LA JOLLA, Calif. - The No. 3 USC Trojans are still on track to claim their seventh straight National Collegiate Men's Water Polo title. In a sudden death thriller, USC upset second-seeded Stanford 12-11 at Canyonview Aquatic Center on Saturday and advanced to the championship game.
The Trojans (24-6) will take on the No. 1 UCLA Bruins (27-3) Sunday at 3:10 p.m. with the hopes of earning their 10th title.
“This was one of those classic games," USC head coach Jovan Vavic said. "Two great teams played very hard water polo from beginning to end. It was a great game to watch. It was not the greatest game to coach, but it was a great game to watch."
The Cardinal (25-4) got off to an impressive start. Senior Alex Bowen gave Stanford an early 2-0 lead, and while USC's Mihajlo Milicevic cut the Trojans' deficit to one, Nick Hoversten put the Cardinal up 3-1 after the first quarter.
The second quarter proved to be the highest scoring frame for both squads. USC's Kostas Genidounias tied things up at 3-3 on two straight goals. Then both teams went back and forth with goals. Still, the Cardinal went into the half with a 7-5 edged.
USC regrouped during halftime and notched three goals while nearly holding Stanford scoreless. Nick Bell, Rex Butler and Milicevic all scored for the Trojans in the third quarter and the Cardinal's lone goal came from Bret Bonanni with 35 seconds left.
In the final period of regulation, Connor Stapleton put Stanford up 9-8 early. USC was down to its final seconds when Genidounias came through. With 14 seconds left, the Trojans leading scorer completed the hat trick and sent the match into overtime.
"They scored big goals at big times," Stanford head coach John Vargas said. "Clearly, (Genidounias) is a good, international player, and he came up with big goals at critical times. At the very end of quarters, when they really needed it, he came up with a goal. He did a great job."
In overtime, the Trojans used their final seconds wisely once again. After remaining tied through the first extra period, Bowen gave the Cardinal an 11-10 advantage. Then with 10 seconds left, Marc Vonderweidt squared the match up.
While Vonderweidt's goal was crucial, Genidounias' shot was the game winner. With five seconds left in sudden death, the senior netted the final goal and advance the Trojans to the championship game.
“To be honest, I missed two shots earlier, and I just wanted this game to be over," Genidounias said. "As soon as I shot the ball, I saw it in the net. I turned around and was glad it was over. Our mindset is immediately the next game, UCLA tomorrow. There's no time for celebration. We will try to remain humble and work hard for tomorrow.”
USC will take on rival UCLA for the title at 3:10 p.m. on Sunday. Stanford drops to the third-place game where it will face host UC San Diego at 1 p.m.
BOX SCORE
USC 1 4 3 1 1 1 1 - 12
Stanford 3 4 1 1 1 1 0 - 11
GOALS
USC: Kostas Genidounias 4, Nick Bell 2, Rex Butler 2, Mihajilo Milicevic 2, Marc Vonderweidt 2
Stanford: Alex Bowen 4, Bret Bonanni 3, BJ Churnside 1, Connor Stapleton 1, Nick Hoversten 1, Connor Cleary 1
SAVES
USC: Baron McQuin 18
Stanford: Drew Holland 13
