After a tough first half, the No. 3 Stanford men’s water polo team lost a crucial match to top-ranked USC by a score of 7-2 Saturday afternoon at McDonald’s Swim Stadium in Los Angeles.

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Senior two-meter defender Ryan Fortune and the Stanford men came up short in their bid to avenge an early-season loss to No. 1 USC. Stanford scored first but only managed one more goal.

Sophomore utility Janson Wigo and junior utility Will Hindle-Katel had a goal each in the first half, but USC held Stanford scoreless in the second half.

Wigo started the scoring with a neatly timed shot into the corner 1:07 into the game.

However, USC quickly retaliated five minutes later when Tommy Corcoran tied the score at 1-1 to end the first quarter. The second quarter began poorly for the Cardinal as Trojans Jordan Thompson and Corcoran posted a goal each to open up the lead for USC, 3-1.

Stanford clawed back with Hindle-Katel’s goal, thinning the Trojans’ lead. However, a disheartening goal from USC’s Drew Vyn with only 18 seconds left in the period gave the Trojans a 4-2 lead at halftime.

“I felt like I didn’t play to my full potential,” Wigo said. “We gave it everything we had and our team went out with strong intensity, but it just wasn’t enough at that point in the second half. For sure we can beat them. This is one of the best teams I’ve been on, and next time we play [USC], we’ll be ready.”

USC has the best defense in the nation, allowing an average of only 4.86 goals per game on the season. And the final two quarters on Saturday proved just that.

Senior goalkeeper Sandy Hohener had 11 saves for the Cardinal, but the Trojans still managed to net three goals in the second half, while the Stanford offense had no answer for USC’s defensive blockade. The game ended with two lost opportunities for the Stanford men, as USC stole the ball on the last two possessions.

“They have a really good defense and a really good center defender, so it’s hard to get in a goal-scoring position,” sophomore utility Drac Wigo said. “I think they have one of the best defenses in all-around college.”

Stanford has long had a successful tradition in men’s water polo, and this year’s team is developing into one of the best in recent memory, with a real chance to take home the NCAA championship at the end of the season.

“We’ve been known for our defense and pride ourselves on intelligent play,” Drac Wigo said. “We need to stop making stupid mistakes our team shouldn’t make.”

The game was Stanford’s second showdown with USC in the past few weeks, both resulting in losses. Stanford’s first loss to its nemesis USC was at the NorCal Open, 9-5, on Sept. 16. The Trojans extended their home winning streak to 26 games and have won the last nine meetings against the Stanford men.

“Small mistakes led to [a] couple of goals,” Drac Wigo said. “We went over videos so we won’t make them again.

“The bad passes definitely led to turnovers. They’re a good team but if we played our best we could’ve beat them.”

Despite the loss, the players continue to emphasize their teamwork and dedication to win future games. Stanford’s distinct style of smart play relies more on egoless teamwork and solid execution than on pure physical talent and raw strength.

“Focusing a lot on everyone, figuring out specific roles and what they can do makes the team better,” senior two-meter defender Peter Finlayson said. “We have to play that much more as a team and fundamentally and tactically sound water polo.”

The loss dropped the Cardinal to 1-1 in the MPSF and 5-3 overall.

Stanford will look to bounce back against No. 18 Princeton next Saturday at the SoCal tournament hosted by UC-Irvine.