University Southern California Trojans
Friday, November 17
Stanford, CA
10:00 AM
USC
vs
Penn State-Behrend
Players Mentioned
Goalie
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Utility
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Photo by: Trevor Sochocki
Trojans Take No. 4 Seed Into 2017 MPSF Tournament In Palo Alto
November 15, 2017 | Men's Water Polo, Features
USC looks to make a power move to claim back-to-back MPSF tourney titles and secure a spot in NCAA action.
THIS WEEK
USC sets up for the 2017 MPSF Tournament, hosted by Stanford, with the Trojans holding the No. 4 seed at the event. That puts USC (22-3) up against Penn State Behrend (6-12) in a 10 a.m. opener on Friday (Nov. 17) before taking on host Stanford (18-3) at 3 p.m. that afternoon. Two wins on Friday would put the Trojans in the MPSF final at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 19). A loss on Friday would relegate the Trojans to fight it out for a third-place finish. The tournament champion will secure an automatic bid into the coming NCAA Tournament, which USC will host Dec. 2-3.
RANKINGS
USC started its 2017 journey holding strong at No. 2 in the preseason national rankings. The Trojans wrapped 2016 at No. 2 in the land after reaching the NCAA final for the 12th consecutive season. After standing at No. 2 for the first five weeks of 2017 competition, USC climbed to No. 1 in the nation on Oct. 4. The Trojans dropped out of the top spot on Nov. 8, and have since move to No. 4 in the latest national poll (released Nov. 15).
THIS TIME LAST YEAR
USC was 20-1 overall and the No. 1 seed in the 2016 MPSF Tournament, hosted by UCLA. The Trojans opened the event with a 9-5 victory over No. 4 seeded Stanford before posting a 10-0 win over MPSF newcomer Penn State Behrend that afternoon. That put USC on a 14-game win streak entering the title match against host UCLA. There, USC would pin up a 9-6 victory over the Bruins to claim the Trojans' 10th MPSF Tournament Championship. The Trojans jumped out to a 3-0 lead on their hosts, and No. 2 UCLA would get no closer than two goals the rest of the way as the Trojans muscled through to take the tourney title and the free ticket to the 2016 NCAA Tournament. USC goalie McQuin Baron was an all-out wall in the cage, finishing with 17 total saves to help anchor USC to the win and to later help earn Baron honors as the MPSF Tournament MVP. Trojans Nick Bell and Blake Edwards also earned spots on the MPSF All-Tournament Team.
AND NOW...
This year, the Trojans have the No. 4 seed in this 2017 MPSF Tournament after going1-2 during the MPSF regular season to hold an 22-3 overall record entering the postseason. It's USC's 10th consecutive 20-win season. USC needs a strong run in the tournament in order to secure a spot and a high seed in the coming NCAA Tournament, where the Trojans look to extend their 12-year streak of trips to the NCAA title match and raise the trophy for the first time since 2013. USC has won 10 MPSF Tournament championships to date, last winning it in 2016. The last time USC was the No. 4 seed in the MPSF Tournament was 2015, when the Trojans finished second at the MPSF tourney before going on to reach the NCAA final for the 11th straight year.
RECORD-BREAKING BARON
On Sept. 16 in USC's first-ever meeting with MIT, senior goalie McQuin Baron broke USC's all-time career saves record with his fifth save of the game. That notched Baron's 856th save to edge out previous leader Joel Dennerley, who had set the USC record during his senior season on Sept. 18, 2011 — almost exactly six years earlier. Baron already held the USC record for single-season saves, set his freshman year with 288 saves collected in 2014. Now with 1,023 career saves to his name, Baron has become just the second MPSF goalie to break the 1,000-save barrier in his career. As he continues to set his sights on anchoring the Trojans to a national championship, Baron also is hot on the trail of Pacific's Alex Malkis, who holds the MPSF record with 1,057 career saves from 2010-13.
CLIMB ON
While McQuin Baron tops the saves leaderboard at USC with his 1,023 career stops, a set of All-American senior sharpshooters are charging up the scoring charts. Blake Edwards has cracked the No. 10 all-time with 151 career goals. He's followed by Matteo Morelli and Grant Stein at No. 15 with 140 apiece. Just steps behind is Lachlan Edwards at No. 18 in USC history with 135. Fellow senior James Walters, meanwhile, has built his career count up to 91 goals, putting him in striking distance of the century mark as a Trojan.
