This Saturday, the USC-Stanford rivalry will be in full swing, but not just on the Coliseum grass.
At 2:30 p.m. in the McDonald's Swim Stadium pool, Jovan Vavic's three-time defending National Championship men's water polo team (13-2) will face off against the No. 3 ranked Cardinal (14-3) in what will surely be the Trojans' toughest home match to date.
Earlier this season, Stanford proved to be a genuine thorn in the side of USC's pursuit of an historic fourth straight title. In the SoCal Tournament (which USC had won each of the eight previous years) semifinals on October 2, the Cardinal stunned the Trojans en route to a 6-4 victory.
"We felt we were just good enough to show up and we didn't really prepare the way we should have," senior driver Peter Kurzeka (pictured above by Daily Trojan) said on the loss. "We took it lightly and didn't put much in to how they would go about attacking us. Our offense didn't click, and we didn't know where to go from there."
The second-ranked Trojans have had some success this season against their MPSF rival, routing the Cardinal 12-5 on September 18.
"It's great to play these top teams in the MPSF as much as we do," said Kurzeka, who leads the team with 26 goals. "When you are playing the best of the best three or four times a season, and every match is close, it's great preparation for the NCAA tournament. Gaining that type of experience throughout the season will prove pivotal for us when it comes down to championship time."
So, whether you are waking up early for College GameDay or are heading to campus to tailgate for Family Weekend, the Men of Troy would love nothing more than to play with a real home pool advantage for their all-important rubber match with The Farm.
"If you are out on campus having a good time, why not stop by and watch the nation's best battle it out in the pool," sophomore two-meter Jeremy Davie said. "We will definitely provide some good entertainment, and there will still be plenty of time to go watch football afterwards."
