University Southern California Trojans
Top-Seeded Trojans Go For Four
December 03, 2008 | Men's Water Polo
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Dec. 3, 2008
THIS WEEK: USC has its sights set on national championship number four this weekend. Undefeated and fresh off its second straight MPSF Championship, the Trojans are the top seed in this year's NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. USC makes its 23rd appearance in the NCAA tourney and is riding a 27-game winning streak. The undefeated Trojans (27-0) will open the 2008 NCAA Tournament in a semifinal match against fourth-seeded Navy (20-9) at 5 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 6), while No. 2 seeded tournament host Stanford (24-5) faces No. 3 seed Loyola Marymount (20-9) at 6:45 p.m. that day at Avery Aquatic Center. The third-place game will be played at 1 p.m. the following day, just before national championship dreams get put on the line with the NCAA title match set for 3 p.m. on Sunday (Dec. 7). The championship game will be televised live by CBS College Sports Network.
RANKINGS: Undefeated USC took over the top spot in the national poll after claiming the NorCal Tournament title, now ranking No. 1 in the nation for the 11th straight week.
TROJANS SWEEP 2008 ALL-MPSF AWARDS
THIS TIME LAST YEAR: USC was once again the top seed in the 2007 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 boasted the top defense in the nation for the third straight year, allowing 5.8 goals against per game, and had a balanced offense that averaged 10.7 goals per game at the hands of an average of seven different scorers. USC opened the tournament with an 8-4 win over Navy in the semifinals to advance to a third straight national championship match and the second straight against California. The Bears got the win and the title, however, beating USC 8-6 in the final to close the Trojans' 2007 season with a 19-3 overall record. Tommy Corcoran and J.W. Krumpholz were named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
AND NOW...: This year, USC is undefeated as its makes its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance and aims at a fourth straight trip to the national championship game. For the fourth consecutive season, USC leads the nation in team defense, allowing just 4.59 goals against per game. USC's offense averages 11.8 goals per game, and again boasts a balanced attack in which 20 different Trojans have scored this season and they average almost eight different scorers per game. J.W. Krumpholz leads USC in scoring with 41 goals (1.5 gpg), and Joel Dennerley is the Trojans' go-to goalie with 8.82 saves and 4.33 goals-against per game. USC is outscoring its opponents 319-124 this year.
THE CONTENDERS: USC's semifinal opponent Navy (20-9) qualified for the third straight year as the Collegiate Water Polo Association champion. No. 2 seed Stanford (24-5) got the at-large berth after taking third at the MPSF Tournament. Third-seeded LMU (20-9) will make its second consecutive NCAA appearance as the champion out of the Western Water Polo Association.
THE MATCHUPS: USC is 10-0 all-time (6-0 in NCAA Tournament play) against Navy. The Trojans and the Midshipmen last clashed in the 2006 NCAA Semifinals, when USC posted a 20-3 win over Navy to advance to the NCAA final. With three wins over Stanford this season, USC holds a 46-54 all-time record against the Cardinal, with a 5-3 record against Stanford during NCAA Tournament play. USC and Stanford played to a 3-2 Trojan victory in the 2005 NCAA Championship game. This year, USC had notched 10-3, 8-7 (OT) and 6-5 wins over the Cardinal. Against third-seeded LMU, USC is a perfect 15-0 (1-0 in NCAA Tournament) after getting a 10-9 win in sudden-death and an 8-4 win over the Lions earlier this season. USC faced LMU in the 2007 NCAA semifinals and posted an 8-4 win to move into last year's title match.
BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS: With USC's undefeated record hanging in the balance and the MPSF Tournament championship on the line last weekend in Malibu, junior Shea Buckner rifled in a buzzer-beater to erase all doubts for the USC. The USC defense had lived up to its billing once again, holding host Pepperdine to just two goals in the conference title match. The Trojan offense, meanwhile, came up with just what it needed exactly when it was needed, as USC edged out the Waves with a 3-2 win. The 2008 MPSF Championship marks the sixth all-time conference crown for the Trojans. This year, USC has now captured four tournament titles, with one more within reach as the undefeated Trojans will be aiming for its fourth national championship this weekend. The Trojans have won tournament titles this year at the Triton Invitational, the SoCal Tournament, the NorCal Tournament and now the 2008 MPSF Tournament.
CLEAN SWEEP: USC closed out its second undefeated regular season in three seasons with a two last road wins during the Trojans' final push toward the postseason. After picking up a 22-2 win at UC Santa Cruz on the hands of 14 different scorers on Nov. 14, USC went over to Stanford and pocketed the top seed for the conference tournament by finishing off the Cardinal with a 6-5 comeback effort to wrap up the MPSF regular season. Joel Dennerley turned away 13 Stanford shots in the win, including a final 6-on-5 chance by the Cardinal to lock away the win and another MPSF Player of the Week honor for the freshman goalie. Peter Kurzeka and Justin Rappel each had a pair of goals for the Trojans in the victory.
SEWING UP SOCAL: USC emerged victorious for the sixth straight time at the competitive SoCal Tournament this year, topping No. 5 California 12-7 in the semifinal before pulling out an 8-7 overtime win over No. 3 Stanford in the championship game on a game-winning goal from Arjan Ligtenberg in the first period of overtime. The SoCal title made it three straight tournament wins for the Trojans this season. USC won out at the Triton Invitation to open the year, and then went on to win its fourth consecutive NorCal Tournament championship before claiming another SoCal Tournament crown. On the first day of tournament play, USC topped Pomona-Pitzer and UC Santa Barbara to move into the semifinal clash with Cal, which was the first meeting between the two teams since the 2007 NCAA championship game.
