Saturday, March 31
Los Angeles, CA
12:00 PM
USC
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Hartwick
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Photo by: John McGillen
No. 3 USC Hosts No. 12 Hartwick For Saturday Noon Showdown
March 28, 2018 | Women's Water Polo, Features
Trojans carry a 16-1 overall record into this weekend's action at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
THIS WEEK
USC remains in home waters for the next two weeks, with a single game on tap for this weekend. On Saturday (March 31), the No. 3 Trojans (16-1) will play host to No. 12 Hartwick (23-5) at 12 p.m. at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.Â
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USC IN THE RANKINGS
USC kicked off 2018 ranked No. 2 in the national preseason poll and tied for third in the MPSF preseason poll. USC has bounced between No. 2 and No. 3 in recent weeks, and is currently ranked No. 3 the nation in the latest national poll (released March 28).
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SCOUTING HARTWICK
The No. 12 Hawks enter the week 23-5 overall after playing five games last weekend, beating CSUN 12-11 in sudden death, Occidental 24-14, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 16-7 and Pomona-Pitzer 10-8 while falling to UCLA 15-7. Hartwick will face Concordia and Brown on Thursday in Irvine before visiting USC on Saturday. Zsofia Polak and Lena Kotanchyan enter the week as Hartwick's top scorers with 75 goals apiece, while goalie Hannah Edwards is averaging 7.74 saves and 11.11 goals-against per game. In a series dating back to 2006, USC is 11-0 all-time against the Hawks after a 21-5 win last season in Los Angeles.
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SWIM WITH MIKE ADDS MASTERS POLO
On April 7, USC will host California in a crucial MPSF battle that will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks. But that 5 p.m. clash isn't the only big event at Uytengsu Aquatics Center that day. In the morning, USC's hosts the 38th annual Swim With Mike event, an annual fundraiser supporting physically challenged athletes around the country. In almost 40 years of existences, Swim With Mike has raised over $20 million in scholarships to help recipients overcome their tragedies and realize their dreams. In conjunction with the Swim With Mike activities, USC hosts the first-ever Masters water polo game for any and all 18-and-over players registered to compete. To get in the game, registration is free at uscwaterpolo.com. For more information on USC's Swim With Mike event and to donate to the campaign, CLICK HERE.
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LAST WEEK
USC had a busy but rewarding week last week, notching three wins in four days in two different states. The Trojans opened up at home with a televised tilt against No. 15 Princeton, which USC topped 17-4. From there, the Trojans went to Tempe to take on No. 6 Arizona State for their first MPSF match of the year. USC would grab a 12-6 victory over the Sun Devils before returning to Los Angeles to host No. 8 Pacific the next day. The Trojans would take out the Tigers with a decisive 19-3 win to improve USC to 16-1 overall on the year. In the Thursday clash with Princeton, eight different Trojans scored and three USC goalies capped up in the cage to round out a powerful 17-4 win over the Tigers, led by four goals from Maud Megens and eight first-half saves from Amanda Longan. The Trojan defense allowed just one Tiger goal in the second half while adding to its 11-3 halftime advantage at the other end to keep USC plugging along to victory live on Pac-12 Networks. On Saturday in Tempe, USC and ASU were locked up 3-3 at the end of the first period before USC took control. Another well-balanced effort from the Trojans carried the visitors out ahead of the host Sun Devils with a three-goal surge to close the first half, and USC stayed the course in adding to its lead the rest of the way. Denise Mammolito had a first-half hat trick to help give USC the spark it needed to pocket the 12-6 road win. Mammolito would improved on that outing the very next day, as she and Megens combined for over half USC's scoring in a dominating 19-3 win over visiting No. 8 Pacific. Megens had a career-high six goals in the books by halftime, and she'd add one more in the second half to net seven — third most in a single game by a Trojans — to go along with fellow sophomore Mammolito's career-high four goals in that one. Again, USC goalies Amanda Longan and Victória Chamorro shared time in the cage to help anchor another powerful defensive stand by the Trojans. For their work in ringing up three more USC wins last week, two Trojans made it a third sweep of MPSF honors for USC. Sophomore Denise Mammolito scored her first career pick as the MPSF Player of the Week, and freshman Paige Hauschild earned her third straight and fifth overall selection as MPSF Newcomer of the Week.
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PAIGE PICKS UP ANOTHER
USC freshman Paige Hauschild claimed her fifth MPSF Newcomer of the Week award on March 27 following another week of powerful play for the Trojan cause. Hauschild leads the conference with her five selections, thanks to three consecutive picks in the past three weeks. USC's top scorer this season with 43 goals to date, Hauschild has scored in every game in her first year as a Trojan, recording 13 multiple-goal games after two more hat tricks pinned up last week. Additionally, her 2.53 goals per game is the best in the MPSF.
