USC’s men’s water polo left No. 20 California Baptist drowning 21-12 on Friday at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The waters have been calm for the Trojans this season, who were undefeated through 10 games.
USC established dominance early in Friday’s game, pinning the Lancers nearly scoreless the entire quarter. The Trojans brought the heat, scoring four goals in the first five minutes and finishing the frame 8-1.
This was the Trojan’s largest first-quarter lead and the most first-half points of the season so far. The comfortable lead throughout the half allowed for less-experienced freshmen to get their feet wet.
“CBU’s a very good team,” assistant coach Ivan Buich said. “They’re hard-nosed with the way they play it blue collar, so for us to get our freshmen in, to get that experience against a team they don’t see all the time, it was of the utmost importance.”
USC’s momentum slowed, as the Lancers clawed within one goal of the Trojans for the next three quarters, but CBU’s slow start in the first quarter ultimately cost them the game.
“Everyone showed up to play,” Buich said. “All three of our goalies played, which was very big, and it helped us out a lot.”
USC revealed its depth on both sides of the ball. In addition to circulating goalies, ten Trojans scored in Friday’s game, including hat-tricks from both sophomore utility Stefan Brankovic and redshirt freshman driver Chase Landa. Landa’s career-high three goals came within three minutes of the fourth quarter and helped extend USC’s lead by nine to finish the game.
“I didn’t know what to expect getting in,” Landa said. “I just expected to get in and play hard, and what happened happened.”
USC’s leading scorer, sophomore driver Robert López Duart, put up two goals of his own, tallying 25 so far this season.
The collective team effort was not only apparent in scoring. The Trojans set their season high in assists with 17 and improved their shooting average by nearly 15%.
“We knew CBU’s a very good opponent, so we couldn’t overlook them in any way,” assistant coach Ivan Buich said. “We just went back to the drawing board and did what we do best. We played as a team; everyone contributed.”
This win comes after USC experienced its first upset on Sept. 22 against No. 1 UCLA. Landa discussed the mindset following the loss.
“We weren’t too worried, but we know what we have to work on, and we’ve been attacking each and every day in practice,” Landa said. “We’re in a good headspace right now and we just need to keep that headspace going forward.”
USC will host its first non-invitational MPSF conference games this weekend against No. 6 Cal at 1 p.m. on Saturday and a rematch with No. 3 Stanford at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Trojans beat Stanford in overtime 12-11 on Sept. 21.