ALL-AMERICAN EDGE
With eight All-Americans back in the water for 2017, USC head coach Jovan Vavic has more All-American talent than he has room for in his starting lineup. In that core group of decorated All-Americans, seven are seniors. Two of them are repeat team captains — James Walters and returning top scorer Blake Edwards — both two-time All-Americans. One is Cutino Award winner McQuin Baron, who will soon be taking over as USC's all-time saves leader. Three more Trojan All-Americans — Matteo Morelli, Lachlan Edwards and Grant Stein — accumulated over 100 combined goals last year. The seventh — standing out as the brains of the group — is NCAA Elite 90 Award winner Mihajlo Milicevic, who stars as a stingy defender for the Trojan cause. The only first-time All-American in the crew is on his way in to his second season at USC, as sophomore Matt Maier returns to the pool as the 2016 MPSF Newcomer of the Year.
BY THE NUMBERS
Now entering the 2017 postseason, the 22-3 Trojans have displayed widespread scoring ability. Twenty-one Trojans scored on USC's first day of action — a doubleheader at the UCLA Mini Invitational. Since then, freshman Marko Vavic now stands as the most prolific Trojan to date with 43 goals, followed by senior Blake Edwards with 41, seniors Matt Morelli and Grant Stein with 30 each and senior Lachlan Edwards with 27. Defensively, three goalies have capped up in the cage. McQuin Baron has appeared in 24 games, with double-digit saves in 10 games. He's averaging 10.4 saves and 5.6 goals-against per game. Will Rubschlager and Simon Wu have shared time in backup roles to Baron, combining for 45 saves. In all, USC has outscored opponents 389-147. As a team, USC ranks No. 1 in the MPSF in offense (15.56 gpg) and No. 2 in defense (5.88 gapg).
DEPTH CHARGE
As valuable as USC's sizeable senior class is, Jovan Vavic has his eyes on a few other returners as linchpins in this season's efforts. Now sophomores, Olympian Thomas Dunstan, MPSF Newcomer of the Year Matt Maier and FINA Junior World Championship silver medalist Marin Dasic are even more prepared to be impact players for the Trojans. Junior Zach D'Sa and redshirt sophomore Daniel Leong both had breakout seasons last year and are primed for major playing time in 2017. Redshirt junior Tim Leong has also maneuvered his way into an increased role, while redshirt sophomore Sam Slobodien, too, made major strides last season and during the summer, lining himself up for extra duty at the two-meter mark along with fellow centers Maier, James Walters and Lachlan Edwards. In all, the Trojans return 90 percent of their scoring production from last season as well as their entire goalkeeping corps.
NEW CREW
Among the talented Trojan youth movement, Vavic taps redshirt freshmen Luke Wyatt, Chas Hornecker and Luka Karaman and true freshmen Marko Vavic and Christian Hockenbury as the brightest stars who are seeing the benefits of their hard work and skills developed in the run-up to this 2017 campaign. At 6-foot-6 and with U.S. National Team experience, Vavic stands to be a quick and powerful fit into his father's gameplan. Marko is the third of head coach Jovan Vavic's children to cap up at USC, following in the footsteps of older brother Nikola and sister Monica, who won a combined five NCAA Championships as Trojans.
OPENING DAY
Twenty-one Trojans got on the scoresheets in USC's season-opening action at the UCLA Mini Invitational. Fifteen Trojans logged goals in each game as USC posted a 27-3 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps followed by a 24-3 win over Pomona-Pitzer. Along the way, five Trojans — Marko Vavic, Troy Furniss, Christian Emerson, Christian Hockenbury and Chas Hornecker — registered their first career goals at USC.
TROJAN TRAVELS
In July, the Trojans took a trip through international waters, soaking up some sun while splashing down in seas, pools and rivers across France, Italy, Croatia and Montenegro. The Trojans set up camp in Nice (France), Recco (Italy), Split (Croatia) and Herceg Novi (Montenegro) while scrimmaging local teams and training for the upcoming 2017 season back in the USA. That European adventure brought the entire USC squad together as a team, offering up invaluable opportunities to gel in the water and out. In fact, the last three USC teams to take a similar summer training trip to Europe came back to the USA and won the national championship that same year. It's a theme that bodes well for the 2017 Trojans, who boast a senior class that is 13 Trojans strong and who have 11 redshirt freshmen and newcomers lined up for their first official action this season.
AND NOW, THIS
Now in his 23rd year at the helm of the USC water polo program, Jovan Vavic has guided the Trojans to the NCAA title match every season for the past 12 years. He's captured seven championships during that stretch. Last season, USC manufactured a 24-2 overall record, losing just one road game during the regular season, winning the MPSF Championship and then falling in a frustrating NCAA final that went to overtime in its opponent's home pool. This year, the Trojans are lined up as host of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, set for Dec. 2-3 at USC's own Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The last time the Trojans hosted the national championship, they capped it off by hoisting the 2012 championship trophy. This year, USC aims to once again successfully defend the Trojans' home waters while adding a 10th NCAA trophy to the men's collection of championships.
