USC holds off Stanford to win NCAA men’s water polo title

Stanford’s quest for its 11th men’s water polo NCAA championship and its first since 2002 fell short Sunday.

Despite a late surge, top-ranked Stanford fell to No. 3 USC 14-12 in the NCAA final at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center. It was the Trojans’ third win over the Cardinal in three matches this season, all at Stanford. The Cardinal (21-3) were unbeaten against everybody else.

USC’s title, its 11th overall, was its first since winning the last of six in a row in 2013.

USC (30-3) scored the first six goals of the match and led 12-4 early in the fourth quarter. But Stanford closed to within 13-10 with 2:19 left after two goals by Ben Hallock and one by Tyler Abramson.