Courtesy: USC Athletics
#3 USC (4-0) vs. #9 UC Irvine (2-2)
Saturday, Sept. 14 | 12 p.m. | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
Series Record: USC leads 85-23 (W37)
Last Meeting: USC 12, UCI 10 (Sept. 10, 2023)
STREAM | STATS
#3 USC vs. Whittier (1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 14 | 1:30 p.m. | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
Series Record: USC leads 10-0
Last Meeting: USC 15, WC 9 (Sept. 14, 2019)
STREAM | STATS
#3 USC vs. #4 Pepperdine (4-0)
Sunday, Sept. 15 | 1 p.m. | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
Series Record: USC leads 69-20-2 (W4)
Last Meeting: USC 13, PEP 11 (Oct. 22, 2022)
STREAM | STATS
THIS WEEK
No. 3 USC sets up for its first action in home waters this weekend, hosting three games in two days at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. USC’s home opener puts the Trojans (4-0) up against No. 9 UC Irvine at 12 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 14) just before a 1:30 p.m. clash with Whittier. On Sunday (Sept. 15), USC takes on No. 4 Pepperdine at 1 p.m.
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 4-0 overall, USC ranks No. 3 in the nation as of the latest set of national rankings (released Sept. 11).
LAST ACTION
USC made it a 4-0 start to the season with a winning run at the Triton Invitational last weekend.
#4 USC 14, #10 Long Beach State 6
The Trojans and Beach were largely in stride early goings, with the score tying up three times. USC worked out ahead 5-3 in the second when Zach Bettino buried his second goal of the game, but the Beach bit back and pulled it to 5-5 with 3:09 left in the half. Luka Brnetic pounced on a rebound to edge USC back ahead, and then Luke Nelson unleashed a ripper to get USC up 7-5. Long Beach State had the last word of the half to make it 7-6, but the Trojans took over in the second half. Stefan Brankovic scored his first goal as a Trojan to open the third, and goalie Bernardo Herzer squashed a Beach 6-on-4 opportunity next to help set the tone. Herzer would cap the third with a booming stop against a Beach 5-meter penalty shot to preserve eight minutes of scoring silence for Long Beach State. Andrej Grgurevic issued back-to-back goals as the fourth frame unfurled, and USC would keep chugging on both ends. Brnetic threw up a field block to squelch a Beach power play, and the Robert López Duart nailed a 5-meter penalty shot before Zac Crenshaw wrapped the action with a goal to make it a final 14-6 USC win.
NOTABLE:
– Three players scored their first career goals as Trojans in USC’s opener vs. Long Beach State: Stefan Brankovic, Robert López Duart and Jack Martin.
– Herzer tallied the 10th double-digit save of his career with 11 stops in USC’s win over Long Beach State.
#4 USC 20, Cal State Fullerton 6
In their second season back in action, the Titans scored early on a 6-on-5, only to see the Trojans strike off on a 6-0 scoring rally to lead it 7-1 in the second period. USC would lead it 10-3 by halftime, and the Trojans would craft another 6-0 rally in the second half. That surge featured the first career goal by freshman Taj Whitehead, while junior Jack Vort worked his way to a career-high hat trick as USC built out a 17-4 advantage. By the final buzzer, redshirt freshman Chase Landa and true freshman Ben Mirisch also had hammered home their first goals as the Trojans topped off a 20-6 win over the Titans to go to 2-0 on the year.
NOTABLE:
– Against CSF, three Trojans scored their first career goals: Chase Landa, Ben Mirisch and Taj Whitehead.
– With three goals vs. CSF, Jack Vort matched his career high.
– With two goals vs. CSF, Spencer Averitt set a new career high.
– USC’s meeting with Cal State Fullerton was the first against the Titans since 1986. CSF restarted its men’s water polo program in 2023.
#4 USC 18, #8 UC Davis 12
It was a tight affair against the Aggies until Kranz stepped in. The score tied up three times in the first frame, and USC edged ahead 4-3 when Kranz found López Duart for the go-ahead finish just before the end of the first. To kick off the second, Kranz scored three straight goals to match his career high. He faked and fired to finish off a USC 6-on-5 first, then issued a field block and topped off the ensuing counterattack to make it a 6-3 USC lead. Twenty seconds later, Kranz took a pass from Ausmus and hammered home another counter, fueling what would grow to be a five-goal USC scoring rally to take control of things. USC poured on eight goals in the second period to lead it 12-6 at halftime, then stayed largely in stride with UC Davis in the second half to secure the win. López Duart set his USC high mark with four goals scored in the 18-12 win, while Nelson matched Kranz’s career high with a hat trick in the victory.
NOTABLE:
– With three goals vs. UC Davis, Carson Kranz matched his career high.
– With three goals vs. UC Davis, Luke Nelson set a new career high.
#4 USC 21, Westcliff 6
Hours later, USC squared off against Westcliff to wrap things up in La Jolla. That one also featured new career highs for a trio of Trojans. Jake Carter and Zac Crenshaw each delivered three goals for the Trojan cause in the 21-6 win, while Landa notched his first multiple-goal game as a Trojan with two. USC utilized a searing second period of play to take control, outscoring the Warriors 7-0 in that frame to craft an 11-2 halftime advantage. Eric Hubner covered the cage for the Trojans in this one, making 12 saves along the way.
NOTABLE:
– With three goals vs. Westcliff, Jake Carter set a new career high.
– With three goals vs. Westcliff, Zac Crenshaw set a new career high.
– With two goals vs. Westcliff, Chase Landa set a new career high.
– With two goals scored on Sunday, Max Miller now holds 98 career goals.
– With three goals scored on Sunday, Carson Kranz now holds 99 career goals.
– Four Trojans — Grgurevic, López Duart, Martin and Miller — scored at least one goal in all four of USC’s games at the Triton Invitational.
ROBERT MAKES HIS MPSF MARK
USC not only grabbed four wins in its first weekend of work in 2024, the Trojans are also 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 MPSF West Newcomer of the Week 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 over the Beach 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.
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 mountain 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.
