No. 3 USC Whips Up 28-2 Win At Whittier

Saturday, February 6

Whittier, Calif.

7:15 PM

USC

Whittier

No. 3 USC Whips Up 28-2 Win At Whittier

February 06, 2016 | Women's Water Polo

Feb. 6, 2016

WHITTIER, CALIF. -- The No. 3 USC women's water polo team surged to victory in a night game in Whittier tonight, topping the Poets 28-2 to bump the Trojans' record to 2-0 to start the year. Led by junior Avery Peterson's six-goal game, USC registered six Trojans with three or more goals, while two Trojans tallied the first goals of their career.

USC utilized a second-period shutout to help secure compete control of the game. After Whittier finished up the first with a score to make it 8-2, the Trojans rattled off eight unanswered goals in the next eight minutes. By halftime, three Trojans would weigh in with hat tricks, led by a four-goal effort by Avery Peterson in the first half of action. In building a 16-2 lead at the half, USC had gotten eight different Trojans in on the scoring, while freshman goalie Amanda Longan held court in the cage. Fellow freshman Mackenzie Flath would tally her first career goal during the first-half scoring frenzy as well.

Longan would give way to senior Alegra Hueso in goal for the second half, and USC's offense continued to click. In the third frame, Ioanna Haralabidis served three goals all her own as USC kept its foot on the gas. Brigitta Games tallied two more goals around a save from Hueso, and USC was rolling right along to a 22-2 advantage entering the fourth frame. There, Annika Jensen would complete the first hat trick of her young Trojan career, become the sixth USC player to hit three or more in tonight's game. Peterson, meanwhile, would make it a career day for herself as well, rifling in her fifth goal of the night to build up a 24-2 USC lead. Soon after, freshman Courtney Fahey rang up her first goals as a Trojan with back-to-back strikes. Peterson would forge on in wrapping the game with one last goal for a 28-2 final. USC had scored 20 straight unanswered goals to finish out the win.

USC's next action comes in a scrimmage this week against Brazil. The Trojans will host the Brazilian National Team in a 5 p.m. scrimmage on Wednesday (Feb. 10) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. From there, USC will head to La Jolla to engage in action at the Triton Invitational on Feb. 13-14.

#3 USC 28, Whittier 2

Feb. 6, 2016 - Whittier, Calif.

USC 8 - 8 - 6 - 6 = 28

WHIT 2 - 0 - 0 - 0 = 2

SCORING:

USC -- Avery Peterson 6, Ioanna Haralabidis 4, Stephania Haralabidis 3, Melissa Bergesen 3, Brigitta Games 3, Annika Jensen 3, Courtney Fahey 2, Mackenzie Flath 2, Nikki Stansfield, Brianna Daboub.

WHIT -- n/a

SAVES: Amanda Longan (USC) 4 [1st half], Alegra Hueso (USC) 5 [2nd half], Whittier n/a.