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CLIMB ON
As the  2018 season rolls on, two seniors are making moves on the USC career scoring ladder. On Feb. 11, Brianna Daboub broke into the century club, scoring her 100th career goal. Since then, she's upped her career count to 112 to rank No. 25 all-time in scoring at USC. Fellow senior Hayley McKelvey is also on the climb, holding 93 career goals to her name with an eye on hitting that century mark at Troy. On the defensive end, two USC goalies are on the rise on the all-time saves ladder. Junior Amanda Longan jumped into the No. 4 all-time slot as she now holds 484 career saves, just ahead of senior Victória Chamorro, who ranks No. 5 all-time with 438 career saves.
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BY THE NUMBERS
Through the first 17 games of 2018, USC has outscored opponents 215-68. Freshman Paige Hauschild is the Trojans' top scorer to date with 43 goals, giving her an MPSF-best 2.53 goals per game average. Behind her on the 2018 scoresheet sits sophomore Denise Mammolito with 31 goals to date, followed by senior Brianna Daboub and sophomore Maud Megens with 21 apiece. On the defensive end, three goalies have checked into the cage to date. Junior Amanda Longan has logged minutes in 13 games, averaging 10.49 saves and 4.62 goals-against per game. She also boasts back-to-back complete-game shutouts in the cage. Senior goalie Victória Chamorro has appeared in eight games and averages 9.93 saves and 2.39 goals-against per game. Senior Nicola Gonzales made her first career appearance on Jan. 27, making two saves in one period of work in that USC victory. The Trojan defense has rendered opponents silent in at least one period of play in 14 different games while accumulating a grand total of 28 shutout periods this season so far. Overall, USC is averaging 12.65 goals per game on the offensive end and is allowing just 4.0 goals-against per game defensively.
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EVEN BETTER WITH AGE
With a full season under their belts, USC's sophomore class is stepping up big in their second year of action as Trojans. Denise Mammolito has already eclipsed her true-freshman scoring total of 38 goals, standing as USC's second leading scorer this season with 31 goals to date. Kelsey McIntosh is just a goal away from matching her freshman year total of 20 goals. Fellow sophomore Maud Megens, meanwhile, is back to her scoring savvy after missing 10 games with injury. She was USC's second leading scorer with 58 goals as a true freshman, and she's pumped in 21 goals in just seven appearances so far this year, highlighted by a career-high seven goals vs. Pacific. Mammolito, McIntosh and Megens have combined for 72 goals to date — over a third of USC's total offensive output.
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2018 TROJANS AT A GLANCE
Five All-Americans and seven NCAA champions strong, the 2018 USC women's water polo roster has the experience and the skill to lock up another national championship. This year's arsenal of Trojans boasts a daunting blend of veterans and youth — all armed with the talent and savvy to propel USC to the top. Already ranked No. 2 in the land as the 2018 season gets underway, USC trains its focus on that NCAA trophy, which the Trojans last captured in 2016 in an undefeated run through that season. Back in the captains' roles for 2018 are two members of that title-winning team in All-Americans Brianna Daboub and Amanda Longan, who are leading a group of very hungry Women of Troy. Headlining this freshman class is U.S. National Team member Paige Hauschild, who is tabbed as a starter for the Trojans. A set of sophomores — Denise Mammolito, Maud Megens and Kelsey McIntosh are also in that mix, along with savvy seniors Daboub and Hayley McKelvey.Â
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CAGE FIGHTERS
USC boasts a fearsome tagteam in the cage in All-American tandem Victória Chamorro and Amanda Longan. Both compete for their respective national teams — Chamorro as a 2016 Olympian with Brazil and Longan as a gold-medalist with Team USA at the recent 2017 FINA World Championships. The Trojan defense allowed just 4.59 goals per game last season, with both Chamorro and Longan averaging over 10 saves per game in the cage. This year, Longan made some Trojan history in anchoring back-to-back shutout wins over LMU and Cal Baptist. Longan is the only USC goalie to record back-to-back complete-game shutouts.
