University Southern California Trojans
Saturday, October 19
Malibu, Calif.
2:00 PM
USC
at
Pepperdine
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UT
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2M
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Photo by: Katie Chin
No. 4 Trojans Pay A Visit To No. 6 Pepperdine On Saturday
October 16, 2019 | Men's Water Polo, Features
USC skips town to Malibu for an important clash with the Waves.
#4 USC (9-3) at #6 Pepperdine (15-5)
Saturday, Oct. 19 | 2 p.m. | Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool (Malibu, Calif.)
Series Record: USC leads 65-19-2 (W19)
Last Meeting: USC 17, PEP 7 (Oct. 21, 2018)
THIS WEEK
No. 4 USC (9-3) continues its road run with a journey to Malibu this week. The Trojans are lined up against No. 6 Pepperdine (15-5) for a 2 p.m. battle on Saturday (Oct. 19) at the Waves' Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.
RANKINGS
The defending NCAA champs opened up 2019 ranked No. 1 in the nation. An early loss sent the Trojans to No. 5 in the land on Sept. 18. USC climbed up to No. 4 in the Oct. 9 rankings and remain at No. 4 this week.
SCOUTING PEPPERDINE
The No. 6 Waves enter the week at 15-5 overall with a Friday matchup against UC Irvine on tap before facing USC on Saturday. Last week. Pepperdine beat Cal 13-12 in overtime and beat San José State 10-9. Balazs Kosa leads Pepperdine in scoring with 58 goals. Goalie Kyle McKenney is averaging 8.3 saves and 9.54 goals against per game in 14 appearances, and goalie Kent Emden averages 9.3 saves and 8.67 goals-against per game in 10 appearances. USC is 65-19-2 all-time against the Waves with wins in the past 19 meetings. Last season, USC beat the Waves 17-6 at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
LAST WEEK
Last week at Pacific, USC dug out of a three-goal deficit and leveled the game in the fourth, only to see the host Tigers net the goals it needed to take a 12-11 victory from the Trojans in Stockton, Calif. The exclusion count tipped heavily against visiting USC, with two Trojans tagged with three kickouts each to leave USC down two starters with five minutes left to play. Offensively, seniors Marin Dasic and Sam Slobodien shouldered the load with three goals apiece. Slobodien's third would snarl the game at 11-11 just a minute after USC lost Jake Ehrhardt to his third ejection, which had led to a go-ahead goal from Pacific. Slobodien swept in the score to tie things up with 4:02 to go, but Pacific netted one off the foul on its next possession to put USC behind again. The Trojans got looks, but the post would save the day for the Tigers as USC was just off the mark on its efforts to force overtime. USC had led just once in the game, responding to Pacific's opening score with back-to-back goals. Hannes Daube hammered in the first, and then Dasic delivered a one-goal lead for the Trojans less than five minutes into the contest. Pacific converted on one of its 12 power plays next to make it 2-2, and USC would not lead the rest of the way. By halftime, the whistle had blown three more USC exclusions and two penalties called against the Trojans as Pacific peeled out to a three-goal lead by the break. USC had knocked in scores from Dasic and Jacob Mercep, but the Tigers talked five goals in the second to craft a 7-4 halftime lead. Slobodien set up his second-half hat trick with a huge blast out of set to open the third, which saw USC tack up five goals. But the Tigers remained a step ahead entering the fourth after registering three third-period goals. USC's Matt Maier was handed his third exclusion late in the third, but USC was still able to close the gap down to a 10-9 deficit thanks to goals from Luke Wyatt and Dasic in the final minute. Goalie Nic Porter hauled in his 10th save of the game during the fourth while USC made its bid for overtime by leveling the score twice on Mercep and Slobodien's respective equalizers. It would be that goal off the foul from the Tigers with 3:37 to go that would be the different, however, as USC wound up short on the road.
CENTURY CLUB
USC's newest card-carrying member of the 100-goal club is senior Marin Dasic. With his eighth of a final 10 goals scored out at the Inland Empire Classic, Dasic drummed up the 100th goal of his USC career. Dasic now boasts 117 career goals to date to rank No. 28 all-time among career scorers at USC. And he has several fellow Trojans also closing in on the club, with Jacob Mercep gripping 94 career goals, Sam Slobodien at 93 and Matt Maier with 92 goals to date.
BY THE NUMBERS
Now 12 games into the season, USC has outscored opponents 173-111. The Trojan offense is generating 14.42 goals per game while the defense has allowed 9.25 goals-against per game. Leading the offensive charge so far are junior Jacob Mercep and Marin Dasic with 32 and 25 goals, respectively. Sophomore Hannes Daube and senior Sam Slobodien are next with 18 goals apiece, followed by sophomore Jake Ehrhardt and holding 15 and senior Luke Wyatt at 12. On the defensive end, USC has utilized three goalies. All-American sophomore Nic Porter has capped up in seven games and averages 10.18 saves per game while giving up 9.64 goals per game. Junior Vaios Vlahotasios has appeared in seven games with a 9.67 saves-per-game effort and allowing 9.33 goals-against per game. Jere Ashby has also checked in for two periods of work, having collected nine saves and allowed just two goals in his appearances in the cage. In all, USC has had 16 different Trojans score to date, with five players tallying their first career goals. USC set a season high with 15 different scorers in USC's Sept. 15 win over Concordia.
