Reloaded and refocused

The wait has been at times insufferable. At some points it has seemed interminable. But now that wait is over.

When the USC men's water polo team gets in the pool tomorrow against Loyola Marymount, it will signal the beginning of a new season. Thoughts of what could have been now become dreams of what can be. National title hopes are no longer dashed; they are now renewed.

And the opportunity to start fresh is a welcoming thought for a Trojan team that last year came so tantalizingly close to winning the program's fourth national championship.

How close?

USC was 1.78 seconds away from forcing overtime against California in the national title game until Jeff Tyrrell's long-distance strike gave Cal the stunning victory and cost the Trojans their second consecutive national championship.

A week earlier, the Bears bested USC in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title game, ending USC's 44-game conference winning streak and denying the Trojans their second straight conference title. It was also USC's first loss after starting the season 25-0.

But the Trojans' have put last year's failures - if 26-2 and a national title game berth can be called a failure - behind them and are looking forward to launching another title run.

"We don't really dwell on that last game," said senior goaltender Adam Shilling. "We're doing our best to learn from it in an attempt to not make the same mistakes. We just worry about the future."

Mounting another run will be a tall task.

Gone are Juan Delgadillo and Thomas Hale, a pair of two-time All-American drivers who accounted for a staggering 277 combined goals in their USC careers. The loss of that kind of firepower could cripple a program.

But not the Trojans.

Expectations still remain high, evidenced by USC's preseason No. 1 ranking as it fields a roster that could very likely keep the Trojans in the No. 1 spot at the season's end.

They return a strong senior class that includes co-captains Shilling and two-meter Tommy Corcoran.

Shilling had a stellar season in 2006, compiling 187 saves on his way to earning All-America Second Team honors. His 4.69 goals against average was the best in the conference, earning him a spot on the All-MPSF First Team.

His 16 saves in the NCAA Tournament garnered him All-Tournament Second Team honors. And he notched a pair of 12-save performances - against Cal and at Stanford - to set a new career high.

"On defense, Shilling is the key," head coach Jovan Vavic said. "He is the vocal leader of our defense. He does a great job communicating with our players."

Corcoran will anchor the Trojans' offensive attack. He has 69 career goals - the highest total on the team - and is coming off a phenomenal 2006 campaign that earned him All-America and All-MPSF Second Team honors.

He scored 30 goals and netted at least one in 18 games, including nine multi-goal performances.

"He is a workhorse," Vavic said, "one of those players that you just know every game is going to be ready to work and get the job done."

If the Trojans are to put together another title run, both men will have to be at the center of it all.

"They are the leaders. They are the backbone of our team," Vavic said.

But USC's strength also lies in its depth and experience.

The Trojans field a roster that, according to Vavic, is the deepest he has ever coached. He compared it to the 2003 squad that overcame three regular season overtime losses to finish 24-3 and capture the national championship in an overtime victory over Stanford.

Sophomore driver Matt Sagehorn and senior utility Drew Vyn both earned themselves significant playing time by virtue of their phenomenal preseasons.

Junior two-meters Jovan Vranes and Arjan Ligtenberg and sophomore two-meter J.W. Krumpholz are among others who will be called upon to contribute.

"We have four guys that could be national player of the year," Vavic said.

The Trojans have the offensive firepower to contend with any team in the nation, but the focus, at least for the first game against the LMU Lions, will be on the defensive side.

"For me, the gauge of how good a team you are is how many goals you give up," Vavic said. "I'm hoping for a good defensive effort as well."

USC has never lost to the Lions, going 10-0 in a series that started in 2001.

Last season, the Trojans took two contests from LMU by a combined score of 25-5, and only twice has USC allowed more than five goals to the Lions.

Still, the Trojans won't look past their crosstown rivals.

"We're obviously expecting a tough match and we'll come out and play our best," Shilling said.