USC’s Robert López Duart and Strahinja Krstic Sweep MPSF Weekly Awards
September 01, 2025 | Men's Water Polo
The two Trojans kick off the season with the conference’s first honors of the year.
USC junior Robert López Duart and freshman Strahinja Krstić have been recognized for their work in the Trojans' 4-0 start to the season, earning MPSF Player of the Week and MPSF Newcomer of the Week honors, respectively.
It's the first such honor for both Trojans. López Duart was a four-time MPSF Newcomer of the Week last season in his first action as a Trojan, and he's now kicked off year two with his first MPSF Player of the Week pick. True freshman Krstić, meanwhile, opens his Trojan career with MPSF Newcomer of the Week honors.
A two-meter man hailing from Belgrade, Serbia, Krstić scored seven goals for USC at the Triton Invitational over the weekend. He had one assist in his debut outing — a 10-7 win at No. 12 UC San Diego — before pinning up back-to-back multiple-goal games on day two of competition. He had a hat trick in a 23-9 win over George Washington before upping his career high to four goals with his performance in a 16-10 win over No. 15 UC Santa Barbara. On the final day, he drew a whopping eight exclusions against No. 10 San José State to help USC finish up 4-0 with a 20-13 win over the Spartans. Along the way, he also handed out two assists and had two steals at the Triton Invite.
An All-American, López Duart was USC's top scorer at the Triton Invitational with 12 goals, scoring multiple goals in all four USC wins at the event. He scored four goals each in wins over the Gauchos and the Spartans after having tallied two each in the victory at UC San Diego and over George Washington. López Duart also assisted on goals in three games, topping out with two vs. GW.
Krstić and López Duart now turn their focus to USC's home opener coming up this week. The Trojans host Long Beach State at 5 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 5) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center before an exhibition match against Golden West at 6:30 p.m. that evening. From there, USC has a trip to Malibu on tap for Sunday (Sept. 7) with a 1 p.m. meeting at Pepperdine.
It's the first such honor for both Trojans. López Duart was a four-time MPSF Newcomer of the Week last season in his first action as a Trojan, and he's now kicked off year two with his first MPSF Player of the Week pick. True freshman Krstić, meanwhile, opens his Trojan career with MPSF Newcomer of the Week honors.
A two-meter man hailing from Belgrade, Serbia, Krstić scored seven goals for USC at the Triton Invitational over the weekend. He had one assist in his debut outing — a 10-7 win at No. 12 UC San Diego — before pinning up back-to-back multiple-goal games on day two of competition. He had a hat trick in a 23-9 win over George Washington before upping his career high to four goals with his performance in a 16-10 win over No. 15 UC Santa Barbara. On the final day, he drew a whopping eight exclusions against No. 10 San José State to help USC finish up 4-0 with a 20-13 win over the Spartans. Along the way, he also handed out two assists and had two steals at the Triton Invite.
An All-American, López Duart was USC's top scorer at the Triton Invitational with 12 goals, scoring multiple goals in all four USC wins at the event. He scored four goals each in wins over the Gauchos and the Spartans after having tallied two each in the victory at UC San Diego and over George Washington. López Duart also assisted on goals in three games, topping out with two vs. GW.
Krstić and López Duart now turn their focus to USC's home opener coming up this week. The Trojans host Long Beach State at 5 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 5) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center before an exhibition match against Golden West at 6:30 p.m. that evening. From there, USC has a trip to Malibu on tap for Sunday (Sept. 7) with a 1 p.m. meeting at Pepperdine.
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