After spending eight months living in heartbreak following the tragic 11-10 loss to crosstown rival UCLA in the 2025 NCAA National Championship match, USC men’s water polo finally returns to action Friday in La Jolla as part of the annual Triton Invitational.

From Friday to Sunday, the No. 2 Trojans will take on No. 20 Saint Mary’s College, McKendree University, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara in a challenging start to the season for the reigning runners-up.

Despite finding success since USC’s last national championship in 2018, the Trojans are yet to reach the promised land since, coming up just short in five of the last six years.

Although the loss of driver Mihailo Vukazić stung, an otherwise strong returning group could help this 2026 squad reenter familiar territory and bring a championship back to USC, all starting with Friday’s match.

Season-opening match against the Gaels

In Saint Mary’s second-ever match as a program, it will face the Trojans in a top-20 matchup. While the team is brand new, the worldwide experience of its players is not, including freshman attackers Oier Aguirre and Leo Hachem.

Aguirre, originally from Barcelona, is a three-time Spain MVP and won the 2025 U20 World Championship gold medal. While he is a 21-year-old freshman, his level of play on the national level is extremely impressive and will likely translate over into college.

Another star Gael to look out for is Hachem, who, similar to Aguirre, is a 21-year-old freshman from out of the country. Hachem hails from Canada, where he played on the Canadian Senior National Team — which he has been representing since 2023. Additionally, he played in Australia’s National Water Polo League for two seasons, bringing in lots of international experience.

Both Aguirre and Hachem are two stars in the making for the Gaels and will look to be especially tough together against the Trojan defense.

Saint Mary’s schedule for the tournament is anything but forgiving, as it faces UCSB and USC on Friday, as well as No. 1 UCLA and No. 7 Long Beach State University on Saturday.

Less daunting bouts on Saturday

USC’s first match on Saturday will be against McKendree, a Division II squad that is set for its first bout against the Trojans in history. 

Last season, the Bearcats went 11-13 in an overall rough season. Nonetheless, a connected returning group is headlined by senior center Yannick Robertson, as well as a pair of goalies in graduate student Gennaro Pecoraro and redshirt junior Gavin Haight.

Robertson was named to the Western Water Polo Association Second Team All-Conference after scoring 64 goals while playing in all 24 games in 2025. He is a sure scorer, recording a goal in all but three matches he played in last year.

On the other hand, the duo of Haight and Pecoraro to protect the net will be a lethal combination, after the pair each totaled over 95 saves and each earned at least a 36% save percentage last season. Pecoraro is the better of the two statistically and will look to play the majority of the match.

The second match of the day will be a familiar foe in Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The Stags and the Trojans will face each other for the 19th time, with USC having a perfect 18-0 record against the Stags. The Trojans will look to continue the trend, just as they did last year when they won 25-7.

The NCAA Division III reigning champions went 24-5 last season, including a championship win over rival Pomona-Pitzer College. The Stags are led by standout senior center Jeffrey Koretz, who has been with the Stags since his freshman year and has scored 84 goals in his three years, creating a strong offensive presence for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Top-15 matchup against UCSB

The final match of the Triton Invitational on Sunday will take place against UCSB, the No. 15-ranked team in the nation. Following two matches against non-Division I teams the prior day, the contest will throw the Trojans straight into the fire against a very good Gauchos squad.

UCSB finished 17-14 in 2025 — another mediocre season. One bright spot for UCSB, however, is the return of sophomore attacker Charlie Johnson, who was the Big West Freshman of the Year in 2025. 

Johnson’s freshman year consisted of 44 goals and 26 assists, totaling 70 points — good for the top 10 in the Mountain West Conference. He looks to build off an extremely successful freshman campaign with an even stronger sophomore season.

In two matchups against USC last year, UCSB lost both, making it seven straight losses to the Trojans.

USC will take on Saint Mary’s on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Canyonview Aquatic Center for the season-opening match and the start of the Triton Invitational.