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University of the Pacific

Early Lead by Tigers Halted by No. 1 USC

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The men's water polo team found themselves in a tussle with the top-ranked team in the nation Saturday afternoon. The Tigers' 4-1 lead in the first could not withstand No. 1 Southern California as Pacific dropped the match by a final score of 11-8. 

After Saturday's loss, this pins the Orange and Black with a record of 5-4 having all four losses be against teams with a No. 7 ranking or better. USC continues it's undefeated streak at 12-0. 

In Case You Missed It:

It was a full fledged effort by the Orange and Black as UOP came hot out the gates to start the match and put the Trojans on their heels. USC proved why they were the top-ranked team in the nation however as they assembled two drives with three unanswered goals including a 5-0 streak against the Tigers in the second which proved to be the difference.  

First Period:

  • Redshirt junior Luke Pavillard powered the Tigers early on in the match scoring Pacific's first two goals in the fifth and third minute mark to help his team get ahead, 2-1.
  • Pacific proved to be in attack mode as Eli Lule capitalized in the second minute off a stolen USC pass and punched it in himself for a solo goal and a 3-1 lead.
  • Andrea De Nardi also proved to be a factor in the first period for UOP as the junior attacker drew a crucial exclusion in the 5M box which set up Pavillard for his first goal of the match. De Nardi also scored in the final minute (:59) off a pass from Lule to extend the Tigers lead to three. 

Second Period:

  • Despite a favorable start on offense for the Tigers, Pacific found themselves on the defensive to open up the second as USC took 11 of it's 19 first half shots in the period. 
  • Four Trojan players put together a 5-0 run for USC regaining the lead with 2:21 to play in the half. 
  • After a USC exclusion in the final minute, Luis Araya found Bogdan Djerkovic for a late-second score allowing Pacific to head into halftime with some much needed momentum, 5-6. Araya tallied two of his game-high five assists in the first two periods. 

Third Period:

  • The Orange and Black struggled putting together drives in the third period taking just four shots on goal and committing five turnovers. 
  • USC used the Tigers' offensive woes to it's advantage scoring three straight to jump out to it's largest advantage of the match, 9-5.
  • De Nardi notched in his second goal of the match at the 1:15 mark off a powerplay which trimmed the Trojans' lead down to just three.
  • Djerkovic drew two of his of his three drawn exclusions in third quarter, one of which helped set up the De Nardi goal.

Fourth Period:

  • UOP continued to show grit as Djerkovic registered his second goal of the game off a powerplay (6:07). The Tigers trailed by just two scores after this point.
  • An exclusion on USC's Matt Maier gave Araya a good look at the cage but the junior's shot was blocked keeping the Orange and Black at bay.
  • After another USC goal the Tigers kept knocking at the door as Lule found the back fo the cage to put Pacific behind again by two, 8-10, with 3:57 to go.
  • Pacific would have just one more shot on goal following this break as the Trojans marched their way to victory. 

Notables:

  • Luis Araya matched his season-high of assists with five today. The Stockton, CA native continues to feed his teammates making it 24 total on the year already surpassing last year's total of 21.
  • Alen Osmanovic got his seventh start after playing half of UOP's last match against UCSB. The sophomore goalie ended with 12 saves for the day, making four in the first period and another four in the final period.
  • Bogdan Djerkovic drew a team-high three drawn exclusions in the match, two of which led to UOP scores. The Ottowa, Canada native leads Pacific with 12 this season.
  • Pacific tied the Trojans in full sprints on Saturday taking the first two of the match. Both sprints were won by Pavillard.

Up Next For the Tigers:

  • Pacific plays at home next week as they take on No. 2 UCLA. The Bruins also hold an undefeated record on the year at 13-0 defeating No. 7 Long Beach State and No. 13 UC Irvine this weekend. The Tigers' home match is set for Saturday, Sept. 29, at 12:00 PM. 
  • In addition, the first 100 fans will receive Pacific sunglasses as part of a giveaway. 

For the latest on Pacific men's water polo athletics make sure to visit the Tigers via social media on Twitter and Instagram.  

 

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