USC men's water polo finished third at the Kap7 NorCal Invitational in Palo Alto this weekend. No. 4 Stanford handed No. 2 USC its first loss of the season in a narrow, 6-5, semifinal victory on Sunday afternoon, forcing the Trojans into a battle for third against No. 3 California later that day.
The Golden Bears and Trojans were neck-and-neck for the first three periods of the match, with USC leading by only one goal (8-7) to start the fourth. Quick scores from James Walters (pictured, from 2014), and brothers Blake and Lachlan Edwards gave the Trojans a comfortable, 11-7, lead. Cal would get two more in before Chase Koplow sealed their fate in the final minute with USC's 12th goal.
With the win, USC moves to 9-1 on the season and now looks to its game against Long Beach State on Saturday. The 7:00 p.m. game is the Trojans' MPSF and home opener. Those who can't make it to the Uytengsu Aquatics Center can watch the game live on Pac-12 Networks.
