Trojans in store for early season rematch


By
 in , ,

Entering into the final five weeks of its season, the men’s water polo team hopes to complete its non-conference schedule with a match against No. 6 Loyola Marymount on Saturday at McDonald’s Swim Stadium.

The Lions (13-5, 8-0), lead the Western Water Polo Association and come to McDonald’s on a two-game winning streak, including a 10-9 overtime victory over UC Santa Barbara to give LMU seventh place at the SoCal tournament. The Lions are also 10-5 against ranked opponents this season, and as leaders of the WWPA, are possible NCAA opponents for the Trojans if they are to make it that far.

Goalie’s game · Coming off a 12-save outing against Long Beach State, USC goalkeeper Joel Dennerley faces a major challenge in Loyola Marymount’s Edgaras Asajavicius, who leads the Lions with 33 goals this year. - Katelynn Whitaker | Daily Trojan

Goalie’s game · Coming off a 12-save outing against Long Beach State, USC goalkeeper Joel Dennerley faces a major challenge in Loyola Marymount’s Edgaras Asajavicius, who leads the Lions with 33 goals this year. - Katelynn Whitaker | Daily Trojan

“Anytime you play teams like LMU, Princeton or Navy, you look forward to those matches, because if we make it to the NCAAs, these are possible opponents,” USC coach Jovan Vavic said. “They’re also very well coached and very talented.”

Much of the Lions’ success can be attributed to a stingy defense that has given up 5.71 goals per game previous to Thursday’s loss, good enough for third in the nation. Last year’s third team All-American and WWPA Goalie of the Year Andy Stevens heads the defense. Stevens’ 13.44 saves per game ranks him second in the nation and provides a big challenge for the Trojan attack.

“[Stevens] is very athletic, and he does a very good job in anticipating shots,” Vavic said. “He also has a lot of experience, especially playing for the junior national team.”

The Lion offense presents a challenge for the Trojans as well. It is led by driver Edgaras Asajavicius who paces the team with 33 goals. USC will counter with sophomore goalie Joel Dennerley, who was named MPSF Player of the Week following the Trojans’ 9-4 victory over Long Beach State last Saturday in which Dennerley had a season-high 12 saves.

“In games he just dominates, not many people can score on him. His [6-foot-11-inch] reach makes it really hard to score on him,” redshirt freshman goalie Will Simon said.

The two squads faced off earlier this season at the Triton Invitational, with the Trojans prevailing 11-6. They were to hold Asajavicius scoreless while taking advantage of the opportunities against the tough Stevens. The victory at the Triton ran USC’s all-time record against the Lions to 16-0, but the team knows the past has little bearing on what LMU will bring to the pool on Saturday.

“It’s a blank slate. Every game is a new game for us,” Simon said. “We don’t go in thinking about how we beat them this many times in this many years. It’s not important to us.”

USC will also be looking to its current 10-game winning streak after losing to UCLA in the semifinals of the NorCal tournament more than a month ago. Another victory would also increase the Trojans’ home winning streak to 37 games.