No. 6 UC Irvine (10-6) at
No. 1 USC (18-1)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 21
Time: 1 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Uytengsu Aquatics Center - Los Angeles, Calif.

Live Stats

THIS WEEK
The sixth-ranked UC Irvine men's water polo team stays on the road this weekend as it makes the short trip to Los Angeles for a 1 p.m. non-conference showdown at No. 1 USC on Saturday, Oct. 21.
 
A GLANCE AT THE TROJANS
USC (18-1, 1-0 MPSF) dropped one spot to No. 3 in the USA Water Polo National Collegiate Rankings, while it was voted No. 1 in the most recent CWPA Poll. The Trojans are riding a five-game win streak after suffering their only loss of the season to UCLA at the Mountain Pacific Invitational on Sept. 24. Senior Blake Edwards and freshman Marko Vavic lead the team with 33 and 30 goals, respectively. Senior McQuin Baron has seen most of the action in front of the cage where he has totaled 145 saves.
 
UCI has come up short in its last 30 meetings with USC, including a narrow 10-9 loss earlier this year. UC Irvine held a 9-6 advantage after three quarters, but the top-ranked Trojans scored four unanswered in the final eight minutes. Freshman Fynn Schuetze led the 'Eaters with three goals, while seniors Lovre Milos and Antoine Lena had two each. The Anteaters' last win against USC was on Oct. 30, 2004.
 
GCC TOURNAMENT COMING TO IRVINE
UC Irvine is set to host the 2017 Golden Coast Conference Tournament from Nov. 17-19, at Anteater Aquatics Complex. Pepperdine defeated Pacific in the championship game of last year's first-ever GCC Tournament in Stockton. The conference, which includes UCI, Long Beach State, Pacific, Pepperdine, San Jose State and UC Santa Barbara was formed in 2016.
 
STAT LEADERS
Senior Lovre Milos enters the weekend ranked second in the Golden Coast Conference with 52 goals, and freshman Fynn Schuetze was tied for eighth (32). Senior Matej Matijevic also ranked second with 206 saves.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine came up short in a tough road trip last week. The Anteaters started the two-game stretch with an 11-5 Golden Coast Conference loss at No. 5 Pacific. The Tigers got off to a hot start, taking a 9-2 lead at the half and UCI was unable to dig itself out of that hole. Lovre Milos led the way with three goals, two steals and an assist. Antoine Lena and Fynn Schuetze also found the back of the cage, while goalkeeper Matej Matijevic recorded 13 saves. 
 
The 'Eaters then made their way to No. 3 Cal where they suffered an 18-8 setback in non-conference action. For the 12th time this season, Milos was tops on the team with four goals. Kyle Trush added a pair, while Jack Trush and Jack Baumgardner also scored. Matijevic finished with nine saves.
 
LENA COLLECTS WEEKLY HONORS
Senior Antoine Lena was named both the Golden Coast Conference Player of the Week and the D1 Men's Water Polo HERO of the Week following his game-winner in UC Irvine's 9-8 victory over top-ranked UCLA on Sept. 30. With the score knotted at 8-8 in the final minutes of regulation, Lena came up big for the 'Eaters, firing to the near side of the cage for the go-ahead goal with 39 seconds on the clock. The native of Marseille, France, finished the afternoon with a season-high three goals, including two in the fourth period. It was the first GCC Player of the Week award for Lena and the Anteaters this season.
 
ANTEATER GIVEAWAYS
Thanks to the generous donation of a UC Irvine booster, the fan experience at home games will be bolstered by four premier promotional giveaways. There are two giveaways remaining on the schedule with a long sleeve shirt vs. Pepperdine on Nov. 3 and a snapback hat vs. UC San Diego on Nov. 8. In addition, food will be given to the first 200 fans in attendance at all home games, except for the Nov. 8 contest.
 
All home games are complimentary, but fans are required to register online for the promotional items. Pre-registration does not guarantee fans an item and/or food, as they will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to those who have pre-registered.
 
NEWS AND NOTES
The 'Eaters dropped one spot to No. 7 in the latest USA Water Polo National Collegiate Rankings. Cal took over the top position and was followed by UCLA, USC, Stanford and Pacific. UC Irvine was also sixth in the Collegiate Water Polo Top-20 Poll.
 
Senior Lovre Milos has led UC Irvine in scoring in 12 of the team's 16 games. He has netted at least four goals on eight occasions, including at Cal Baptist where he scored a season-high seven. Milos is tops on the team with 53 goals, 17 assists and 30 steals.
 
Senior goalkeeper Matej Matijevic has started every game, totaling 206 saves (13.14/gm) in 484 minutes played. He has double-digit saves in 13 outings, and matched his career high of 18 three times this year, most recently in a 13-4 win against San Jose State (Oct. 6).
 
Freshman Fynn Schuetze ranks second on the squad with 32 goals. He struck three times in his collegiate debut against Fresno Pacific, while leading all scorers with four goals in a win over top-ranked UCLA, and three vs. then No. 1 USC. Schuetze also netted a season-high five goals at Cal Baptist on Sept. 20.
 
After scoring only twice in the first five games, junior Jack Trush has now racked up 17 goals in the last 11 matches. He converted three times in wins over Loyola Marymount and San Jose State, while also matching his career high with five goals against Concordia on Sept. 15. Trush is tied for third on the team in scoring (17).
 
Seniors Antoine Lena and Robby Stiefel have been steady all-around for the 'Eaters. In 16 games, Lena has recorded 17 goals, seven assists and 17 steals, while Stiefel has 13 goals, 10 assists and 23 steals.
 
Senior defender Kyle Trush made his first appearance of the season against Concordia on Sept. 15. In the 10 games he has played, the Anteaters have allowed 86 goals (8.60/gm), while playing seven matches against top-10 teams, including two that were ranked No. 1. In addition, Trush has seven goals, nine assists and 10 steals.
 
UCI had a season-long six-game win streak from Sept. 3-22, and during that stretch, the Anteaters outscored their opponents, 88-33.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine concludes its four-game road stretch next week when it heads to No. 8 UC Santa Barbara for a 7 p.m. GCC tilt on Friday, Oct. 27. The 'Eaters then return home to host fourth-ranked Stanford at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29.