IRVINE, Calif. – The 11^th-ranked UC Irvine men's water polo team suffered a 15-5 defeat to top-ranked USC, Sunday at Anteater Aquatics Complex.

With the loss, UCI falls to 8-13 on the season while USC improved to 26-1 overall.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
> Casey Lynton led the 'Eaters with two goals
> Jack Trush, Jon Polos and Ian Fleenor each had a goal
> Jason Evezard had two assists
> Chandler Mankins played all four quarters in goals and finished with 11 saves and one steal
> Marko Vavic had a game-high three goals for the Trojans
> San Krutonog finished with 11 saves and one steal for USC in the cage
> USC held slight advantage in shots, 31-29
> The Trojans were 6-of-9 on powerplays while UCI was 1-of-11
> Evezard won the sprint in the fourth quarter for UCI

TURNING POINTS
> Polos put the 'Eaters on the board first, scoring with 5:29 left in the first quarter
> USC scored twice in the first frame to take a 2-1 lead
> UCI was shut-out in the second quarter while the Trojans' tallied five goals to take a 7-1 lead into halftime
> Trush and Lynton scored back-to-back goals in the third quarter but USC held on to a 12-3 lead heading into the final frame
> Fleenor scored with 6:39 showing in the fourth quarter while Lynton tallied a powerplay goal with three minutes to play
> USC had three goals in the fourth quarter to seal the 15-5 victory
 
NOTES
> Five goals is the fewest scored by the Anteaters this season
> This was the first game of the season that Jason Evezard did not score
> Chandler Mankins played his first complete game in goal


UP NEXT
UCI will plays its final non-conference game of the season when it hosts California Baptist Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Four Anteater seniors will be honored before the match.