University Southern California Trojans
No. 1 USC Takes Aim At A Fourth NCAA Title
November 27, 2007 | Men's Water Polo
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Nov. 27, 2007
THIS WEEK: The Trojans are back to No. 1 status this week, riding into the upcoming NCAA Tournament as the top seed for the third straight season. Armed with an 18-2 overall record and a five-game win streak after capturing their fifth MPSF Tournament championship last weekend, the Trojans are in hot pursuit of their fourth national championship. USC opens the tourney against No. 4 seed LMU (13-15) for a 12 p.m. semifinal match on Saturday (Dec. 1) at host Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center. Meanwhile, No. 2 seeded Cal (26-4), which earned the at-large bid into NCAA play, will face No. 3 seed Navy (29-5) at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday. The final day of action heats up with the third-place game set for 12 p.m. and the national title match at 2 p.m.
RANKINGS: The Trojans have powered back up to the No. 1 slot in the national polls in the last two weeks, ahead of second-seeded California. Third-seeded Navy ranks No. 9 in the nation, and the tournament's fourth seed LMU ranks No. 11.
THIS TIME LAST YEAR: USC came up less than a second short of claiming back-to-back NCAA titles when Cal managed a buzzer-beater to edge the Trojans 7-6 in the 2007 national championship game. USC had topped Navy 20-3 in the NCAA semifinals to move into their second straight title match and were pushing the game into overtime before the Bears' slipped in a half-court try just before the final horn. Seniors Juan Delgadillo and Thomas Hale were joined by junior Tommy Corcoran on the All-Tournament first team, and senior Pavol Valovic and junior Adam Shilling were named to the second team.
AND NOW...: This year, USC is once again the top seed in the NCAA Tournament, having been seeded No. 1 in 2005 when the Trojans last won the national title, and again in 2006. As the MPSF Tournament champion, USC secured the automatic berth into the 2007 NCAA Tournament, bringing an 18-2 overall record and a five-game winning streak. The Trojans boast the top defense in the nation, allowing 5.8 goals against per game, and have a supremely balanced offense that averages 10.7 goals per game at the hands of an average of seven different scorers. Matt Sagehorn leads the Trojans in scoring with 35 goals (1.75 per game), and goalie Adam Shilling has 157 saves this season and a goals-against average of 5.7. USC has outscored opponents 214-116 this season.
THE CONTENDERS: USC's semifinal opponent LMU (13-15) qualified as the automatic bid out of the Western Water Polo Association; second-seeded Cal (26-4) is the at-large team out of the MPSF after a first-place finish in the regular season; and third-seeded Navy (29-5) qualified for its second straight NCAA appearance as the Collegiate Water Polo Association champ.
THE MATCHUPS: USC is 12-0 all-time (2-0 in NCAA Tournament play) against LMU, having beaten the Lions 9-4 in the 2007 season opener and then 11-3 in the SoCal Tournament this season. The Trojans are also 10-0 all-time against Navy, last facing in the 2006 NCAA Semifinals where USC posted a 20-3 win to extend an NCAA win streak against Navy to six straight. Against MPSF foe California, USC is 43-50-2 all-time. The Trojans and the Bears have split this season, with USC winning 9-8 in the final of the NorCal Tournament and then falling 10-9 during MPSF play. USC is 2-5 against the Bears in NCAA Tournament play after last year's loss in the national championship game.
MPSF TOURNEY RECAP: USC claimed its fifth MPSF Tournament title with three solid wins at the conference tourney in Berkeley. The Trojans opened with a 10-7 win over UC Santa Barbara to move into the semifinals. There, USC utilized another dominating effort in building an eight-goal lead during the third period on the way to a 10-6 victory over Stanford -- USC's fourth of the year over the Cardinal. In both those games, USC outscored their opponent 5-0 in the third period to move on and punch a ticket to the MPSF final. UC Irvine had dished up an uipset of top seed Cal in the other semifinal, putting the Trojans up against the Anteaters in the championship. In that one, USC moved ahead early, taking a 6-2 lead at halftime on the way to a 10-6 victory that held the Trojans as the tournament champions and secured the automatid bid into the Trojans' 22nd NCAA appearance. Matt Sagehorn led USC in scoring in all three games at the tournament, notching three straight hat tricks to boost the sophomore's season total to 35. Sagehorn was named to the MPSF All-Tournament Team along with seniors Tommy Corcoran (4 goals in tournament play) and Adam Shilling (16 saves in tournament play).
SAGEHORN'S SURGE: Sophomore driver Matt Sagehorn has really turned things on offensively in this second half of the 2007 season. Always a consistent contributor, Sagehorn has picked up the pace even further. With a hat trick in all three games at the MPSF Tournament, he has extended his double-digit scoring streak to 10 consecutive matches, giving Sagehorn 29 goals in that stretch of the 2007 season for a current season total of 35 to lead the Trojans.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: The Trojans boast the top defense in the nation for the third straight season, having allowed opponents and average of only 5.8 goals per game thanks to a stingy effort in the field and from goalies Adam Shilling and Will Cherashore. Shilling's time in the cage has seen a MPSF-best of 5.7 goals against per game. Season-low defensive stands include a full-game shutout of UC Santa Cruz and a two-goal outing by Stanford on Oct. 6 that garnered Shilling the nod as MPSF Mikasa Co-Player of the Week with 10 saves in the win.
