The Trojans opened up the tournament with a 21-4 win over No. 19 Santa Clara and a 9-4 win over No. 7 Long Beach State the next day. Just hours after their win over LBSU, the No. 2 Trojans faced off against No. 3 Cal, and suffered their first loss of the season. USC entered the fourth period down 8-3, but mounted a furious comeback, only to ultimately fall by a score of 10-8.
The Trojans bounced back with an 8-3 win over No. 4 Pacific the next day to take third place overall. UCLA won the tournament, while Cal placed second.
Grant Stein (pictured) led the Trojans with nine goals across the four games, including two against Pacific, who USC faces again this Saturday. Goalie McQuin Baron racked up 42 saves.
This is the second straight season in which USC has won its first eight games and lost its ninth, and this year the Trojans are aiming to take one more step than they were able to last year, by winning the NCAA Championship.
Next up is a 1 p.m. clash with Pacific at USC's Uytengsu Aquatics Center on Saturday, Oct. 1.