MOUNTAIN PACIFIC INVITATIONAL RECAP
In the first game of the day at the 2017 Mountain Pacific Invitational at Uytengsu Aquatics Center, USC saw 12 Trojans score andle three USC goalies log time in the cage to help notch an 18-9 win over San José State. The next day, USC shrugged off a three-goal deficit in the quarterfinals and a two-goal hole in the semis to claim two tight comeback wins. The Trojans had to make a fourth-quarter comeback to beat No. 10 UC Irvine 10-9 in the quarters. The Anteaters had been up 9-6 on the Trojans entering the final eight minutes of regulation. With some key defensive stops, USC was able to generate a four-goal rally on scores from Matteo Morelli, Blake Edwards, Marko Vavic and Matt Maier to lift USC ahead 10-9 with 2:30 to go. USC's defense would step up for the rest, and the Trojans averted a dire situation to claim the comeback victory. That set up a rematch with No. 3 Stanford in the semis, where USC showed it still had some fight left to make a late move to beat the Cardinal 11-10. USC gripped a 3-1 lead in the first period of play, but would fall behind 8-7 entering the fourth. After a see-saw battle ensued to lock it up 10-10 entering the final minute, Morelli let loose a laser that put USC on top 11-10 with 28 ticks to go. Baron would come up big with a late save, and USC was able to hang on for the crucial comeback victory. Down by three goals with 4:13 left in Sunday's title match vs. UCLA, USC dug deep to carve the deficit down to one with 1:47 on the clock. Dunstan earned a power play for his Trojans, and Morelli served up his seventh assist of the tournament in finding Stein for a ripper that made it 12-10 at 3:07. After turning away the Bruins, USC got back on the attack, with Blake Edwards finding the hot-handed Stein for a sizzling skip that cut it to 12-11. Edwards would come up with a steal next, and USC called timeout with 1:20 to go. The referee's whistle would turn the ball back to the Bruins soon after, however, but Vavic was able to come up with a steal with 37 seconds left. Lachlan Edwards let loose a brilliant backhand, but it slammed the post, and USC's next try to equalize was off the mark. That left the ball in UCLA's hands for the final possession, and the Bruins opted to pad its lead with a last-second strike that finished things as a 13-11 UCLA win for USC's first loss of 2017.
USC sets up for the 2017 MPSF Tournament, hosted by Stanford, with the Trojans holding the No. 4 seed at the event. That puts USC (22-3) up against Penn State Behrend (6-12) in a 10 a.m. opener on Friday (Nov. 17) before taking on host Stanford (18-3) at 3 p.m. that afternoon. Two wins on Friday would put the Trojans in the MPSF final at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 19). A loss on Friday would relegate the Trojans to fight it out for a third-place finish. The tournament champion will secure an automatic bid into the coming NCAA Tournament, which USC will host Dec. 2-3.
RANKINGS
USC started its 2017 journey holding strong at No. 2 in the preseason national rankings. The Trojans wrapped 2016 at No. 2 in the land after reaching the NCAA final for the 12th consecutive season. After standing at No. 2 for the first five weeks of 2017 competition, USC climbed to No. 1 in the nation on Oct. 4. The Trojans dropped out of the top spot on Nov. 8, and have since move to No. 4 in the latest national poll (released Nov. 15).
THIS TIME LAST YEAR
USC was 20-1 overall and the No. 1 seed in the 2016 MPSF Tournament, hosted by UCLA. The Trojans opened the event with a 9-5 victory over No. 4 seeded Stanford before posting a 10-0 win over MPSF newcomer Penn State Behrend that afternoon. That put USC on a 14-game win streak entering the title match against host UCLA. There, USC would pin up a 9-6 victory over the Bruins to claim the Trojans' 10th MPSF Tournament Championship. The Trojans jumped out to a 3-0 lead on their hosts, and No. 2 UCLA would get no closer than two goals the rest of the way as the Trojans muscled through to take the tourney title and the free ticket to the 2016 NCAA Tournament. USC goalie McQuin Baron was an all-out wall in the cage, finishing with 17 total saves to help anchor USC to the win and to later help earn Baron honors as the MPSF Tournament MVP. Trojans Nick Bell and Blake Edwards also earned spots on the MPSF All-Tournament Team.
AND NOW...
