No. 2 USC wasted no time making a statement in its 2026 opener, rolling past No. 20 Saint Mary’s 22-9 Friday night at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, Calif.
The Trojans put the game away early, piling up 14 first-half goals and turning the rest of the night into a showcase. Saint Mary’s struck first in its first game as a collegiate water polo team, but USC answered with seven straight goals and never looked back. By the end of the opening quarter, the Trojans were already in control, and they widened the gap with another seven-goal burst in the second quarter to carry a 10-goal lead into halftime.
USC kept the pressure on after the break, scoring six of the first eight goals in the third quarter stretch and reaching 20-7 through three. From there, the Trojans cruised to the 13-goal win.
Strahinja Krstic paced USC with four goals. Gavin Conant, Luke Nelson and Robert López Duart each finished with three, while Marc Angelescu and Tyler Anderson added two apiece.
Reed Hanna, Apostolos Georgaras, Ante Jerkovic, Efe Naipoglu and Chase Landa each found the net once. Georgaras and Naipoglu also led the team with four assists each.
In goal, Charles Mills handled the first three quarters and made eight saves. Luke Harris finished the game and added three saves.
#2 USC 22, #20 Saint Mary's 9
Scoring for USC: Strahinja Krstic (4), Robert Lopez Duart (3), Luke Nelson (3), Gavin Conant (3), Marc Angelescu (2), Tyler Anderson (2), Reed Hanna (1), Apolostos Georgaras (1), Ante Jerkovic (1), Efe Naipoglu (1), Chase Landa (1)
Saves: Charles Mills (8), Luke Harris (3)
In Other News...
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The bigger concern is how often this sort of reminder keeps arriving for a team that has not reached the College Football Playoff in 12 seasons and now heads into a pivotal 2026 campaign under Lincoln Riley. USC is still being measured against the standard set by programs such as Ohio State and Oregon, but the preseason rankings suggest it has work to do before it can claim that tier again. For a fan base used to thinking in championships, the gap between reputation and reality is becoming harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
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The performance came on a day when USC was also sorting out its leadership structure, naming Tobias Raymond, Kilian OConnor, Alex VanSumeren and Jayden Maiava as permanent captains for the season. OConnor is currently sidelined by injury but remains part of that leadership group, while the program also unveiled the Progressive Insurance logo on the field as part of a multiyear sponsorship agreement, another sign of how much is changing around the team even as Mosleys emergence grabs the attention. [Read more 🡒]
USC Freshman TE Is Drawing A Comparison Trojans Fans Will Notice
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The comparison gaining traction is one USC supporters will recognize quickly: Brock Bowers. The former Georgia star piled up a rare college rsum, winning two national championships and the Mackey Award twice before heading to the Las Vegas Raiders, and an SEC coach reportedly sees some of that same upside in Bowman. For a freshman just beginning to carve out his role, being mentioned in the same breath as Bowers says plenty about the ceiling USC thinks it may be working with. [Read more 🡒]