Courtesy: USC Athletics
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — The No. 3 USC men’s water polo team had its goalies tag-team the cage for a combined 18 saves to help anchor the Trojans to an 18-8 win over visiting Pomona-Pitzer in their first game at the Overnght/MPSF Invitational at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. Bernardo Herzer collected eight saves in the first half, and Eric Hubner knocked down 10 as USC improved to 7-1 overall and advances in the winners’ bracket at the event.
USC poured out the first three goals of the game and later made a 7-0 surge in the second frame to put the Sagehens out of reach. Ten different Trojans scored in the first half to help net an 11-3 halftime lead, with Massimo Di Martire issuing back-to-back blasts during USC’s seven-goal rally. Max Miller and Evan Ausmus reached tallied their second goals of the day in the third, with Miller hammering one home at the post and Ausmus sizzling in a score to get USC ahead 13-4. Jake Carter, Zac Crenshaw and Luke Nelson joined the scoresheet next as USC went up 16-6 entering the fourth. There, two more fresh USC scorers broke through, with Connor Cohen and Charlie Saunders both capping off Trojan attacks to help round out the 18-8 USC win.
NEXT:
USC takes on UC Davis at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow (Sept. 23) to round out group play and fight for a place in a 6:30 p.m. semifinal — both games at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
