Thursday, January 31
Los Angeles, CA
5:00 PM
USC
vs
China
Players Mentioned
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
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2M
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
D
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
D
/ Women's Water Polo
D
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
Photo by: John McGillen
No. 1 USC Hosts Chinese National Team In Thursday Exhibition Game
January 30, 2019 | Women's Water Polo, Features
Trojans face Team China at 5 p.m. on Thursday at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
THIS WEEK
Off to an undefeated 8-0 start to the 2019 season, USC turns to exhibition action this week. The Trojans will host the Chinese National Team this Thursday (Jan. 31) at 5 p.m. at Uytengsu Aquatics Center in the first home event of the year for this USC squad.
USC IN THE RANKINGS
USC kicked off 2019 ranked No. 1 in the national preseason poll and selected at No. 1 in the MPSF preseason poll. As of the Week 3 rankings, the Trojans remain at No. 1 in the land.
LAST WEEK
USC pinned up back-to-back shutouts in a doubleheader day at the CBU Mini Invitational in Riverside, churning out a 21-0 win over Concordia before going even bigger with a 23-0 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. USC goalies Amanda Longan and Holly Parker each locked up complete-game shutout efforts in the cage, while 16 different Trojans got in on the scoring action. The Trojans' opened up their day's work with an all-out dominant effort against Concordia. A whopping 12 Trojans got to the back of the net while the defense did its job protecting their own at the other end. USC poured out nine goals in the first frame and expanded its control to a 14-0 halftime lead. By the end of the third, Mireia Guiral was up to four goals on the day, while Bayley Weber had completed a hat trick of her own. In the final frame, USC had three more newcomers — Julia Rozolis-Hill, Claire Haas and Sophia Lucas — join the scoresheet as USC wrapped up a 21-0 victory with Amanda Longan pulling her fourth career complete-game shutout in the cage. USC would turn right around and take on another contender just minutes later, squaring off against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps next. The Trojans would show no signs of slipping in that one, either, as staunch defense remained the name of the game. With Holly Parker manning the cage, USC shut down the Athenas with a 23-0 decision, going up 13-0 by halftime. By the final buzzer, four other Trojans had joined the offensive onslaught, as Verica Bakoc, Kari Jensen, Grace Tehaney and Elise Stein knocked in goals as USC expanded its advantage to 23-0.
CLIMB ON
As the 2019 season gets underway, the Trojans already have players climbing the career charts. With her fifth goal at the UCSB Winter Invitational, junior Maud Megens tallied her 100th career goal as a Trojan on Jan. 18. After adding to that tally at the event, Megens now ranks No. 25 all-time at USC in scoring with 113 career goals. On the defensive end, senior goalie Amanda Longan entered her senior season ranked No. 3 all-time at USC in career saves. She'd haul in a career-high 19 saves in USC's season opener to tally the second most single-game saves by a Trojan. The next week, she collected her fourth career complete-game shutout, The senior now grips 638 career saves.
BY THE NUMBERS
Now eight games into 2019, USC has outscored opponents 140-19. Junior Maud Megens is the Trojans' top scorer to date with 18 goals. Behind her on the 2019 scoresheet sits true freshman Tilly Kearns with 14 goals to date, followed by freshmen Alejandra Aznar and Mireia Guiral with 13 apiece. Next in line are sophomore Paige Hauschild with 13, freshman Bayley Weber with 11 and junior Denise Mammolito with 10. On the defensive end, two goalies have checked into the cage to date. Senior Amanda Longan has logged minutes in five games, averaging 12.9 saves and 2.67 goals-against per game. She also boasts the second most single-game saves by a Trojan, having made a career-high 19 stops vs. Cal Baptist on Jan. 19. Redshirt sophomore Holly Parker has stepped in in four games, averaging 8.3 saves and just 2.0 goals-against per game to date. The Trojan defense has rendered opponents silent in at least one period of play in seven different games while accumulating a grand total of 18 shutout periods this season so far, including back-to-back complete-game shutouts. Overall, USC is averaging 17.50 goals per game on the offensive end and is allowing just 2.4 goals-against per game defensively.
SEASON OPENER
Against Cal Baptist in the Trojans' 2019 season opener, USC tacked up the first five goals of the game — all from the hands of newcomers. The first goal of the year came from Mireia Guiral, whose fellow Spaniard Alejandra Aznar drilled three goals in that 5-0 start. Fellow freshman Grace Tehaney also got to the back of the net in that surge before another freshman — Bayley Weber scored her first of a first-period hat trick to help USC along to a 10-2 lead after eight minutes of action. That 10th goal was also served up by a fresh face in Tilly Kearns, while the final two of the day came from new Trojans as well. Freshmen Sophia Lucas and Claire Haas would tally their first career USC goals in their first appearances in Cardinal and Gold to get in on the winning start to 2019. Aznar finished up with five goals to lead the pack, while junior Maud Megens plugged in four. Freshmen Tehaney and Weber had a hat trick apiece in that opening win over Cal Baptist.
