Last weekend, No. 2 USC men’s water polo took the annual Triton Invitational by storm, cruising to four easy wins to open the season for the fourth year in a row.

However, the caliber of competition the Trojans faced — notably, two non-Division I teams — wasn’t quite on par with the rest of their regular-season slate. Currently, USC is scheduled for nine matchups with top-10 teams, including two each against No. 1 UCLA and No. 3 Stanford.

While their upcoming weekend of action won’t feature either of those perennial powerhouses, the Trojans (4-0) will still get their first taste of elite competition with two top-10 bouts. USC is set to face No. 7 Long Beach State University (6-0) on the road Friday, before returning home to host No. 9 Pepperdine University (4-2) on Sunday.

López Duart, Anderson take home weekly awards 

After their successful trip to La Jolla, the Trojans swept the first pair of MPSF weekly awards, with senior driver Robert López Duart earning Player of the Week and freshman 2-meter Tyler Anderson taking home Newcomer of the Week.

Despite enjoying two All-American seasons at USC — and likely heading for a third in 2026 — this was only López Duart’s second time winning Player of the Week honors; the other came after his stellar performance at last year’s Triton Invitational. López Duart racked up 14 goals and five assists over the weekend to kick off his final collegiate season with a bang.

Friday’s matchup will be of particular significance to López Duart, who played one season at Long Beach State before transferring to USC in 2024. As a freshman, López Duart scored 87 goals — the second-highest season total in Long Beach history, and a mark he hasn’t come near since joining the Trojans.

Anderson, meanwhile, made himself known in his first set of collegiate action, scoring in all four matches while drawing a team-high 12 exclusions across the invitational. With plenty of high-caliber experience already under his belt, including a silver medal with Team USA at this year’s U18 World Championships, Anderson should have little trouble adjusting to the challenging opposition that awaits.

Strong opponents look to reverse history

Historically, USC has fared well against its upcoming competition, riding a six-match win streak against Pepperdine and a staggering 44-match win streak against Long Beach State. However, with plenty of talent on their rosters, both opponents are well within striking distance of erasing their respective losing streaks this weekend.

The Beach saw similar success to the Trojans at the Triton Invitational, taking down all six of their opponents by an average margin of more than 13 goals. As a team, they shot an impressive .788 across the six matches, dwarfing USC’s mark of .682.

Leading the way for the Beach was junior center Corbin Stanley, who had five separate hat tricks for a team-high total of 21 goals. Junior utility Artur Diaz was incredibly efficient, missing just one of his 14 shots and drawing 11 exclusions in a dominant all-around performance.

Long Beach State split time between three goalkeepers, all of whom put up middling numbers in front of the net. The trio combined for 63 goals allowed and 58 saves, putting their .479 save percentage below USC’s .515.

On the other hand, Pepperdine didn’t have quite as much luck in La Jolla, going just 2-2 — including a loss to the Beach on Sunday. Nevertheless, the Waves still have several key players for the Trojans to be wary of.

Sophomore attacker Brian Barnuevo paced the team with 14 total goals, a number boosted by back-to-back five-goal matches to open the weekend. Junior attacker Erik Ionescu was close behind with 10 goals while also showing his skills as a playmaker, dishing out a team-high seven assists throughout the weekend.

Pepperdine’s downfall wasn’t its offense, though: The Waves’ goalkeepers struggled to protect the net, letting in a combined 52 goals on a meager .416 save percentage. If USC can keep up its relentless pace from last weekend, when it averaged nearly 40 shots per match as a team, it should have no problem breaking through on offense.

The Trojans will meet the Beach on Friday at 7 p.m. in a battle of undefeated squads. On Sunday, they will host the Waves at Uytengsu Aquatics Center at 1 p.m. before an exhibition match against Golden West College at 2:30 p.m.