FOUR IN THE NORTH: The Trojans' fourth consecutive NorCal crown came as USC allowed a tournament all-time low 10 goals in four games, capped off with a tight 6-5 win over UCLA in the title match. Matt Sagehorn served up the championship-winning strike, scoring with just one second left in regulation against the Bruins to claim victory for the Trojans. USC entered the championship game having allowed only two goals on the first day of tournament play wins over Air Force and UC Irvine. In the semifinals, USC registered its biggest win over Stanford since 1996 with a 10-3 victory that put the Trojans up against UCLA.
STRIKING SILVER: USC junior J.W. Krumpholz helped spark the United States men's water polo team to a largely unexpected medal finish at the 2008 Olympic Games this summer. The youngest member of Team USA, Krumpholz became one of only two USC men's water polo players to win an Olympic medal. He returned from Beijing just in time for the Trojan season, and has been a powerful force back in collegiate waters, leading USC in scoring with 41 goals so far this year.
DENNERLEY'S DEBUT: USC freshman goalie Joel Dennerley wasted little time making a name for himself at Troy. In his first weekend of competition as a Trojan, Dennerley opened with a shutout effort in three periods played against Pacific on the first day of the Triton Invitational. On the second day, Dennerley had 14 saves in a sudden-death semifinal win over LMU and had nine saves in the championship game -- another overtime effort ending in a win over Pepperdine -- for a count of 33 saves in three games. Dennerley has hauled in at least 10 saves in 10 separate games this year, and currently is averaging 8.42 saves and 4.33 goals against per game for the Trojans.
TRIPLE THREAT: On the hands of 20 different scorers, the USC offense has compiled 319 goals through an undefeated 27 games this season. That count almost triples the number of goals allowed by the Trojans, who are outscoring opponents 319-124 so far in 2008. USC boasts the No. 3 scoring offense in the nation with 12.03 gpg. Defensively, USC's 4.59 goals-allowed per game mark ranks the Trojans No. 1 in the nation -- a spot they've monopolized in the previous three seasons as well.
FINAL WORD: USC has a set of seven players who know nothing but NCAA title match appearances since splashing down at Troy. Seniors Arjan Ligtenberg and Jovan Vranes have been in the pool for the past three national championship games, including the 2005 NCAA Championship victory. Juniors Anthony Artukovich, J.W. Krumpholz, Justin Rappel, Matt Sagehorn, Nico Sardo and Jordan Thompson have done it twice in their two seasons at Troy.
HOME POOL ADVANTAGE: USC finished off the 2008 home season holding a 33-game win streak in the home waters of McDonald's Swim Stadium, having gone undefeated at home for four straight seasons.
FIRST LOOK: Five USC freshmen are seeing playing time in their first year at Troy, and have already gotten in on the scoring attack as Trojans. Peter Kurzeka leads the way with 28 goals. Kevin May has added 13 goals; Elliott Samuels has eight; Matthew Burton has five; and Cem Carak has tallied four.
JUNIOR NATION: USC's junior class is a hefty one. Headlined by 2008 Olympic silver medalist J.W. Krumpholz, the group also boasts U.S. Senior Team members Shea Buckner and Matt Sagehorn. Krumpholz and Sagehorn, along with fellow juniors Anthony Artukovich, Justin Rappel and Nico Sardo also served as members of the U.S. Junior National Team at the 2007 FINA Junior World Championships, where Team USA took sixth place. Last year, the group of seven now-juniors including Jordan Thompson provided 55 percent of USC's total offense.
REGAINING BALANCE: Helping to lead the Trojan offense to its 19-3 mark last season was a balanced scoring attack. Leading scorers Matt Sagehorn and Shea Buckner are both back as USC's top sharpshooters, having combined for 62 goals last season as sophomores. Senior Jovan Vranes still wields one of the hardest shots in the game, and USC's offensive onslaught is bolstered further by its powerful junior class as well as sophomores Devon Borisoff and Kyle Sterling and newcomers Peter Kurzeka, Kevin May, Cem Carak, Elliott Samuels and Matthew Burton. All told, USC returns 70 percent of its scoring from last season.
CAGE FIGHTERS: As ferocious and deep as USC's offensive firepower has been, the Trojans' staple for years now has been on the defensive end. USC has led the nation defensively in the past three seasons, and that foundation looks equally solid once again. Joel Dennerley joins the Trojan roster as a freshman goalie with experience on the Australian Junior National Team. Senior Ben Weil has served as a capable backup to Shilling, and the goalie corps continues to run deep with Will Cherashore, Tyler McManigal and Brett Giery in the cage.
2007 RECAP: The Trojans pushed through to their third straight appearance in the NCAA championship game after claiming the 2007 MPSF Championship title -- USC's fifth all-time MPSF crown. In the national championship game, USC came up short again of California in an 8-6 loss that left the Trojans with a 19-3 overall record. Six Trojans were named All-Americans at the close of the 2007 season: Tommy Corcoran, Adam Shilling, Matt Sagehorn, J.W. Krumpholz, Shea Buckner and Gabor Sarusi. Shilling also was named a finalist for the Peter J. Cutino Award.
