UCLA
USC
No. 3 USC Stuns Top-Ranked UCLA Men's Water Polo 10-7
November 20, 1999 | Men's Water Polo
Nov. 20, 1999
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - In the regular season finale for both teams, the third-ranked USC Trojans held the top-ranked UCLA men's water polo team scoreless in the fourth quarter en route to a 10-7 heated upset victory at McDonald's Swim Stadium Saturday morning prior to the football game.
The loss breaks an eight-game win streak for UCLA, as the Bruins end the regular season with a 17-3 overall record and remain 8-0 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The Trojans improve to 20-4 overall and remain 6-2 in MPSF action.
Sophomore Ivan Babic led the offensive charge for the Trojans with three points, including the game-winning score to break a 7-7 tie with 3:35 left in the game. USC junior George Csaszar then scored two more goals, including one on a penalty shot with 14 seconds remaining, to give the Trojans the 10-7 victory.
With 25 seconds remaining in regulation, Bruin junior Brian Brown had a chance to tie the game 9-9 with a two-point attempt, only to have his shot blocked by senior goalkeeper Richard McEvoy.
It was a see-saw battle through the first three quarters, with the lead changing hands four different times. UCLA junior Sean Kern scored in the second quarter to give the Bruins their first lead of the day 3-2 only to have Babic answer with a two-pointer to put the Trojans ahead 4-3. Kern followed with his second goal of the day to tie 4-4.
With USC up 6-4 early in the third quarter, junior Adam Wright scored three goals in a row to lead the UCLA rally, giving the Bruins a 7-6 advantage. But with 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter, USC senior Allan Basso scored the first point of a 4-0 Trojan run to finish the game.
USC has now defeated UCLA twice this season, but the Bruins won the game that counted in MPSF standings Nov. 12. Next weekend, UCLA will be the No. 1 seed in the MPSF conference championships at UC Irvine Nov. 26-28. The Bruins will face either UC Santa Barbara or UC Irvine at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 26. The winner of that game will face either Cal or Long Beach State Saturday at noon. The MPSF championship game will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
UCLA 2 2 3 0= 7
USC 2 3 2 3= 10
UCLA: Adam Wright 3, Sean Kern 2, Andy Bailey, Matt Flesher. USC: Ivan Babic 3, Allen Basso 2, George Csaszar 2, James Castle, Peter Janov, Stever O'Rourke. Saves: UCLA-Brandon Brooks 6, USC - Richard McEvoy n/a.
