Saturday, May 12
Los Angeles, CA
3:00 PM
USC
10
vs
6
UCLA
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Water Polo
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/ Women's Water Polo
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/ Women's Water Polo
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/ Women's Water PoloPhoto by: John McGillen
Top Seed USC Overpowers UCLA To Jump Into NCAA Title Match In Home Waters
May 12, 2018 | Women's Water Polo, Features
Trojans will face Stanford in the NCAA Championship game on Sunday at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — The tournament's top seed and host of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the USC women's water polo team made a power move into the title match with a decisive 10-6 win over crosstown rival UCLA in today's semifinal at the Trojans' Uytengsu Aquatics Center. USC turned an early lockup into a six-goal advantage just past halftime as the Trojans controlled this one to take a place in tomorrow's 3 p.m. final against No. 2 seed Stanford. Now 25-1 overall, host USC will carry a 15-game win streak into the championship bout, where the Trojans are looking to claim a sixth national crown. USC last won it all in 2016 with a victory over Stanford in that championship game. The Cardinal beat USC in last year's semifinal en route to the 2017 title.
USC's balanced roster was on display today, as senior Brianna Daboub and freshman Paige Hauschild each issued a hat trick to pace USC's offense. Hauschild's second goal of the game not only crafted a 7-2 advantage for her Trojans by halftime, it lifted her to a new record season scoring total as she now boasts the most goals ever scored by a USC true freshman. Hauschild's third goal bumped up her season count to 67 goals. On the defensive end, USC's junior goalie Amanda Longan gathered in 10 saves — her 32nd career game with double-digit saves — in just under four periods of work.
USC established its control of the game in the first period of play. Daboub kicked things off with a savvy lob to get USC the early lead, only to have UCLA earn back-to-back exclusions and convert on the advantage to lock it up 1-1 a minute later. From there, however, the Trojans rattled in three straight scores. Freshman Verica Bakoc fed sophomore Kelsey McIntosh for the go-ahead goal on a USC 6-on-5, and then Hauschild padded it out with a nearside ripper. Hayley McKelvey and Hauschild would combine forces for a takeaway on the defensive end, and McKelvey hit Denise Mammolito for the sophomore's first goal of the day to tug USC ahead 4-1. UCLA answered back, but USC had a smooth 6-on-5 finish at the ready as Maud Megens sent the ball to McKelvey, who lofted it to Daboub for another resounding strike from the senior to make it 5-2 USC by the end of the first.
The Trojan defense rendered the Bruins scoreless in the second frame while Mammolito and Hauschild each rocketed in their second goals of the game to punch up a 7-2 halftime advantage for the hosts. In the third, McKelvey earned a power play for her Trojans, who manufactured another slick 6-on-5 series with McIntosh connecting with Megens for the setup to Daboub for the senior's third goal. UCLA got two more power plays to go from there, carving down the USC lead to 8-4 entering the fourth, but more hard work from Daboub got USC an early power play that saw McIntosh find Hauschild for another big blast to get USC up 9-4. UCLA scored twice — on a 6-on-5 and then on a nice series that cut it to 9-6 with 19 ticks to go, but USC had one more in the chamber as freshman Nadia Pavlovich had the last word for USC to wrap a 10-6 Trojan victory over their crosstown rival that punched the ticket to tomorrow's title match.
For complete results and schedule information, as well as links to stats and streams, go to the NCAA Tournament Central Page.
2018 NCAA TOURNAMENT (Uytengsu Aquatics Center | Los Angeles)
SEMIFINALS
[1] USC 10, [4] UCLA 6
May 12, 2018 | Uytengsu Aquatics Center (Los Angeles)
USC 5 - 2 - 1 - 2 = 10
UCLA 2 - 0 - 2 - 2 = 6
SCORING:
USC — Brianna Daboub 3, Paige Hauschild 3, Denise Mammolito 2, Kelsey McIntosh, Nadia Pavlovich.
UCLA — Devin Grab 2, Alexis Angermund 2, Bronte Halligan, Lizette Rozeboom.
SAVES: Amanda Longan (USC) 10, Victória Chamorro (USC) 0, Carlee Kapana (UCLA) 10.
USC's balanced roster was on display today, as senior Brianna Daboub and freshman Paige Hauschild each issued a hat trick to pace USC's offense. Hauschild's second goal of the game not only crafted a 7-2 advantage for her Trojans by halftime, it lifted her to a new record season scoring total as she now boasts the most goals ever scored by a USC true freshman. Hauschild's third goal bumped up her season count to 67 goals. On the defensive end, USC's junior goalie Amanda Longan gathered in 10 saves — her 32nd career game with double-digit saves — in just under four periods of work.
USC established its control of the game in the first period of play. Daboub kicked things off with a savvy lob to get USC the early lead, only to have UCLA earn back-to-back exclusions and convert on the advantage to lock it up 1-1 a minute later. From there, however, the Trojans rattled in three straight scores. Freshman Verica Bakoc fed sophomore Kelsey McIntosh for the go-ahead goal on a USC 6-on-5, and then Hauschild padded it out with a nearside ripper. Hayley McKelvey and Hauschild would combine forces for a takeaway on the defensive end, and McKelvey hit Denise Mammolito for the sophomore's first goal of the day to tug USC ahead 4-1. UCLA answered back, but USC had a smooth 6-on-5 finish at the ready as Maud Megens sent the ball to McKelvey, who lofted it to Daboub for another resounding strike from the senior to make it 5-2 USC by the end of the first.
The Trojan defense rendered the Bruins scoreless in the second frame while Mammolito and Hauschild each rocketed in their second goals of the game to punch up a 7-2 halftime advantage for the hosts. In the third, McKelvey earned a power play for her Trojans, who manufactured another slick 6-on-5 series with McIntosh connecting with Megens for the setup to Daboub for the senior's third goal. UCLA got two more power plays to go from there, carving down the USC lead to 8-4 entering the fourth, but more hard work from Daboub got USC an early power play that saw McIntosh find Hauschild for another big blast to get USC up 9-4. UCLA scored twice — on a 6-on-5 and then on a nice series that cut it to 9-6 with 19 ticks to go, but USC had one more in the chamber as freshman Nadia Pavlovich had the last word for USC to wrap a 10-6 Trojan victory over their crosstown rival that punched the ticket to tomorrow's title match.
For complete results and schedule information, as well as links to stats and streams, go to the NCAA Tournament Central Page.
2018 NCAA TOURNAMENT (Uytengsu Aquatics Center | Los Angeles)
SEMIFINALS
[1] USC 10, [4] UCLA 6
May 12, 2018 | Uytengsu Aquatics Center (Los Angeles)
USC 5 - 2 - 1 - 2 = 10
UCLA 2 - 0 - 2 - 2 = 6
SCORING:
USC — Brianna Daboub 3, Paige Hauschild 3, Denise Mammolito 2, Kelsey McIntosh, Nadia Pavlovich.
UCLA — Devin Grab 2, Alexis Angermund 2, Bronte Halligan, Lizette Rozeboom.
SAVES: Amanda Longan (USC) 10, Victória Chamorro (USC) 0, Carlee Kapana (UCLA) 10.
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