Sunday, November 19
Stanford, CA
1:00 PM
USC
7
vs
5
UCLA
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water PoloTrojans Top Bruins For Back-to-Back MPSF Championships
November 19, 2017 | Men's Water Polo, Features
USC beats UCLA 7-5 and secures the automatic ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
PALO ALTO, CALIF. — The No. 4 seeded USC men's water polo never trailed in today's MPSF Championship bout with rival UCLA, holding the No. 3 seeded Bruins at bay on the way to a 7-5 victory that secured the Trojans' second straight MPSF Tournament title. Now with 11 MPSF crowns to its name and gripping a 25-3 overall record on the year, USC also has officially sewn up an automatic bid into the coming NCAA Tournament, which the Trojans will host Dec. 2-3 at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
The Trojans delivered the first three goals of the game, hinting at their focus and determination to lock up that ticket to the tourney. The opening goal saw Matteo Morelli's shot slam the bar, and the rebound knocked off a UCLA defender and back into the goal to take the Trojans to a 1-0 lead. That score would stand through to the end of the frame, and then USC jumped out ahead farther in the early goings of the second. Marko Vavic would find James Walters at the post for a 6-on-5 finish that made it 2-0 Trojans in the first minute of the second period. Less than a minute later, Blake Edwards proved too strong for the UCLA defense, with his powerful shot bouncing off defenders to nudge USC ahead 3-0. The Bruins would get on the board on their next possession, but USC was undeterred. After Lachlan Edwards earned a power play for his Trojans, Lazar Pasuljevic sailed a cross to Grant Stein, who slotted his shot crosscage to make it 4-1 Trojans. UCLA would get a skipper to go with 2:17 on the clock, and the game would sit at 4-2 USC for halftime.
In the third, UCLA opened the frame with a strike that made it a one-goal margin, but USC regrouped soon after. Again, Edwards got USC up on a 6-on-5, and just after teams pulled even it was Thomas Dunstan who found Morelli for a quick fake and the the rifle shot to make it 5-3 USC at 5:38. UCLA wasn't going away, however, landing a lob that had it as a 5-4 margin at the end of the third. The first stretch of the fourth was a defensive stalemate. With 3:15 to go, USC goalie McQuin Baron made one of his 11 saves on the day to send his Trojans on the attack. There, Morelli hit Blake Edwards for a ripper to the low corner, and USC had a 6-4 advantage with 2:53 remaining. Barely 10 seconds later, UCLA struck right back, making it a one-goal game once more with 2:42 on the clock. USC's defense would made a stand from there, with Marin Dasic putting up a clutch field block to turn away the Bruins at 1:51. Lachlan Edwards earned yet another power play for the Trojans, then received a no-look pass from brother Blake Edwards and hammered home the opportunity to get USC ahead 7-5 with 1:07 to go. UCLA had a chance to cut in, but Baron stepped up to stop the Bruins' 6-on-5 strike, and the Trojans held tight to their 7-5 advantage to lock in the victory.
USC now awaits the announcement of the 2017 NCAA Tournament field, which is due out later today (Nov. 19). The Trojans are set up to host the NCAA Semifinals and Championship game Dec. 2-3 at Uytengsu Aquatics Center, where USC has plans to reach a 13th straight NCAA final and lay claim to the program's 10th national championship.
MPSF CHAMPIONSHIP
[4] USC 7, [3] UCLA 5
Nov. 19, 2017 | Palo Alto, Calif. (Avery Aquatics Center)
USC 1 - 3 - 1 - 2 - 7
UCLA 0 - 2 - 2 - 1 = 5
SCORING:
USC — Matteo Morelli 2, Blake Edwards 2, James Walters, Grant Stein, Lachlan Edwards
UCLA — Irving, Grover 2, Sapevic? 2.
SAVES: McQuin Baron (USC) 11, Alex Wolf (UCLA) 5.
The Trojans delivered the first three goals of the game, hinting at their focus and determination to lock up that ticket to the tourney. The opening goal saw Matteo Morelli's shot slam the bar, and the rebound knocked off a UCLA defender and back into the goal to take the Trojans to a 1-0 lead. That score would stand through to the end of the frame, and then USC jumped out ahead farther in the early goings of the second. Marko Vavic would find James Walters at the post for a 6-on-5 finish that made it 2-0 Trojans in the first minute of the second period. Less than a minute later, Blake Edwards proved too strong for the UCLA defense, with his powerful shot bouncing off defenders to nudge USC ahead 3-0. The Bruins would get on the board on their next possession, but USC was undeterred. After Lachlan Edwards earned a power play for his Trojans, Lazar Pasuljevic sailed a cross to Grant Stein, who slotted his shot crosscage to make it 4-1 Trojans. UCLA would get a skipper to go with 2:17 on the clock, and the game would sit at 4-2 USC for halftime.
In the third, UCLA opened the frame with a strike that made it a one-goal margin, but USC regrouped soon after. Again, Edwards got USC up on a 6-on-5, and just after teams pulled even it was Thomas Dunstan who found Morelli for a quick fake and the the rifle shot to make it 5-3 USC at 5:38. UCLA wasn't going away, however, landing a lob that had it as a 5-4 margin at the end of the third. The first stretch of the fourth was a defensive stalemate. With 3:15 to go, USC goalie McQuin Baron made one of his 11 saves on the day to send his Trojans on the attack. There, Morelli hit Blake Edwards for a ripper to the low corner, and USC had a 6-4 advantage with 2:53 remaining. Barely 10 seconds later, UCLA struck right back, making it a one-goal game once more with 2:42 on the clock. USC's defense would made a stand from there, with Marin Dasic putting up a clutch field block to turn away the Bruins at 1:51. Lachlan Edwards earned yet another power play for the Trojans, then received a no-look pass from brother Blake Edwards and hammered home the opportunity to get USC ahead 7-5 with 1:07 to go. UCLA had a chance to cut in, but Baron stepped up to stop the Bruins' 6-on-5 strike, and the Trojans held tight to their 7-5 advantage to lock in the victory.
USC now awaits the announcement of the 2017 NCAA Tournament field, which is due out later today (Nov. 19). The Trojans are set up to host the NCAA Semifinals and Championship game Dec. 2-3 at Uytengsu Aquatics Center, where USC has plans to reach a 13th straight NCAA final and lay claim to the program's 10th national championship.
MPSF CHAMPIONSHIP
[4] USC 7, [3] UCLA 5
Nov. 19, 2017 | Palo Alto, Calif. (Avery Aquatics Center)
USC 1 - 3 - 1 - 2 - 7
UCLA 0 - 2 - 2 - 1 = 5
SCORING:
USC — Matteo Morelli 2, Blake Edwards 2, James Walters, Grant Stein, Lachlan Edwards
UCLA — Irving, Grover 2, Sapevic? 2.
SAVES: McQuin Baron (USC) 11, Alex Wolf (UCLA) 5.
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