SUMMER SUCCESS
Capped up for competition around the globe, several Trojans went big in international waters during the summer of 2019. Captain of the USA's World University Games squad, Jake Ehrhardt helped guide Team USA to a silver medal at the event in Italy. Soon after, Hannes Daube and Marko Vavic were on-hand for the United States' push to Olympic qualification. Those two Trojans grabbed gold medals at the Pan American Games in Peru to secure the USA men's spot at the 2020 Olympic Games. Daube and Vavic also competed with Team USA at the FINA World Championships in South Korea, where the United States men placed ninth. Freshman Chris Sturtevant also got in on international action over the summer as a member of Great Britain's World University Games squad in Italy.
PINTA'S PROGRAM
Marko Pintaric, who has been part of 14 NCAA championships during his 18 years on the USC coaching staff, was named head coach of the USC men's and women's water polo teams on August 29, replacing former head coach Jovan Vavic. An All-American and 1998 NCAA champion as a player at USC, Pintaric served as co-head coach for the USC men for the past three seasons (2016-18), most recently helping the Trojans to the 2018 NCAA Championship. His USC coaching career began as an assistant coach to both the USC men and women in 2001. Pintaric stayed in a dual coaching role until NCAA rules for coaching staff sizes changed in 2015-16, prompting a move to a scouting director role with the women while his assistant coaching role continued with the men for the next four years. Pintaric, who scored the game-winning goal in USC's first-ever national championship, finished his USC playing career before he had the chance to defend the Trojans' 1998 NCAA title. In 18 years since on the coaching staff, he has helped five USC men's water polo teams successfully defend their NCAA crowns. Now, as the head coach, Pintaric has the opportunity to set up defense of another NCAA trophy.
ALL-AMERICAN LEADERSHIP
Senior captains Marin Dasic, Matt Maier and Sam Slobodien are seasoned, savvy and certain leaders for a USC roster brimming with talent. They are three of eight returning All-Americans, including a power pack of four of 2018 newcomers who exploded onto the scene in their first seasons as Trojans. Sophomores Hannes Daube, Jake Ehrhardt and Nic Porter and junior Jacob Mercep made indelible marks on the stat sheets for USC last year, and they are in full stride for 2019. Daube, Ehrhardt and junior Marko Vavic also combine forces in training with the U.S. National Team, with Daube and Vavic on-hand over the summer to help Team USA qualify for the Olympic Games, while Ehrhart captained the USA's World University Games team to a silver medal. Aussie goalie Porter and Croatian product Mercep represent possibly one of the most daunting one-two punches out there, as Porter stops shots on the defensive end while Mercep scores them at the other.
SENIOR STRENGTH
While All-Americans Dasic, Maier and Slobodien are in their final seasons of competition, there are three other noteworthy Trojans entering their fourth years with the program. Redshirt juniors Troy Furniss, Luka Karaman and Luke Wyatt also play a hefty leadership role for the group. Their dedication and hard work, too, have lifted all of them into significant contribution roles in the water as well. A lefty, Wyatt punched up 23 goals for the Trojan cause last season, including one in the NCAA Championship game. Karaman and Furniss factored in for 12 goals apiece in 2018.
CAGE FIGHTERS
In goal, returning All-American Nic Porter will be pushed once more by teammate Vaios Vlahotasios, who was also a newcomer to the USC cage in 2018 and who has proven himself a shot-stopping force to reckon with as well. Porter and Vlahotasios are a formidable goalie tandem for the Trojans, and are joined by freshman Garrett Allen and sophomore Jere Ashby as USC's talented goalkeeping corps for 2019.
THE NEW CREW
USC has 11 new Trojans set to see their first splashdowns in Cardinal and Gold in 2019. On the first weekend of competition, much of that group earned their stripes. Goalie Jere Ashby checked in for his first time in the cage, while fellow newcomers Matt Harrison, Marcus Longton, Grayden Reynolds and Chris Sturtevant all registered their first goals as Trojans.
LAST SEASON
The 2018 Trojans reached the NCAA final for the 14th consecutive season and emerged with the trophy for the 10th time in program history. A 14-12 win over host Stanford saw USC claim the national championship and finish out its first 30-win season. At the close of the winning campaign, USC had a program-record 10 Trojans earn All-America status, while newcomer Jacob Mercep scored NCAA Tournament MVP honors after a five-goal outburst in the title match. Mercep and freshman Hannes Daube both picked up All-America First Team honors to lead the pack of 10 honorees in USC's 30-3 season. •
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