HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Southwest Division Runner-Up/No. 12-ranked the University of Southern California received scoring from nine athletes as the Trojans downed Atlantic Division Champion the University of Virginia, 16-9, in the opening round of the 2021 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Alabama and the Huntsville Sports Commission at the Huntsville Aquatics Center.
The victory advances USC into a quarterfinal game at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 13, as the Trojans will take on the victor of a first round game pitting Florida Division Champion/No. 7 Florida State University and Great Lakes Division Champion/Division III No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis.
Virginia will return to the water this evening at 7:30 p.m. against the loser of the Florida State-Washington University game as the Cavaliers can now finish no higher than Ninth in the final 16-team standings following the opening round loss.
- The University of Southern California began to put the game out of reach in the first quarter as Peyton Alonzo (Sr., Glendora, Calif.) (6:44), Mitchell Fargo (Sr., Redlands, Calif.) (5:42, man-up), Tim Greer (Gr., Ambler, Pa.) (4:25) and Declan Cooper (So., Indian Wells, Calif.) (3:52) ticked off back-to-back-to-back-to-back goals to acquire a 4-0 lead.
- Leading 5-2 at the conclusion of the first quarter, USC put the game out of reach with a 6-3 outburst in the second quarter to acquire an 11-5 lead by halftime.
- Virginia chipped away at its deficit thanks to a trio of tallies by Willem Palmer (Fr., Mill Valley, Calif.) to move within four at 11-7 prior to the third quarter drawing to a close with a 12-8 score.
- USC capped off its victory with a 4-1 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter for the 16-9 final score.
- For USC, Fargo and Alonzo both netted hat-tricks with three goals to share Player of the Game accolades. Greer, Cooper and Tyler Rosselli (Sr., Walnut Creek, Calif.) all tacked on pairs, while Chad Derosier (Gr., East Bridgewater, Mass.), Charlie Stemp (So., University Place, Wash.), Yaseen El-Magharbel (So., Palos Verdes, Calif.) and Marko Illincic (Jr., Huntington Beach, Calif.) each found the back of the cage once in support of a two save effort by goalie Paul Byrne (Gr., Ventura, Calif.).
- Palmer keyed the Virginia attack with five goals. Michael Vaden (Jr., Newport Beach, Calif.) chipped in a pair with Daniel Wong (Jr., Gainesville, Va.) and Charlie Brennan (Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) each notching solo markers. In cage, Carsten Connolly (Sr., Arlington, Va.) stopped four shots in taking the loss.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| University of Virginia |
2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | 9 |
| University of Southern California | 5 | 6 | 1 | 4 | – | 16 |
| USC Goals: | Mitchell Fargo (3); Peyton Alonzo (3); Tim Greer (2); Declan Cooper (2); Tyler Rosselli (2); Chad Derosier; Charlie Stemp; Yaseen El-Magharbel; Marko Illincic | |||||
| Virginia Goals: | Willem Palmer (5); Michael Vaden (2); Pranay Vittal; Charlie Brennan | |||||
| Saves: | Virginia – Carsten Connolly (4); ; USC – Paul Byrne (2) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Virginia – 12 ; USC – 15 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Virginia – 7-for-15 ; USC – – 6-for-12 | |||||
| Sprints: | Virginia – 3-for-4 (2nd, 3rd, 4th) ; USC – 1-for-4 (1st) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Brandon Nicholson, Valer Rarau | |||||
University of Southern California’s Declan Cooper (#2) lines up a shot as the University of Virginia’s Michael Vaden (#7) defends
University of Virginia goalie Carsten Connolly (#1) attempts to stop a shot by the University of Southern California’s Tyler Rosselli (#5)
University of Southern California’s Declan Cooper (#2) defends the University of Virginia’s Michael Vaden (#7)
