Sept. 26, 1997

Trojans Roll to Victory over UC Davis, 15-4

SUISUN CITY, Calif. -- Marko Pintaric scored five goals Friday and James Castle added four to lead second-ranked USC to a 15-4 win over 12th-ranked UC Davis in a nonconference water polo game played at Solano Community College.

The Trojans improved to 6-1 overall with the win while the Aggies fell to 3-6. Mike Gotelli and Joel Higgins each had two points for UC Davis.

Pintaric scored three goals in the first four minutes of the game to help stake USC to a 5-0 lead after the first quarter. He added another score early in the second period and one more in the fourth. Castle, meanwhile, tallied a pair of first-quarter goals and one in each of the final two periods.

USC led 9-1 at halftime and 13-2 heading into the final seven minutes of the game. UC Davis was held scoreless by the Trojans until Gotelli was able to put a shot past USC goalie Richard McEvoy less than a minute into the second quarter. Higgins added a two-point goal with 13 seconds left in the game.

"They pressed us real hard," said Aggies coach Tom Elson. "And because of the level we're at in terms of inexperience, we're vulnerable to hard presses."

The Trojans return to action Saturday with a match at California.