USC
Arizona State
No. 3 USC Rolls Away From No. 7 ASU
March 11, 2011 | Women's Water Polo
March 11, 2011
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - The No. 3 USC women's water polo team pulled away early and kept charging on the way to a 12-3 win over visiting No. 7 Arizona State on Friday night at McDonald's Swim Stadium. The win gave the Trojans their 20th consecutive home victory, and boosted USC to a 10-3 overall record and a 2-1 mark in MPSF action.
The Women of Troy spread the love among six different scorers in the first half of play, as USC first tacked up a 5-0 lead on the Sun Devils before ASU got a 6-on-5 strike from Lynlee Smith at 4:26 in the second period of play to make it 5-1. A minute later, though, USC climbed ahead 6-1 when Joelle Bekhazi found Madeline Rosenthal for a score out of set, tacking the freshman to the list of USC scorers that already included Bekhazi, Dominique Sardo, Kaleigh Gilchrist, Sarah Van Norman and Nadia Dan.
Smith struck again early in the third frame, but the Trojans rattled off a six-goal surge from there. Bekhazi blast one from the top, and then Patricia Jancso rocketed in a pair of scores - the second putting the finishing touches on a 6-on-5 earned by Van Norman. That punched the Trojans ahead 9-2 on the way into the fourth period, where there were more USC goals in the cards.
USC goalie Flora Bolonyai put a stop to a Sun Devil 6-on-5 first to put the ball back in Trojan hands. That was one of Bolonyai's 11 saves of the night for USC. Bekhazi would later hit Gilchrist at set for a slick backhand strike, and her fellow freshman Rosenthal also notched her second goal as USC moved up 11-2. The Trojans' six-goal run was capped by an offspeed hit from Blair Moody at 2:55 for USC's 12th goal of the game, and ASU's Searra Silverberg made it 12-3 on the Sun Devils' next possession in what would be the last score of the game.
With that goal in hand, the Trojans now turn to host No. 12 UC Irvine in a 12 p.m. matchup tomorrow (March 12) at McDonald's Swim Stadium.
#3 USC 12, #7 Arizona State 3
USC 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 = 12
ASU 0 - 1 - 1 - 1 = 3
SCORING:
USC - Joelle Bekhazi 2, Kaleigh Gilchrist 2, Madeline Rosenthal 2, Patricia Jancso 2, Dominique Sardo, Sarah Van Norman, Nadia Dan, Blair Moody.
ASU - Lynlee Smith 2, Searra Silverberg.
SAVES: Flora Bolonyai (USC) 11, Ianeta Hutchinson (ASU) 7, Lucy Baranyi (ASU) 1.
