2018 MPSF CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
Host: USC; Uytengsu Aquatics Center
Novemeber 16-18, 2018
MPSF Championship Central:
https://usctrojans.com/feature/2018-mpsf-m-water-polo-championship-central
MPSF Men's Water Polo Release 12
MPSF/KAP 7 All-Tournament Team
Ben Hallock-Stanford (MVP)
Blake Parrish-Stanford
Tyler Abramson-Stanford
Johnny Hooper-Cal
Odysseas Masmanidis-Cal
Safak Simsek-Cal
Jacob Mercep-USC
Nicolas Saveljic-UCLA
Alex Wolf-UCLA (GK)
Sunday, November 18
No. 1 seed Stanford 12, No. 3 seed California 10 (Championship)
Final Stats
Recap by Stanford
LOS ANGELES – No. 3 Stanford used a second-half surge to overpower No. 4 California and win the 2018 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship with a 12-10 victory over the Golden Bears Sunday afternoon at USC's Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
“I’m really proud of the poise and grit the guys showed all weekend,” said Stanford’s Dunlevie Family Director of Men's Water Polo. “We battled hard in these two games and came out with two really good, hard-fought wins.”
The championship is the sixth conference title in program history for Stanford. The Cardinal also captured MPSF crowns in 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2014. With Sunday’s victory, Stanford secured the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships Dec. 1 and 2 at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center.
Sophomore Tyler Abramson scored all four of his goals in the second half, as the Cardinal erased a three-goal third-quarter deficit to pull ahead at the conclusion of the period. Junior Bennett Williams also collected four scores in the contest, scoring the first four goals for the Cardinal.
After a closely-played first half, Cal pulled ahead by three scores 2:18 into the second half.
Stanford went on the attack from there, looking to erase the 8-5 deficit. Dylan Woodhead rattled the cage for the Cardinal first. Abramson punched home his first score of the match 28 seconds later to cut it to one.
After a Cal score, Stanford responded with a Jackson Seybold goal to cut it back to one at 9-8.
Abramson continued his hot streak with a pair of goals in the final 1:13 of the period, sneaking his second one inside the near post and under the cross bar to give Stanford its first lead of the match with 33 seconds left in the third.
After a third-quarter hat trick, Abramson was not finished. He opened the fourth with his fourth goal of the match to give Stanford an 11-9 lead with 5:48 to go.
Cal’s Johnny Hooper cut it back to one moments later, but Stanford once again responded as Seybold scored on a five-meter penalty shot to push the lead back to two with 3:59 left.
The Cardinal would not be denied as the defense held off the Golden Bears the rest of the way, highlighted by two big stops from Oliver Lewis to close it out. Lewis finished with nine saves in the contest.
No. 4 seed UCLA 7, No. 2 seed USC 5 (Third-Place)
Final Stats
Recap by UCLA
LOS ANGELES -- No. 2 and fourth-seeded UCLA (22-4, 1-2) used a dominant defensive effort and an offensive explosion in the second quarter to capture third place at the MPSF Championship with a 7-4 win over No. 2 USC (28-3, 2-1) on Sunday morning at USC's Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
The Bruins were led by senior
Austin Rone and sophomore
Chasen Travisano, who each scored two goals. Redshirt junior
Alex Wolf started in the cage and went the distance, making 13 saves while holding USC to just four goals, its fewest of the year by five goals and the fewest since a 6-3 loss at California on Nov. 4, 2017. The four goals were also the fewest UCLA has held USC to since a 6-3 MPSF semifinal win at USC on Nov. 21, 2015.
Jacob Mercep scored the first goal of the game for USC (2:15) with a score from the front court. That goal came after Wolf had made six saves, including two on Trojan power plays and one on a 1-on-0 counter after a long rebound from a Bruin shot that hit the post. That score would hold up till the end of the first period.
The Bruins came roaring out of the gate in the second period, putting five goals on the board. Travisano scored back-to-back goals (7:11 and 5:43) to take a 2-1 lead. Rone gave the Bruins a 3-1 lead (5:08) with his first goal of the game on a nearside shot from the front court. Hannes Daube cut the lead to 3-2 with a power play goal for the Trojans at the 3:49 mark of the second. Sophomore
Nicolas Saveljic scored his first of the game on a perfect lob shot (1:41) to put the Bruins up 4-2. Sophomore
Quinten Osborne then scored a powerful goal at set to end the scoring in the first half (0:48), giving UCLA a 5-2 lead at the break.
Daube opened the scoring in the third with a power play goal (5:58) to cut the lead to 5-3. Freshman
Ashworth Molthen scored his first of the game on a sidearm crosscage skipper that ended the scoring in the third (0:04), giving UCLA a 6-3 lead.
Zach D'Sa scored from the front court (3:07) to open the scoring in the fourth, cutting the lead to 6-4. But Rone found the back of the net for his second goal of the game (2:24) to push the lead back to three goals at 7-4. That score would hold as the final as UCLA shut down the Trojans the rest of the way.
The waiting game now begins as UCLA and the rest of the water polo world awaits the at-large bid selections, determined tonight.
No. 4 UCLA at No. 2 USC (MPSF Championship - Third-Place Game)
| SCOREBOARD |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
FINAL |
| No. 4 UCLA |
0 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
| No. 2 USC |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
6x5 - UCLA - 0/4 - USC - 2/9
Penalties - UCLA - 0/0 - USC - 0/0
UCLA Goals: Chasen Travisano 2, Austin Rone 2, Quinten Osborne 1, Ashworth Molthen 1, Nicolas Saveljic 1
UCLA Saves: Alex Wolf 13
USC Goals: Hannes Daube 2, Jacob Mercep 1, Zach D'Sa 1
USC Saves: Nic Porter 9
No. 5 seed Penn State Behrend 13, No. 6 seed Austin College 10 (Fifth-Place)
Final Stats
Recap by PSB
LOS ANGELES, Ca. – The Penn State Behrend men's water polo team wrapped up the 2018 season on a high note. The Behrend Lions earned two victories this weekend in southern California against the Austin College Kangaroos.
On Sunday, Behrend defeated AC 13-10 earning a fifth-place finish at the 2018 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships.
Score: Penn State Behrend 13, Austin College 10
Records: Penn State Behrend (5-18), Austin College (1-15)
Key Moments:
* Both Isaak Hatopp (Saline, MI/Saline) and Austin Hoff (Lake Forest, CA/El Toro) each scored three goals to lead the Behrend offense.
* Andre Sardaryzadeh (Murrieta, CA/Elsinore) tallied two scores and added one assist.
* Five other Behrend Lions scored one goal in the victory.
* Goalie Matt Olimski (San Diego, CA/Otay Ranch) made eight saves and added five steals on Sunday.