High drama and USC men’s water polo home games have rarely gone together over the past few years.
But with the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular season title on the line, that’s exactly what the packed house at McDonald’s Swim Stadium got — senior driver Justin Rappel hitting on two dramatic scores late in the game — as No. 1 USC edged Stanford 13-12 in overtime early Saturday afternoon.
Daily Trojan | Eric Burse
Daily Trojan | Katelynn Whitaker
On a 37-game winning streak at home that spans nearly five seasons, the Trojans have rarely dealt with late-game pressure, but the No. 3 Cardinal (19-2, 6-1) proved hard to handle.
Rappel and the Trojans (21-1, 7-0) dealt with ferocious Stanford offensive attack and defensive pressure all game. Unable to stop Stanford after holding them to a single goal in the first period, the Trojans were forced to counter with some offensive fireworks of their own.
Senior two-meter Jordan Thompson played what USC coach Jovan Vavic called “the best he has ever played for us,” scoring four goals and firing up the Homecoming Weekend crowd, who were hooked on the energy the senior was bringing to the pool.
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