DEPTH CHARGE: A whopping 13 different Trojans got to the back of the net in USC's most decisive win since 1998. USC pinned up a 22-0 win over UC Santa Cruz on Sept. 15, notching the first career shared shutout for goalies Adam Shilling and Will Cherashore. The last time USC blew out a team by at least 22 goals was a 28-3 win over UC Davis in 1998. USC's scoring balance expanded even further at the SoCal Tournament, as 14 different Trojans scored in a 19-1 win over Redlands on Oct. 13. To date, 19 players have tallied scores with 10 different players leading the team in scoring in the first 10 games.
FAMILIAR FACES: There are a few faces lined up on the Trojan bench that fans haven't seen in action for a while; but all three have NCAA title-winning experience Injuries have kept Joe Cosentino and Trevor Clark out of the pool for a season or two, respectively, but both are working on a comeback this year. After winning a national championship in 2005, a shoulder injury and heart surgery took him out of the lineup through 2006. Cosentino got back in the water against LMU on Sept. 8 and scored his first goal of the year on Sept. 15. Owner of the 2003 NCAA title-winning goal, Clark is still battling injuries, but made his return to the pool known on Saturday against Pepperdine with his first goal of the year in his first game back. He has since added eight more goals, giving the senior 45 career goals at USC.
BACK FOR MORE: A year ago, eight USC newcomers were making their Trojan debuts. Those fresh faces saw a lot in their first year, helping push USC into the NCAA final. Now well-seasoned returners, those Trojans add their experienced talent to the 2007 charge. Plan on seeing plenty of dominant depth in the form of Trojans in their second year of action - Anthony Artukovich, J.W. Krumpholz, Justin Rappel, Matt Sagehorn, Nico Sardo, Gabor Sarusi, Jordan Thompson and Drew Vyn. Those eight have combined for 128 of USC's 214 goals so far this year.
INTERNATIONAL WATERS: Six Trojans expanded their roles in the international water polo scene over the summer, spending the bulk of their time training and competing with the U.S. Junior National Team at tournaments in Europe and at the 2007 FINA Junior World Championships, where Team USA took sixth place. Anthony Artukovich, J.W. Krumpholz, Arjan Ligtenberg, Justin Rappel, Matt Sagehorn and Nico Sardo all were key members of the U.S. junior team. Krumpholz and Ligtenberg are also lined up alongside fellow Trojan Shea Buckner for double duty as members of the training roster for the U.S. Senior National Team.
HOME POOL DOMINATION: The home waters of McDonald's Swim Stadium have provided smooth sailing for USC for the past two seasons now. The Trojans finished off 2005 with a perfect 9-0 record at home, and they went 13-0 at home in 2006 to hold a 22-game win streak in their home pool. That streak is now at 27 straight after closing out its third consecutive undefeated home run with a 5-0 mark at McDonald's after topping UC Irvine last week.
SENIOR STRENGTH: Two-time All-Americans Tommy Corcoran and Adam Shilling are two of five seniors on the roster, joined by two 2006 transfers who made immediate impacts -- left-handed driver Drew Vyn and two-meter Gabor Sarusi -- and returning star Trevor Clark. Clark served up the game-winning goal for the Trojans in their 2003 NCAA championship as a freshman, and after two injury-plagued seasons is working his way back in the pool for his senior season.
DIVING RIGHT IN: Only one true freshman is capped up for action this season -- a testament to the experienced depth on the Trojan roster this year. That standout fresh face is Devon Borisoff, a U.S. Youth National teamer who boasts such strong all-around talent that coach Jovan Vavic has entrusted him to plenty of playing time. Watch for Borisoff's dominating defensive skills and speed on the counterattack.
GABOR GOT IT: After a career day at the NorCal Tournament, USC senior Gabor Sarusi earned his first career award as the MPSF Mikasa Player of the Week on Sept. 18, becoming the first Trojan this season to win the honor. Sarusi came up huge for the Trojans in the championship game of the competitive NorCal Tournament, scoring a career-high three goals, including the game-winning penalty shot to get USC a big win over host California. Sarusi scored once in the second period and twice in the fourth. After Tommy Corcoran earned a penalty shot with 5 seconds left, Sarusi took the 5-meter strike and nailed it to get the win, along with his first career hat trick. He also had two assists in the game. Sarusi finished the tournament with five goals for the undefeated Trojans.
SHEA'S DAY: His USC career may just be getting underway, but sophomore transfer Shea Buckner made his opener as a Trojan a career day, punching in four goals in a win over LMU. As a freshman at Cal, Buckner hit the four-goal mark twice before opting to transfer to USC after that season. He hit his career mark again in the final of the SoCal Tournament on Oct. 14, punching in four against Stanford following a two-goal effort against UCLA in the semi to help USC notch its fifth straight SoCal tourney title and earn Buckner his first career MPSF Mikasa Player of the Week honor.
WELL-CENTERED: Trevor Clark is one member of USC's ferociously deep staff of two-meter men along with fellow senior Tommy Corcoran. Back in the center slot as well are U.S. Senior National teamers J.W. Krumpholz, Shea Buckner and Arjan Ligtenberg. That highly skilled group is bulked up by several more versatile centers with the ability to provide both offensive surges and defensive strongholds at set, namely Gabor Sarusi, Jovan Vranes, Jordan Thompson and freshman U.S. Youth National Team player Devon Borisoff.
