo Herzer capping up in eight games, redshirt junior Eric Hubner making three appearances and redshirt freshman Charles Mills checking in for four games. Herzer has set the season’s high mark with his career-high 16-save outing vs. Stanford. All told, USC’s goalkeeping corps is averaging 9.2 saves per game. As a team, USC has outscored its opponents 176-101 for an average of 16.0 goals per game offensively and 9.2 goals-against per game defensively. The USC defense has held opponents scoreless in four periods of regulation play.
ROBERT MAKES HIS MPSF MARK
USC not only grabbed four wins in its first weekend of work in 2024, the Trojans also got on the board with the first MPSF Newcomer of the Week award of the season. A new face on the Trojan roster this year, sophomore transfer Robert López Duart secured the selection after serving up nine goals for USC at the Triton Invitational. López Duart was USC’s top scorer at the event last weekend, where his nine goals helped the Trojans go 4-0. His first goal as a Trojan came in a two-goal outing versus No. 10 Long Beach State, netting an early 3-2 lead in an eventual 14-6 win. He had two steals and three drawn exclusions in that season-opening victory as well. López Duart scored once in limited playing time during USC’s 20-6 win over Cal State Fullerton, and then set his USC high mark with a four-goal outburst along with two assists against No. 8 UC Davis in an 18-12 win. He’d end the event with two goals in USC’s 21-6 win over Westcliff.
SWEEPS WEEK
USC men’s water polo made it an MPSF awards sweep on Sept. 16 after a winning home stand that saw the Trojans tack up three victories at Uytengsu Aquatics Center to improve to 7-0 on the year. For their impact play across USC’s weekend wins, Max Miller was named MPSF West Player of the Week while Robert López Duart earned his second MPSF West Newcomer of the Week honor. Miller crossed the 100-goal threshold during the first game of USC’s winning three-game home stand, pinning up a team-high three goals in a 15-11 win over No. 9 UC Irvine to get to 101 career goals. The next day, Miller served up a team-high three goals again — all in the first half — during USC’s 16-7 victory over No. 4 Pepperdine to keep USC undefeated at 7-0 on the year. Miller also drew three exclusions in the win over the Waves. In a 21-9 win over Whittier, Miller drew two exclusions, having earned one exclusion to go with his three goals vs. the Anteaters that same day. Miller now holds 104 career goals as a Trojan. López Duart stands as USC’s top scorer this season, now with 13 goals after scoring twice in the Trojans’ over UC Irvine and twice in the victory over Pepperdine. That gave him a team-leading five multiple-goal games this season for USC, which is now 7-0 overall with USC’s three home wins over the weekend. Also against UCI, López Duart recorded two steals and a field block. He also had two steals in USC’s win over the Waves — with one drawn ejection in those two games as well.
CENTURY CLUBBIN’
In USC’s home opener, two Trojans hit the 100-goal mark during the same period of play. In their second season as team captains and fifth seasons of work as Trojans, Carson Kranz and Max Miller each nailed their 100th career goals. With his second goal of the game, Miller tallied his 100th to get USC a 7-5 lead over UC Irvine. Exactly four minutes later, Kranz drilled a 5-meter penalty shot to also notch his 100th. The pair are now on an elite list of 46 Trojans to have scored 100 goals in their USC careers.
BACK FOR MORE
USC returns five players who scored 20 or more goals last year to account for almost half of USC’s scoring. That includes three returning All-Americans in Zach Bettino and captains Carson Kranz and Max Miller, while USC also boasts an All-American goalie in Bernardo Herzer. USC’s “senior” class is sizable, as Kranz and Miller enter their fifth seasons along with fellow veterans Tom McGuire and Reed Stemler along with true seniors Luka Brnetic, Jake Carter, Eric Hubner and Aidan Wattson.
SHARPSHOOTERS
Firepower is far from a concern for these balanced Trojans. On the perimeter, the right side is taken care of with lefties Zach Bettino and Jack Vort along with right-handed attackers like Stefan Brankovic, Jake Carter and Andrej Grgurevic, who also shines as a master of the counterattack. Opposite them, Trojan fans will enjoy the USC debut of Robert López Duart and the rise of Luke Nelson, while key returners Carson Kranz, Tom McGuire, Aidan Wattson and Evan Ausmus boast the ability to strike from anywhere in the pool, and redshirt freshman Chase Landa is also set to factor into USC’s offensive machine.
FIRE IN THE HOLE
The two-meter slot will be a busy one, as USC has strength, depth and skill at both ends. Senior hole guard Luka Brnetic, who trained with the Croatian National Team last summer, is tabbed as a cornerstone of Pintaric’s defensive scheme along with fellow seniors Connor Cohen and Reed Stemler. Sophomore Spencer Averitt brings back his intensity to that spot as well to bring extra depth in the hole. Offensively, USC’s top scorer in 2024, Max Miller, is back for year five of work in the center position. Junior Zac Crenshaw returns as well to bring size and experience to USC’s two-meter attack, while Jack Martin is cued up for his Trojan debut as a proven force and a deft left hand in front of the cage.
CAGE FIGHTERS
Speaking of defense, the backbone sits between the pipes, where Bernardo Herzer emerged with All-American honors in his first season of work for the Trojans. His talented fellow goalies Eric Hubner and Charles Mills battled injuries last season, but both put forth ferocious stands in goal while healthy. All signs are pointing toward a reliable corps in the cage in 2024, with that trio back for more along with incoming freshman goalie Nemo Pavoggi.
NEW CREW
Three not-so-secret weapons — Stefan Brankovic, Jack Martin and Robert López Duart — are officially capped up for the first time as Trojans in 2024. Brankovic and Martin sat out their first season at USC and are now raring to go. López Duart brought his All-American accolades collected as a freshman at Long Beach State over to USC last spring. Three true freshmen round out the 2024 USC roster with the additions of goalie Nemo Pavoggi along with driver Taj Whitehead and utility Ben Mirisch.
PINTA’S PROGRAM
Marko Pintaric, who has been part of 14 NCAA championships during his 23 years on the USC coaching staff, is in his sixth year at the helm of the Trojan men’s program. Last season, he guided the Trojans to a 19th consecutive NCAA appearance, reaching the NCAA final for the 18th time in that span after also winning a second straight MPSF Tournament title. An All-American and 1998 NCAA champion as a player at USC, Pintaric served as co-head coach for the USC men for three seasons (2016-18), most recently helping the Trojans to the 2018 NCAA Championship. His USC coaching career began as an assistant coach to both the USC men and women in 2001.
LAST SEASON
USC’s 2023 season saw the Trojans repeat as the MPSF Tournament champions in order to clinch a 19th straight trip to the NCAA tourney. Host of the 2023 NCAA even, USC reached the semifinals and fell in a one-goal loss to eventual champion Cal to finish 16-7 overall. At season’s end, USC had five players earn ACWPC All-America honors led by first-time First Team pick Max Miller. USC also had Massimo Di Martire and Carson Kranz earn spots on the Second Team, while Zach Bettino and Bernardo Herzer earned Honorable Mention in their first seasons of work as Trojans.
THE PLACE TO BE.
The University of Southern California is the undeniable, unequaled and unquestioned top destination for student-athletes. USC is both home to 136 national team championships and one of the top-ranked private research institutions in the world. Located in the heart of the thriving Los Angeles metropolitan area, it is situated in one of the most diverse and visible media markets in the world. USC’s campus is driving distance from the beautiful beaches of Southern California, the majestic mountains range of the Sierra Nevada, the sprawling splendor of the Redwood and Sequoia national forests, and the mysterious Mojave Desert. The student-athlete experience at USC is truly unmatched. •
