Trojans prepare for title game rematch against Cal


The No. 4 USC water polo team isn’t accustomed to not being at the top of the water polo food chain.

With the desire to get back to their former No. 1 standing, the Trojans (11-2, 2-0) head to Berkeley, Calif., this weekend to face the No. 2 Golden Bears (14-2, 2-0).

Despite the recent setbacks, however, senior driver Peter Kurzeka is optimistic about the Trojans’ performance thus far.

Tough task · Senior goalie Joel Dennerley and the USC defense will have their hands full trying to slow down Cal’s Ivan Rackov. - Luciano Nunez | Daily Trojan

“I feel we have progressed since our two losses in the SoCal tournament,” Kurzeka said. “Our defense has been improving; we have been keeping with our goal of holding other teams to four goals. Offensively, we are putting up good numbers; however, we need to finish so that in the fourth quarter we either have the lead or our confidence is up.”

Last weekend, 10 different Trojans scored in the game against Loyola Marymount University — and one of those players was freshman driver Kostas Genidounias. For the year, Genidounias has already notched 19 goals. The native Greek scored a hat trick in the game against LMU, and is one of the younger players to watch, according to Kurzeka.

“Kostas is one of the best players in the country,” Kurzeka said. “He has gotten adjusted to the way American water polo is played. It’s a lot in the beginning and I think he will gain his confidence as the season keeps going.”

Though USC’s offense might be getting all the attention, its defense has stepped up as well, allowing just six goals in the last two games. The three goals LMU scored were on power plays, thanks to USC exclusion penalties.

Senior goalie Joel Dennerley stressed the importance of collectively playing as a unit on the defensive end this weekend to slow down Cal’s offensive attack.

“We really tried to play a bit more team defense for sure [against LMU],” Dennerley said. “This weekend we will need to continue that. Cal has multiple offensive threats and to play them one-on-one will be a tough task, so to play well we will have to have a good team defense.”

Though the Trojan defense might be holding down their opponents thus far, the Golden Bears offense will be a formidable challenge for them, regardless.

“Cal, offensively, is strong across the board,” Dennerley said. “They’ve got great outside shooters, counter attack players, their 6-on-5 is unstoppable almost. They’re really dangerous in almost every area so we are going to have to pick up our game again this week.”

Among California’s most formidable players is senior Ivan Rackov, who led the 2010 Golden Bears and the MPSF with 79 goals in 27 matches. Even after an incident occurred in the pool last year between Rackov and Dennerley, USC is not rattled by the prospect of facing him again.

“To each their own,” Kurzeka said. “It’s not a big deal; we are going to play our game without worrying about what he is doing.”

Saturday’s game against Cal will begin at 2 p.m. at Spieker Aquatics Complex. It will be a rematch of last year’s NCAA title match, when the Trojans defeated the Bears, 12-10, in overtime.

“This weekend we will need to continue that. Cal has multiple offensive threats and to play them one-on-one will be a tough task, so to play well we will have to have a good team defense.”

Though the Trojan defense might be holding down its opponents thus far, the Golden Bears offense will be a formidable challenge for it, regardless.

“Cal, offensively, is strong across the board,” Dennerley said. “They’ve got great outside shooters, counter attack players, their 6-on-5 is unstoppable almost. They’re really dangerous in almost every area so we are going to have to pick up our game this week.”

Among California’s most formidable players is senior Ivan Rackov, who led the Golden Bears and the MPSF with 79 goals in 27 matches last season. Even after an incident occurred in the pool last year between Rackov and Dennerley, USC is not rattled by the prospect of facing him again.

“It’s not a big deal,” Kurzeka said. “We are going to play our game without worrying about what he is doing.”

Saturday’s game begins at 2 p.m. at Spieker Aquatics Complex. It will be a rematch of last year’s NCAA title match, when the Trojans defeated the Bears, 12-10, in overtime.