Courtesy: USC Athletics
THIS WEEK
No. 3 USC’s next action takes the Trojans to Berkeley, Calif., for competition at the Overnght MPSF Invitational, running Sept. 20-22 at Cal’s Spieker Aquatics Complex and Legends Aquatic Center. USC is grouped up with No. 2 Stanford, No. 10 Long Beach State and No. 12 UC Davis, presenting a second look for the Trojans against the Beach and Aggies, while USC and Stanford will lock horns for the first time this year. USC (7-0) opens up against No. 12 UC Davis at 3:30 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 20) before a double day of action on Saturday (Sept. 21). There, USC has an 11:30 a.m. meeting against Long Beach State before a 4:30 p.m. clash with No. 2 Stanford. On Sunday (Sept. 22), placement games are on tap, with the group winners facing off in the championship game at 2:30 p.m., preceded by a 1 p.m. third-place game.
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 7-0 overall, USC remains ranked No. 3 in the nation as of the latest set of national rankings (released Sept. 18).
LAST ACTION
USC churned out three wins in its first home stand of the season to improve to 7-0 on the year.
#3 USC 15, #9 UC Irvine 11
USC broke open a tight first faceoff with UC Irvine during the third period. Until then, the Trojans had to play catchup against the Anteaters, who led the game on three occasions during the first half. USC took its first lead of the game on a Luke Nelson rocket off a block to go up 5-4, only to see UC Irvine fire back and level it at 5-5 just 20 seconds later. Andrej Grgurevic would fake and fire a searing skipper to net a Trojan lead before halftime and build some momentum for the hosts. Cue captain Miller. He’d get USC up on a 6-on-5 and then finish off a pass from Kranz to get USC a two-goal cushion along with his 100th career goal early in the third. Some pesky defense from Zach Bettino helped keep USC on the attack, and Luka Brnetic unleashed a ripper to tug the Trojans to an 8-5 lead. The Anteaters would get not closer than two goals away the rest of the way. Kranz converted on a 5-meter penalty shot for his 100th goal as a Trojan to make it 10-7 and keep USC in the driver’s seat. USC would build a lead as big as five goals with a three-goal surge in the fourth on strikes from Grgurevic, Miller and Jack Vort to go up 15-10. UC Irvine got one to go next to make it 15-11, and then Bernardo Herzer came up with an interception to help wrap up the Trojan victory over the Anteaters.
NOTABLE:
– With his second goal of his eventual hat trick vs. UC Irvine, Max Miller tallied his 100th career goal.
– With one goal vs. UC Irvine, Carson Kranz scored his 100th career goal.
#3 USC 21, Whittier 9
USC would unload seven goals in the first eight minutes to establish its control. Jack Martin delivered two goals in that frame to help USC to a 7-3 lead. The Trojan defense would give up just a single goal by the Poets in the second, while Connor Cohen, Stefan Brankovic, Zac Crenshaw and Jake Carter joined the scoresheet. USC’s power move came from Luka Brnetic, who rose up and rocketed in three straight goals to open the second half and get USC out to a 10-goal lead. By the final buzzer, USC had a whopping 14 Trojans in the goal column, while goalies Charles Mills and Eric Hubner had shared time in the cage to help wrap up USC’s 21-9 victory over visiting Whittier.
NOTABLE:
– USC’s 14 different scorers vs. Whittier was a season high.
– With three goals vs. Whittier, Luka Brnetic tied his career high.
– With two goals vs. Whittier, Jack Martin set his career high.
– With two goals vs. Whittier, Spencer Averitt tied his career high.
#3 USC 16, #4 Pepperdine 7
USC silenced Pepperdine for over 16 minutes of action while the offense clicked off an 8-0 scoring run to hand the Waves their first loss. USC got behind 2-1 early but responded with three straight scores from Max Miller, Connor Cohen and Zach Bettino. The Waves got one back with a 6-on-5 before the close of the first, and then USC’s defense took over. USC squashed a late Pepperdine power play, then saw Luka Brnetic put up a field block to preserve that one-goal margin entering the second. There, USC goalie Bernardo Herzer set the tone with a booming save followed by a stop against a Pepperdine 5-meter penalty shot. While Herzer and his defense stayed stingy, USC capitalized on the offensive end. Miller worked his way to a hat trick to spark what would grow to an eight-goal USC rally that spanned halftime. Bettino’s second of the day came in that second frame, along with back-to-back blasts from Robert López Duart to get USC ahead 9-3 at the end of the half, and the Trojans never looked back en route to a final 16-7 win. Herzer gave way to Charles Mills in goal with 3:30 to go, and the redshirt freshman made four saves with no goals allowed to anchor the USC win.
NOTABLE:
– With two goals, Robert López Duart continues to lead USC in scoring, now with 13 goals.
– López Duart also now has recorded a team-leading five multiple-goal games this season.
– With a goal, Jack Martin has scored at least once in every game this season for USC.
– With two goals, Connor Cohen recorded his first multiple-goal game as a Trojan.
– With two goals, Stefan Brankovic recorded his first multiple-goal game as a Trojan.
– With 10 different scorers, USC has had at least 10 scorers in every game this season.
– USC’s shutout of Pepperdine in the second period marked the fourth time this season that the USC defense has shut out an opponent in an entire period of play.
BY THE NUMBERS
Seven games into the season, Robert López Duart ,Max Miller and Luke Nelson currently spearhead USC’s scoring charge, with 13, 11 and 10 goals tallied, respectively. López Duart leads the crew with five multiple-goal outings to date, while Jack Martin stands alone as the only Trojan to have scored at least once in all seven games. The Trojans’ assists leader is Stefan Brankovic with 10, while López Duart, Martin and Jake Carter have each nabbed a team-best six steals. Miller and fellow two-meter man Martin have combined for 20 drawn exclusions, with Miller leading the count with 13 through seven games of work. On the defensive end, three goalies have seen time in the cage, with redshirt sophomore Bernardo Herzer capping up in four game, redshirt junior Eric Hubner making two appearances and redshirt freshman Charles Mills checking in for three games. Hubner has set the season’s high mark with his 12-save outing vs. Westcliff, followed closely by Herzer’s 11 saves vs. Long Beach State, which he also helped keep scoreless in the second half of that season-opening meeting. All told, USC’s goalkeeping corps is averaging 8.9 saves per game. As a team, USC has outscored its opponents 125-57 for an average of 17.9 goals per game offensively and 8.1 goals-against per game defensively. The USC defense has held opponents scoreless in four periods of 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 first-half 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 redshirt sophomore 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 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. •
