After taking down then-No. 1 crosstown rival UCLA in a 13-12 thriller Oct. 18, USC men’s water polo entered last weekend with a No. 1 ranking of its own for the first time this season. Set to face two division rivals, both top-four teams in their own right, the Trojans had one goal: prove they deserved that top spot.

In two home games over the weekend, USC (17-2, 4-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) did just that, cementing its top-ranked position in the nation with wins over No. 4 UC Berkeley (14-5, 1-4) and No. 3 Stanford (13-6, 1-4). 

Saturday’s 12-9 win over Cal was sweet revenge for the Trojans — after the Golden Bears handed the Trojans their only two losses so far this season — proving their No. 1 ranking was no fluke. USC’s 14-9 win over Stanford on Sunday was its third of the season, though the five-goal margin of victory was their largest in the three contests.

Trojans end losing streak to Golden Bears

Every fan at Uytengsu Aquatic Center, whether in cardinal and gold or gold and blue, held their breath Saturday as the Trojans and Golden Bears fought neck and neck in a game with major rankings implications. While Cal has lost twice to now-No. 2 UCLA (20-1, 4-1) and once to Stanford, had it won a third time against the Trojans, its claim to at least the No. 2 ranking would have been strong.

However, senior driver Mihailo Vukazić wasn’t about to let that happen, sparking the Trojans’ offense early with a goal in the first 30 seconds of play. Junior driver Robert López Duart scored shortly after, creating a lead USC would hold for most of the first half. 

Scoring would shift back and forth through much of the game, but by the end of the third quarter, the Bears had fought their way to a 9-8 lead. The strong efforts of Vukazić and López Duart — who both had four goals in the game — eventually led the Trojans to a 4-0 fourth quarter and the win. USC scored all four of its fourth-quarter goals in the last four minutes of play, including scores from junior utility Luke Nelson and senior 2-meter Connor Cohen.

“As a team, I saw the willingness to play for each other,” Head Coach Marko Pintaric told USC Athletics. “Our team stepped it up and didn’t allow the next mistake to happen. It was a great team effort, and I’m very happy for the guys.”

López Duart and Vukazić — who lead the Trojans with 49 and 44 goals, respectively — continued their strong play this season against Cal. Smart shots from the pair contributed to the Trojans’ scoring efficiency, which they struggled with in earlier games against Cal. 

Vukazić also made big plays for USC on the other side of the ball, accounting for a third of the Trojans’ nine steals for the day.

Holding off the Cal offense was no easy task, but the Trojan defense excelled in stopping offensive attacks from the Bears, limiting their shooting percentage to 28% and ensuring Cal only took the lead once throughout the game. 

USC held the Bears scoreless in the fourth quarter, thanks in part to the stellar goalkeeping of redshirt sophomore Charles Mills, who played all 32 minutes of the game and tallied seven saves. Throughout the season, Mills has split playing time with redshirt junior Bernando Herzer this season. Herzer and Mills split time against Stanford, with Herzer playing through the first half and Mills picking the job up in the second.

USC dominates Stanford in second half

The Trojans’ performance in the first half of Sunday’s game began with a very different tempo than their previous games against the Cardinal this year and their game against Cal the day before. Stanford jumped out to a 4-2 lead and held it to 6-3 at halftime, presenting a daunting challenge for the Trojan squad.

In both games against Stanford earlier this season, USC started with 3-0 runs and did not trail significantly at any point. However, like the late-game heroics against Cal, USC scored five consecutive goals in the third quarter to take the lead at 8-6. Senior driver Jack Vort capped off the run with a goal about halfway through the third quarter that increased USC’s lead to two points.

The Trojans held Stanford to just three goals for the remainder of the game and tacked on another seven of their own before time expired. USC took what began as a nail-biter and turned it into a dominant performance, ending the game 14-9.

USC came out with the win despite an off night from Vukazić, who recorded his first game without a goal all year after scoring at least once in each of USC’s first 18 matches. In his stead, Nelson led the Trojans with three goals in just his second multi-goal performance of the season.

Across the weekend, freshman 2-meter Strahinja Krstić notched two goals and three assists, earning him MPSF Newcomer of the Week honors for the fourth time this season. Krstić’s 33 total goals rank third on the team behind López Duart and Vukazić.

Heading into the final two games of its season, USC will have a target on its back as it looks to maintain top status in the nation. The Trojans will face No. 15 UC Santa Barbara (16-12, 2-2 Big West) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center on Saturday at 1 p.m. before their final game of the regular season against UCLA on Nov. 15 at home. 

Sean Campbell, Bennett Christofferson and Eden Conner contributed to this report.