No. 3 USC men’s water polo returned home from a three-day tournament looking to defeat the No. 12 University of the Pacific in a nonconference matchup before a tough weekend on the horizon. 

Led by former Tiger sophomore driver Apostolos Georgaras, the Trojans (11-1) warded off the Tigers (4-5) 15-8 Sunday afternoon.

With his new team, Georgaras and the Trojans stuck tightly to their defensive game plan, keeping the Tigers’ scoring at bay, leading USC to a decisive victory.

Georgaras leads USC against former teammates

Georgaras tallied four goals on five shots and three steals, leading the team in both. The four goals brought Georgaras to 22 on the season, good for third on the squad. 

During his freshman year with Pacific, Georgaras was named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team and WCC All-Freshman Team, leading the Tigers with 73 goals. Sunday marked Georgaras’ first time facing off against his old team, now wearing cardinal and gold. 

“I was stressed, to be honest,” Georgaras said in a postgame interview with the Daily Trojan. “But I had to focus on my new team and our goals for this season.” 

Georgaras’ goals found the back of the net in the first half, as the Trojans carried all the scoring momentum in the pool heading into halftime. 

“My team set me up pretty good, [but it] doesn’t matter who scores — just that we get the win,” Georgaras said. 

Georgaras was a powerful asset for the Trojans beyond scoring goals. Against Pacific, he won every sprint he took, allowing USC to open each quarter on offense. Additionally, his three steals brought his season total to 18, currently the highest on the team. 

USC locks down on defense

The Trojans’ defensive performance was shaky in recent matches, giving up double-digit goals in seven matches and allowing teams to capitalize on man-up opportunities. However, in Sunday’s matchup, USC displayed a first-half defensive masterclass, rolling into the third quarter with a dominant 11-3 lead. 

“We had a great plan coming into the game, and I think that we executed it very well,” sophomore driver Gavin Conant said in a postgame interview with the Daily Trojan. “When we execute our coach’s game plan, [and] we’re all on the same page defensively, then I think we can beat anyone.”

Conant drew two exclusions and recorded a hat trick, one being on a penalty. His three match goals brought his season total to 19, putting him fifth on the roster. 

Throughout the match, USC picked up 13 steals against the Tigers, as the defense capitalized on contra-fouls and field blocks. 

Two Trojan goalies, junior Nemo Pavoggi and redshirt junior Charlie Mills, found themselves in the net during the match, each putting up saves. In goal for the third time this season, Pavoggi recorded two saves on a 50% save percentage, while typical starter Mills posted four saves on a 40% save percentage. While both marks were lower than their season averages, the goalies did enough to get the job done.

Pacific scored eight times on 26 shots, with the majority of their potential goals being missed shots, either wide of the cage or off the crossbar. 

Trojans slow down in second half

In the second half, the Tigers gained momentum, finding the back of the net five times to USC’s four.

“They read us [well] on how we were attacking, and we kind of slowed down,” Georgaras said.

On tired legs, Pacific tried to fight back, scoring on power-play conversions and a penalty shot, but the Trojans had already built a large enough lead to hold off the Tigers. 

“[We] wanted to play our defense and our offense,” Conant said. “We don’t want to take any stupid shots to give up counterattacks the other way, which would possibly cut our lead.” 

Sunday’s victory marked 39 wins for USC against the Tigers, giving the Trojans confidence ahead of their rigorous upcoming weekend. 

“We’re a really talented team,” Conant said. “But if we can really lock in on defense … then I think we’ll beat everybody.”

This weekend, the squad will face a familiar foe: No. 4 UC Berkeley (9-2). The Trojans recently defeated the Golden Bears 13-12 at the Overnght MPSF Invitational and are in search of another win. 

The match will take place at Uytengsu Aquatic Center on Saturday at 1 p.m.