This year, the Trojans have the No. 4 seed in this 2017 MPSF Tournament after going1-2 during the MPSF regular season to hold an 22-3 overall record entering the postseason. It's USC's 10th consecutive 20-win season. USC needs a strong run in the tournament in order to secure a spot and a high seed in the coming NCAA Tournament, where the Trojans look to extend their 12-year streak of trips to the NCAA title match and raise the trophy for the first time since 2013. USC has won 10 MPSF Tournament championships to date, last winning it in 2016. The last time USC was the No. 4 seed in the MPSF Tournament was 2015, when the Trojans finished second at the MPSF tourney before going on to reach the NCAA final for the 11th straight year.
RECORD-BREAKING BARON
On Sept. 16 in USC's first-ever meeting with MIT, senior goalie McQuin Baron broke USC's all-time career saves record with his fifth save of the game. That notched Baron's 856th save to edge out previous leader Joel Dennerley, who had set the USC record during his senior season on Sept. 18, 2011 — almost exactly six years earlier. Baron already held the USC record for single-season saves, set his freshman year with 288 saves collected in 2014. Now with 1,023 career saves to his name, Baron has become just the second MPSF goalie to break the 1,000-save barrier in his career. As he continues to set his sights on anchoring the Trojans to a national championship, Baron also is hot on the trail of Pacific's Alex Malkis, who holds the MPSF record with 1,057 career saves from 2010-13.
CLIMB ON
While McQuin Baron tops the saves leaderboard at USC with his 1,023 career stops, a set of All-American senior sharpshooters are charging up the scoring charts. Blake Edwards has cracked the No. 10 all-time with 151 career goals. He's followed by Matteo Morelli and Grant Stein at No. 15 with 140 apiece. Just steps behind is Lachlan Edwards at No. 18 in USC history with 135. Fellow senior James Walters, meanwhile, has built his career count up to 91 goals, putting him in striking distance of the century mark as a Trojan.
ALL-AMERICAN EDGE
With eight All-Americans back in the water for 2017, USC head coach Jovan Vavic has more All-American talent than he has room for in his starting lineup. In that core group of decorated All-Americans, seven are seniors. Two of them are repeat team captains — James Walters and returning top scorer Blake Edwards — both two-time All-Americans. One is Cutino Award winner McQuin Baron, who will soon be taking over as USC's all-time saves leader. Three more Trojan All-Americans — Matteo Morelli, Lachlan Edwards and Grant Stein — accumulated over 100 combined goals last year. The seventh — standing out as the brains of the group — is NCAA Elite 90 Award winner Mihajlo Milicevic, who stars as a stingy defender for the Trojan cause. The only first-time All-American in the crew is on his way in to his second season at USC, as sophomore Matt Maier returns to the pool as the 2016 MPSF Newcomer of the Year.
BY THE NUMBERS
Now entering the 2017 postseason, the 22-3 Trojans have displayed widespread scoring ability. Twenty-one Trojans scored on USC's first day of action — a doubleheader at the UCLA Mini Invitational. Since then, freshman Marko Vavic now stands as the most prolific Trojan to date with 43 goals, followed by senior Blake Edwards with 41, seniors Matt Morelli and Grant Stein with 30 each and senior Lachlan Edwards with 27. Defensively, three goalies have capped up in the cage. McQuin Baron has appeared in 24 games, with double-digit saves in 10 games. He's averaging 10.4 saves and 5.6 goals-against per game. Will Rubschlager and Simon Wu have shared time in backup roles to Baron, combining for 45 saves. In all, USC has outscored opponents 389-147. As a team, USC ranks No. 1 in the MPSF in offense (15.56 gpg) and No. 2 in defense (5.88 gapg).
DEPTH CHARGE
As valuable as USC's sizeable senior class is, Jovan Vavic has his eyes on a few other returners as linchpins in this season's efforts. Now sophomores, Olympian Thomas Dunstan, MPSF Newcomer of the Year Matt Maier and FINA Junior World Championship silver medalist Marin Dasic are even more prepared to be impact players for the Trojans. Junior Zach D'Sa and redshirt sophomore Daniel Leong both had breakout seasons last year and are primed for major playing time in 2017. Redshirt junior Tim Leong has also maneuvered his way into an increased role, while redshirt sophomore Sam Slobodien, too, made major strides last season and during the summer, lining himself up for extra duty at the two-meter mark along with fellow centers Maier, James Walters and Lachlan Edwards. In all, the Trojans return 90 percent of their scoring production from last season as well as their entire goalkeeping corps.
