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BERKELEY, Calif. -- Senior goalie Joel Dennerley made 15 saves and the USC Trojans overcame an early deficit to defeat crosstown rival UCLA, 7-4, and win their unprecedented fourth consecutive NCAA men's water polo championship Sunday.

Dennerley, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, gave up single goals to the Bruins in each of the four periods. He and fellow Trojan senior Peter Kurzeka now own four NCAA titles to their names.

Top-seeded USC (24-3) had seven different players score, including a goal late in the first half by Mace Rapsey, which turned out to be the winner and capped off a three-goal period to give the Trojans a 5-1 lead.

UCLA (24-5) was led by Josh Samuels, who scored two goals, but the Bruins never got closer than the final margin.

USC was playing in its seventh consecutive title game. Coach Jovan Vavic now has 10 NCAA titles to his name, including seven with the USC men and three with the USC women.

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