This post was updated Oct. 21 at 11:06 a.m.

No. 1 UCLA men’s water polo (18-0, 2-0 MPSF) opened conference play with wins against both No. 2 California and No. 4 Stanford, both of whom the squad bested during the Overnght MPSF Invitational. But the Bruins will have their first look at their crosstown rivals this season, when No. 3 USC (14-2, 1-1) comes to Spieker Aquatics Center on Saturday. This is the teams’ first matchup since the Bruins beat the Trojans in the 2024 NCAA championship match 11-8. Daily Bruin contributor Finn Karish provides a scouting report for UCLA’s upcoming opponent heading into the game.

USC:
Coach: Marko Pintaric
Best Player: Robert López Duart
Strength: Shot Blocking and Steals
Weakness: Exclusions
X-factor: Mihailo Vukazic

The Trojans lost to the Bruins in the 2024 national championship game. Now, the two rivals will face off for the first time in 2025, harkening back to that championship matchup last December. Although USC has not captured a national title since 2018, the No. 3 ranked squad has made four NCAA final appearances the past seven years.

UCLA pulled away in the second half during the most recent title game. The Trojans struggled with exclusions, and the Bruins recorded eight steals to help secure the victory.

The most notable offseason departure for USC was 2-meter Max Miller, a 2024 Cutino Award Finalist who scored 53 goals in 2024 and led the team with 58 drawn exclusions. The former team captain played five seasons with the Trojans and has left a large void to fill.

The Trojans have won all but two games this season, coming into this weekend’s matchup. Both losses have come against No. 2 California, a team that UCLA defeated twice this season.

[Related: UCLA men’s water polo washes out Stanford, California in MPSF opening rematch]

In the first loss to the Golden Bears, the Trojans dug a four-goal deficit in the first half, a challenge they could not overcome despite outscoring their opponents in the second half.

USC started stronger in the second meeting, with the game tied at halftime, but California emerged victorious once more without trailing for a single minute all game.

USC’s key disadvantage was shot efficiency, since the team notched more shots than California, but USC recorded just a 32.8% shooting clip. This deficit comes despite goals from star Trojan drivers Robert López Duart and Mihailo Vukazic. The pair scored a combined seven goals across the two games.

Vukazic and Duart – the fifth- and sixth-highest goalscorers in the MPSF, with 37 and 34 goals, respectively – will test UCLA’s defense. Duart’s team-leading 60.2 performance indicator this season ranks eighth-highest in the conference.

But the Bruins may challenge the Trojans’ attacking tandem, since the squad has allowed just 148 goals this season, good for fewer than nine goals per game.

Vukazic may be integral to a potential USC victory. The 2024 WCC Player of the Year had explosive matches this season, including an eight-goal performance against UC Irvine on Sept. 13. But Vukazic can also be a liability in the pool, as he has a team-leading 27 exclusions.

Defensively, goalkeepers Bernardo Herzer and Charles Mills each rank in the top eight in the conference in saves – with 65 and 80, respectively – and the top six in save percentage – at 0.560 and 0.494, respectively. Herzer’s save percentage is less than 2% shy of UCLA goalkeeper Nate Tauscher’s, who sits at second with a 0.576 clip.

The Trojans’ greatest strength is their defense. USC has racked up steals and blocks, and is especially comfortable when the offense creates a lead. However, as showcased in its matchups against California, starting strong and fighting to earn a lead are critical to capturing victories.

If the Trojans can limit exclusions and efficiently find the back of the net, they are well-equipped to take revenge for last year’s title match and hand the Bruins their first loss of the season.