NEW CREW
Among the talented Trojan youth movement, Vavic taps redshirt freshmen Luke Wyatt, Chas Hornecker and Luka Karaman and true freshmen Marko Vavic and Christian Hockenbury as the brightest stars who are seeing the benefits of their hard work and skills developed in the run-up to this 2017 campaign. At 6-foot-6 and with U.S. National Team experience, Vavic stands to be a quick and powerful fit into his father's gameplan. Marko is the third of head coach Jovan Vavic's children to cap up at USC, following in the footsteps of older brother Nikola and sister Monica, who won a combined five NCAA Championships as Trojans.
OPENING DAY
Twenty-one Trojans got on the scoresheets in USC's season-opening action at the UCLA Mini Invitational. Fifteen Trojans logged goals in each game as USC posted a 27-3 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps followed by a 24-3 win over Pomona-Pitzer. Along the way, five Trojans — Marko Vavic, Troy Furniss, Christian Emerson, Christian Hockenbury and Chas Hornecker — registered their first career goals at USC.
TROJAN TRAVELS
In July, the Trojans took a trip through international waters, soaking up some sun while splashing down in seas, pools and rivers across France, Italy, Croatia and Montenegro. The Trojans set up camp in Nice (France), Recco (Italy), Split (Croatia) and Herceg Novi (Montenegro) while scrimmaging local teams and training for the upcoming 2017 season back in the USA. That European adventure brought the entire USC squad together as a team, offering up invaluable opportunities to gel in the water and out. In fact, the last three USC teams to take a similar summer training trip to Europe came back to the USA and won the national championship that same year. It's a theme that bodes well for the 2017 Trojans, who boast a senior class that is 13 Trojans strong and who have 11 redshirt freshmen and newcomers lined up for their first official action this season.
AND NOW, THIS
Now in his 23rd year at the helm of the USC water polo program, Jovan Vavic has guided the Trojans to the NCAA title match every season for the past 12 years. He's captured seven championships during that stretch. Last season, USC manufactured a 24-2 overall record, losing just one road game during the regular season, winning the MPSF Championship and then falling in a frustrating NCAA final that went to overtime in its opponent's home pool. This year, the Trojans are lined up as host of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, set for Dec. 2-3 at USC's own Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The last time the Trojans hosted the national championship, they capped it off by hoisting the 2012 championship trophy. This year, USC aims to once again successfully defend the Trojans' home waters while adding a 10th NCAA trophy to the men's collection of championships.
MOUNTAIN PACIFIC INVITATIONAL RECAP
In the first game of the day at the 2017 Mountain Pacific Invitational at Uytengsu Aquatics Center, USC saw 12 Trojans score andle three USC goalies log time in the cage to help notch an 18-9 win over San José State. The next day, USC shrugged off a three-goal deficit in the quarterfinals and a two-goal hole in the semis to claim two tight comeback wins. The Trojans had to make a fourth-quarter comeback to beat No. 10 UC Irvine 10-9 in the quarters. The Anteaters had been up 9-6 on the Trojans entering the final eight minutes of regulation. With some key defensive stops, USC was able to generate a four-goal rally on scores from Matteo Morelli, Blake Edwards, Marko Vavic and Matt Maier to lift USC ahead 10-9 with 2:30 to go. USC's defense would step up for the rest, and the Trojans averted a dire situation to claim the comeback victory. That set up a rematch with No. 3 Stanford in the semis, where USC showed it still had some fight left to make a late move to beat the Cardinal 11-10. USC gripped a 3-1 lead in the first period of play, but would fall behind 8-7 entering the fourth. After a see-saw battle ensued to lock it up 10-10 entering the final minute, Morelli let loose a laser that put USC on top 11-10 with 28 ticks to go. Baron would come up big with a late save, and USC was able to hang on for the crucial comeback victory. Down by three goals with 4:13 left in Sunday's title match vs. UCLA, USC dug deep to carve the deficit down to one with 1:47 on the clock. Dunstan earned a power play for his Trojans, and Morelli served up his seventh assist of the tournament in finding Stein for a ripper that made it 12-10 at 3:07. After turning away the Bruins, USC got back on the attack, with Blake Edwards finding the hot-handed Stein for a sizzling skip that cut it to 12-11. Edwards would come up with a steal next, and USC called timeout with 1:20 to go. The referee's whistle would turn the ball back to the Bruins soon after, however, but Vavic was able to come up with a steal with 37 seconds left. Lachlan Edwards let loose a brilliant backhand, but it slammed the post, and USC's next try to equalize was off the mark. That left the ball in UCLA's hands for the final possession, and the Bruins opted to pad its lead with a last-second strike that finished things as a 13-11 UCLA win for USC's first loss of 2017.
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