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BACK ON THE ATTACK
A year's experience for last season's freshmen — Maud Megens, Kelsey McIntosh, Denise Mammolito, Elise Stein and Kaylee Brownsberger —  along with the leadership of 2016 NCAA champion seniors Victória Chamorro, Brianna Daboub, Hayley McKelvey and Annika Jensen and juniors Amanda Longan, Courtney Fahey and Brooke Presten will raise the bar again for the Trojans. As a true freshman, Megens was USC's second leading scorer with 58 goals. Daboub, McKelvey and Mammolito combined for an even 100 goals. Add to that the depth charge that U.S. National Team member Paige Hauschild and her fellow true freshmen bring for 2018, and USC's attack becomes well-rounded and dangerous. USC also has three new internationals in the water to diversify that attack. Canadians Verica Bakoc and Nina Ceklic are in the mix, along with New Zealand product Nadia Pavlovich. U.S. product Randi Reinhardt also stands out as a key addition to USC's rotation for 2018.
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FIVE-TIME TRITON TITLISTS
USC claimed its fifth straight championship at the Triton Invitational by capping off the event with a 6-4 win over rival UCLA in the title match. The Trojans never once trailed during the tournament, opening with a 13-1 win over Sonoma State and a 14-2 win over San Diego State in group play. In the semifinals, USC played a tighter match against UC Irvine, pulling away for a 7-5 win that sent the Trojans to the title match. During that semifinal win, senior captain Brianna Daboub notched her 100th career goal. Up against UCLA in the final, Paige Hauschild opened the scoring for the Trojans on a 6-on-5 finish. UCLA equalized, but junior goalie Amanda Longan made the stop on the Bruins' next try and then Daboub delivered for a 2-1 USC lead. That would do it for the first frame, but USC struck first again in the second. Kelsey McIntosh took the Trojans to a 3-1 lead before Longan roared to back-to-back blocks and then slammed away a UCLA 5-meter penalty try for a huge boost to the Trojan cause. UCLA moved it to a 3-2 margin by the end of the half, then equalized early in the third, only to see Daboub earn a 5-meter penalty that Denise Mammolito hammered home for a 4-3 USC advantage. In the fourth, Daboub zipped in her second of the game to go up 5-3. Next, Hauschild took a feed from Hayley McKelvey to pad out USC's lead to 6-3. The USC defense would shut down the next few UCLA offensive series, although the Bruins would convert with 3:05 to go, making it 6-4. The stalwart Trojan defense did the rest, as USC closed out the game as a 6-4 win that locked up the Trojans' fifth straight Triton Invitational crown. USC's staunch defense was anchored by goalies Victória Chamorro and Amanda Longan. Chamorro had 14 saves vs. Sonoma State and 13 in tehwin over UC Irvine, while Longan made 12 vs. SDSU before adding her 11 vs. the Bruins. Amanda Longan would lock up her first career selection as MPSF Player of the Week for her efforts, while Paige Hauschild claimed her second MPSF Newcomer of the Week award after emerging as USC's top scorer with 12 goals at the Triton Invitational.
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SEASON OPENER
USC stormed out of the gates of the 2018 season in churning out an 18-0 shutout of No. 22 LMU in the first official action of the season at the UCLA Mini Invite. Behind seven saves from junior goalie Amanda Longan, the USC defense turned away 10 Lion power play opportunities to help lock up the shutout win and make it a 1-0 start to the year. Senior Hayley McKelvey drummed up four goals in the first period of play — all 6-on-5 finishes — to set the tone for the Trojan offensive onslaught. Freshman Paige Hauschild should tally her first goal as a Trojan during the first frame, while Kelsey McIntosh delivered her first of two goals on the day and Maud Megens started off on her path to an eventual game-high five goals for the Trojan cause. Up 7-0 after eight minutes of action, USC received two goals from senior captain Brianna Daboub, two more from Megens and the first career goal as a Trojan for freshman Verica Bakoc to lead it 12-0 by halftime. By the final buzzer, sophomore Denise Mammolito had joined the scoresheet, while Hauschild completed her debut hat trick and Megens round out her five-goal outing. After the impressive showing, Megens was named the MPSF Player of the Week, and Hauschild was selected MPSF Newcomer of the Week.Â
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LAST SEASON
In 2017, the Trojans finished up 29-4 overall with a run to the 2017 NCAA semifinals in USC's 14th consecutive trip to the tourney. USC posted a 4-2 record in MPSF action and went on to claim third in the 2017 MPSF Tournament. The Trojans received a No. 3 seed into the NCAA Tournament, where USC was looking to win back-to-back national championships for the first time in program history. USC would go up against top-seeded Stanford in the semis, coming up just short of a trip to the final with an 11-10 loss. Stephania Haralabidis was USC's top scorer in 2017 with 84 goals. She'd be named a First Team All-American to close out her USC career. Freshman Maud Megens earned Second Team honors, while senior Brigitta Games and sophomore Amanda Longan were Third Team picks, and junior captain Brianna Daboub earned All-America Honorable Mention.•
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