No. 3 USC Men’s Water Polo Edged Out In OT At No. 2 UCLA

WESTWOOD, CALIF. — The No. 3 USC men's water polo team saw a three-goal lead slip swiftly away in the late stages of regulation as host No. 2 UCLA defended its home pool and emerged victorious with a 14-13 comeback win in overtime today at Spieker Aquatics Center in Westwood. The decision in the regular-season finale puts USC at 15-6 overall and with a 1-2 mark in MPSF play.

The rivalry clash was an all-out battle from the jump as the score was tied up seven times in the first three periods and the lead traded hands five times during regulation. USC fought out of two-goal holes twice. The Trojans first battled back from 3-1 down on goals from Max Miller and Joshua Waldoch in the first period. Later, USC clawed back from a 7-5 deficit as Jake Ehrhardt converted in the final seconds of the first half to make it a 7-6 margin. Midway through the third, Massimo Di Martire found Ashworth Molthen for a sizzling strike that leveled it at 7-7. USC was still in catch-up mode for the next two minutes before finding back-to-back goals once again. Luka Brnetic faked and fired a fierce shot to the upper 90 to snarl things up 9-9, and then after a takeaway from Carson Kranz it was Waldoch who delivered a slick spinning finish to get USC on top, up 10-9 in the late stages of the third.

In the fourth, USC broke yet another tied with a three-goal surge to snag the largest lead of the game. Tony Nardelli hammered one home from 2-meters to light the spark, and the USC defense came up with to solid stops next. Molthen fired in his second with a nearside strike to make it 12-10, and then Ehrhardt broke off a ripper at 2-meters to fire up the Trojans to a 13-10 lead with 1:19 left in the fourth. With backs against the wall, the Bruins pulled their goalie and capped up a field player to set up its offense with a 7-on-6 advantage on three straight possessions. While USC misfired on its offensive end, UCLA converted on its opportunities, carving down the deficit to 13-12 and then setting up once again with six seconds one the clock for a look at the equalizer. A tip-in at the post made its way through, locking up the score for the ninth time and forcing overtime with the 13-13 scoreline. After a scoreless three minutes in the first overtime, the defensive battle continued in the next OT stretch. A late break in favor of the Bruins sent the hosts on the attack, and they'd score with three seconds to go, leaving USC in a 14-13 hole and without enough time to find an answer.

NEXT:
USC host the MPSF Tournament next week at Uytengsu Aquatics Center, with action running Friday-Sunday (Nov. 18-20). The Trojans open up with a 2:45 p.m. game against Austin College on Friday (Nov. 18) to fight for a spot in Saturday's semifinals. Sunday (Nov. 20) will feature fifth-place and third-place games followed by a 1 p.m. MPSF East Championship game. The NCAA automatic berth will go to the winner of Sunday's 3 p.m. MPSF West Championship game.

NOTABLE:
- With four goals today, Massimo Di Martire now has scored 50 goals in his first season at USC.
- The last Trojan to score 50 or more goals in a season was Jacob Mercep (51) in 2019.
- With two goals today, Ashworth Molthen continues to lead the team in multiple-goal outings, now with 15 this season.
- Molthen has now scored in USC's last eight games.
- USC is now 1-1 in overtime games this season

#2 UCLA 14, #3 USC 13 (OT)
Nov. 11, 2022 | Spieker Aquatics Center (Westwood, Calif.)
USC    3 - 3 - 4 - 3 — 0 - 0 = 13
UCLA  4 - 3 - 2 - 4 — 0 - 1 = 14

SCORING:
USC —  Massimo Di Martire 4, Joshua Waldoch 2, Jake Ehrhardt 2, Ashworth Molthen 2, Max Miller, Luka Brnetic, Tony Nardelli.
UCLA — Gianpiero Di Martire 3, Andy Rodgers 2, Jack Larsen 2, Gabe Discipulo, Jake Cavano, Gray Carson, Max Berg, Chase Dodd, Makoto Kenney, Giorgio Alessandria.

SAVES: Kyle McKenney (USC) 8, Bernardo Maurizi (UCLA) 14.