USC men’s water polo team was eager to reassert dominance in a ranked battle against the Stanford Cardinals after a recent loss ended their five game winning streak. However, the Cardinals’ man-to-man defense and intense shooting game was enough to hand the Trojans their second loss of the season, causing them to lose their No. 2 spot in the MPSF 2026 Water Polo standings. Stanford moved to No. 1, which is significant for the team since they held the No. 3 spot for the past 19 weeks, behind only the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans.
The Cardinals had momentum from the start after winning the first quarters’ sprint. Junior center Will Schneider got the first two goals for the Cardinals, taking charge of the game and paving the way for his teammates to take risks. With a little over one minute on the game clock, junior driver Ben Forer scored the fifth point for Stanford, while USC remained scoreless.
“We need to work on our defense, offense, everything can be cleaned up,” junior goalie Charlie Mills said. “I’m proud of the way we had our 6-on-5 conversions, but got to get back to the drawing board.”
Stanford scored another goal immediately after setting up on offense in the second quarter, but this time the Trojans responded with a goal by senior utility Luke Nelson. The energy for USC shifted for the better, but it was clear that they needed a strong defense to be able to hold off the Cardinal’s power-players. Mills, the 2025 MPSF tournament MVP and All-tournament goalie defended the cage well, serving as a backbone to his team’s defensive wins.
A steal and exclusion on Stanford’s freshman attacker Kai Kaneko by sophomore driver Apostolos Georgaras gave the Trojans the perfect opportunity to score, and he took advantage. Even though the Trojans trailed by four with five minutes left in the first half, the team demanded action.
Georgaras is no stranger to steals. Last year, he recorded a team-high of 37 while receiving WCC Freshman of the year at his previous school, the University of the Pacific. Now, his role plays a critical part for USC’s defensive game plan. His energy launched the Trojan’s fight to close the score gap.
A hit to the crossbar and straight in for senior driver Zach Bettino and another exclusion and powerful shot by sophomore center Strahinja Krstic helped bring the match to a one point game. The offense excelled at drawing exclusions, but their defense stood no chance against Stanford’s quick transitions. Cardinals junior attacker Ryan Ohl ripped a shot from outside wing at the buzzer to make the score 9-7 at half.
After outscoring the Cardinals in the second quarter, USC began the second half with force. Georgaras, Bettino, senior driver Robert López Duart and freshman driver Ante Jerkovich were major scorers that continued to push to the finish line. Trojans won their first sprint in the third but not without pressure. Senior goalie Bernardo Herzer struck down USC’s attempt to score on the possession, foreshadowing the outcome of the game as a whole.
At the end of the final quarter, senior utility James Rozolis-Hill successfully completed a hat trick and scored the Cardinals’ 16th and final point of the match. Jerkovich followed with another goal of his own, but it only concluded the score at 16-12.
“One step at a time but still a long way to go,” Mills said. “We’ll figure it out.”
The Trojans will be back at home again to take on the No. 12 UC San Diego Tritons on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 1 p.m. PT.