BACK-TO-BACK BATTLE
For almost a decade now, there's been a fierce title tug-of-war between two teams. The claim to the NCAA women's water polo championship has gone to either USC or Stanford for the past nine seasons. For every tug in the Trojan direction — there's been four titles won by USC in that stretch — the Cardinal have grabbed ahold the next year. At the end of the line this season is a chance for the USC women to do what they've never done before — to claim back-to-back national championships.
ON YOUR LEFT
Alejandra Aznar's addition bumps USC's set of left-handed shooters to four, with fellow freshman Trace Tehaney also wielding a deft left hand, while returning lefties Verica Bakoc and Sabrina Garabet are already proven sharpshooters.
SET DEPTH
USC has also brought in reinforcements at 2-meters. The Trojans now have three true centers at the ready in newcomers Mireia Guiral and Tilly Kearns and sophomore Nina Ceklic. Courtney Fahey and Kaylee Brownsberger also were in the mix at set last year.
PERIMETER POWER
A powerful presence at set can open up the perimeter, where USC's top guns will be armed and ready to strike. Paige Hauschild was USC's top scorer last year, followed by Denise Mammolito, who is now a junior. Fellow junior Maud Megens also is back, standing out as one of the most dangerous scorers in the world. Add in the firepower of Alejandra Aznar, and head coach Jovan Vavic likes what he's seeing on the offensive end.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
On the opposite side of the pool, Vavic also has growing confidence. No doubt that Cutino Award winner Amanda Longan looms large as arguably the best goalie in collegiate waters. She has two rising proteges alongside her in redshirt sophomore Holly Parker and freshman Erin Tharp. That trio will back up what is becoming a strong defensive corps, where Paige Hauschild has already proven herself as a relentless defender. So, too, does freshmen Bayley Weber and Mireia Guiral stand to make a defensive impact alongside returning defensive-savvy Trojans Randi Reinhardt and Denise Mammolito.
2019 TROJANS AT A GLANCE
The 2019 Trojans opened the season picked No. 1 in the MPSF Preseason Poll and No. 1 in the nation. In USC's arsenal for 2019 are the MPSF Player and Newcomer of the Year in Amanda Longan and Paige Hauschild, not to mention MPSF and National Coach of the Year Jovan Vavic, who is at the helm of the USC program for the 25th season. Both Longan and Hauschild were First Team All-Americans, while Longan also reigned supreme as the Peter J. Cutino Award winner. USC also boasts two more All-Americans in juniors Denise Mammolito and Maud Megens, who further highlight a grand total of 11 returning Trojans who were on the NCAA Championship-winning roster in 2018. Gone are three All-Americans who took with them two NCAA championship rings in Brianna Daboub, Victória Chamorro and Hayley McKelvey, but Vavic has great faith in the power of his returners — and his new crop of Trojan talent. USC has three new international players capped up for their first action as Trojans this year, along with a set of talented California products who stand out in the Trojan freshman class. Australian import Tilly Kearns is joined by Spaniards Alejandra Aznar and Mireia Guiral as the newest Women of Troy. That trio along with U.S. Junior National Team members Grace Tehaney and Bayley Weber add a fresh depth charge to the USC gameplan. The 2019 Women of Troy are captained by seniors Longan and Courtney Fahey, who have been members of USC's 2016 and 2018 NCAA Championship teams.
LAST SEASON
With USC's 16th straight win of 2018, the Trojans claimed the university's 105th NCAA team championship and the sixth for the USC women's water polo program on a 5-4 victory over Stanford in USC's home pool. It was the Trojans' second NCAA title in three years, and gave USC a final 26-1 overall record. It was head coach Jovan Vavic's 15th national championship as a head coach at USC, with six titles won by the USC women and nine by the USC men — all under Vavic's watch. USC had gone 5-0 in MPSF play and won the MPSF Tournament title along the way to get the top seed into the NCAA tourney. Junior goalie Amanda Longan and freshman Paige Hauschild were both named finalists for the Peter J. Cutino Award, with Longan emerging as the winner of the prestigious award to become the second USC goalie and the seventh Woman of Troy to win it. Both Longan and Hauschild earned First Team All-America honors, along with sophomore Maud Megens. Senior Brianna Daboub earned a spot on the All-America Second Team, with fellow senior Hayley McKelvey on the Third Team. Sophomore Denise Mammolito picked up All-America Honorable Mention. Longan was also the National Player of the Year, with Jovan Vavic named National Coach of the Year. •
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