The No. 2 USC men’s water polo team is trying not to repeat history this season. The Trojans have fallen victim to a pitiful pattern as of late: they’ve lost by one goal in the NCAA Championships each of the last three seasons, and they’ve lost 13-12 to UC Berkeley in the finals each of the last two seasons.

USC will be keen on reversing this regretful trend as their 2023 campaign is beginning this weekend with the Triton Invitational. The Trojans began last season the same way, starting with this tournament. USC was runner-up at the tournament a year ago, falling to foe UCLA in the final. En route to the final, the Trojans outscored their opponents 46-12.

USC’s team looks quite different from last year’s, as 11 players graduated from the team. Head Coach Marko Pintaric, in his fifth season in charge, will see what his team will bring with the significant number of players getting an increased role for this season.

“We’re looking forward to seeing how these players will respond to adversity and respond to our season,” Pintaric said. “In our camp, we’re always excited because we don’t take reload years, we just really always go pedal to the metal.”

The holdovers from last season are nothing to scoff over, with senior driver Carson Kranz and senior 2-meter Max Miller leading the charge for the Trojans. The captain duo combined for 50 goals last season and is set to contribute once again.

“I think everyone [on the team] has just been waiting for this moment,” Kranz said. “There’s been a lot of anticipation for this first weekend and this season, so everyone’s really fired up and it’s going to be great.”

Kranz and Miller aren’t the only key returners for the Trojans; graduate driver Massimo Di Martire is returning for another year. Di Martire made a splash in his first year for the Trojans, picking up accolade after accolade.

He was named to the All-MPSF Second Team, NCAA All-Tournament First Team, the Cutino Award watch list and the ACWPC All-America First Team while being named the MPSF Newcomer of the Year — all of which were well deserved for Di Martire, scoring a whopping 63 goals in 24 of USC’s 27 games.

In the tournament this weekend, the Trojans will face four opponents over the course of Saturday and Sunday. They’ll take on No. 17 California Baptist and Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday. USC last played the Lancers in 2018, winning 15-6, and last took on Pomona-Pitzer last season, winning 19-8.

On Sunday, they’ll face off against Biola and No. 11 UC San Diego to close out the tournament. The Trojans will take on Biola for the first time in their history and are squaring off with UCSD for the 36th time all-time. USC holds an all-time record of 61-2 over their opponents at the Triton Invitational.

The Trojans will begin their climb back to the place they are all too familiar with — the NCAA Championship. USC has been able to go all the way before; it’s now time to see if they can finally seal the deal.

“Us seniors, we’ve been in the national championship game for the last three years, so we know what it takes to get there, and we know we have all the experience we need,” Kranz said. “We’ve been visualizing [the championship] this entire offseason and summer, so when the time comes, we’ll be ready.”

The Trojans will start the Triton Invitational Saturday at 8 a.m. when they take on No. 17 Cal Baptist at Canyonview Aquatic Center.

Marcus Partida contributed to this report.