STANFORD, Calif. – No. 5 Stanford and No. 2 USC meet in a top-five men's water polo showdown at Avery Aquatic Center Saturday at 1 p.m. PT.
Both teams are undefeated this season at 5-0, with the Cardinal coming off a 10-5 win over UC Irvine last Saturday in the home opener at Avery Aquatic Center. Saturday's match marks the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) opener for both teams.
Sophomore Mitchell Mendoza leads Stanford and the MPSF in total goals scored with 15. He has posted multiple scores in all five contests this season.
Fellow sophomore Blake Parrish has totaled 13 goals on the season, while junior Cody Smith has collected 12 scores on the year.
In the cage for the Cardinal is junior Oliver Lewis, who is averaging 10.3 saves per match. He registered10 saves last time out against UC Irvine.
For USC, junior Matteo Morelli leads the Trojans with 13 goals, while fellow junior Lachlan Edwards has posted 12 scores. Junior goalie McQuin Baron, who competed for USA Water Polo in the 2016 Olympics, is averaging 8.9 saves per match this season.
Stanford and USC met three times last season with the Trojans taking two of the three matchups. The Cardinal won the only meeting between the two teams on The Farm in 2015, defeating the Trojans 6-5 in the NorCal Invitational on Sept. 20. USC is coached by Jovan Vavic, who enters Saturday's match with 499 career victories.
On Friday night, five-time Olympian and four-year national player of the Year, Tony Azevedo, will return to The Farm where he will be inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame. He is expected to be in attendance at Saturday's match.
Saturday's match will air live on the Pac-12 Networks, with Kevin Danna and Greg Mescall on the call poolside. The contest precedes the 5 p.m. football game between Stanford and USC at Stanford Stadium.
