TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Goalie Nathaniel Schmidt (Jr., Berkeley, Calif.) made eight saves to claim Player of the Game honors as Pacific Coast Division runner-up/No. 5-ranked California Polytechnic State University nearly doubled up Pacific Coast Division Champion/No. 4 University of Southern California to claim a 15-8 win in the 2017 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship Third Place game at Florida State University’s Morcom Aquatics Center.
It marked the fourth meeting of the year between the Mustangs and Trojans as the duo clashed three times in Pacific Coast Division play with Cal Poly sweeping the regular season series courtesy 10-9 (October 15 at Long Beach State University) and 16-2 (October 22 at Cal Poly) wins. However, the Trojans came out victorious when it mattered the most by stunning the Mustangs by an 11-10 count in overtime on October 29 at the University of California-Los Angeles in the division title game.
Five-time National Champion (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007) Cal Poly scored early and often versus two-time champion (2011, 2012) USC in putting any doubts regarding the contests eventual outcome to rest during the first half.
Leading 4-0 with 1:38 remaining in the first quarter, the Mustangs saw their lead hold at four goals (5-1) by the conclusion of the first frame. The margin grew slightly prior to halftime as Cal Poly entered the break with an 8-3 lead thanks to a 3-2 outburst.
Following a third quarter in which both teams found the back of the cage three times, and in which the Trojans never shaved the Mustangs’ lead below three, Cal Poly put the contest out of reach in the fourth quarter with a 4-2 scoring advantage to make it 15-8 prior to the final buzzer.
For Cal Poly, Harrison Woods (Jr., Freson, Calif.), Matthew Montijo (Sr., Escondido, Calif.), Jacob Roberts (So., Orange County, Calif.) and Will Peterson (Jr., Sacramento, Calif.) all recorded hat-tricks, while Cole Carroll (Jr., Encinitas, Calif.), Jared Schaner (Fr., Valley Center, Calif.) and Michael Bull (Sr., Martinez, Calif.) deposited solo scores.
On the other end of the tank, Mitchell Fargo posted three goals with Ben Hahn, Drew Hirsch, Dan Linderman, Tyler Roselli and Chad Derosier racking up single markers. Goalie Thomas Wall took the loss with three saves.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| University of Southern California | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | – | 8 |
| California Polytechnic State University | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | – | 15 |
| Cal Poly Goals: | Harrison Woods (3); Matthew Montijo (3); Jacob Roberts (3); Will Peterson (3); Cole Carroll; Jared Schaner; Michael Bull | |||||
| USC Goals: | Mitchell Fargo (3); Ben Hahn; Drew Hirsch; Dan Linderman; Tyler Roselli; Chad Derosier | |||||
| Saves: | Cal Poly – Nathaniel Schmidt (8) ; USC – Thomas Wall (3) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Cal Poly – 10 ; USC – 11 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Cal Poly – 3-for-11 ; USC – 2-for-10 | |||||
| Sprints: | Cal Poly – 2-for-4 (2nd, 3rd) ; USC – 2-for-4 (1st, 4th) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | YC – Cal Poly (Head coaches Tommy McGuire, 35 seconds left in 3rd Q); MD – Cal Poly (Hans Van Warmerdam, 1:38 left in 4th Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Victor Raru, Ulrich Grude | |||||
Photo 1: California Polytechnic State University’s Drew Cisterman (#9) tries to get by the University of Southern California’s Tim Greer (#13); Photo 2: University of Southern California’s Mitchell Fargo (#20) rises to shoot as California Polytechnic State University’s Harrison Woods (#13); Photo 3: California Polytechnic State University’s Jack Brown; Photo 4: California Polytechnic State University – 2017 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship Third Place
