Saturday, April 27
Stanford, CA
12:45 PM
USC
9
vs
4
UCLA (Semifinals)
Players Mentioned
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
D
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water PoloPhoto by: John McGillen
No. 2 USC Undoes No. 3 UCLA 9-4 In MPSF Semifinal
April 27, 2019 | Women's Water Polo, Features
Trojans are through to the MPSF title match looking for a sixth tournament crown.
PALO ALTO, CALIF. — The No. 2 USC women's water polo team unleashed three unanswered goals in under three minutes to build out a 9-4 win over No. 3 rival UCLA and put a vice grip on a ticket to the MPSF Tournament championship game. The Trojans got 11 saves from senior goalie Amanda Longan and two goals apiece from freshmen Alejandra Aznar and Bayley Weber, with two more from Kelsey McIntosh and one from Maud Megens to keep the Bruins out of reach in today's semifinal bout at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center in Palo Alto, Calif. It was USC's seventh consecutive win over UCLA. Now 25-1 overall, USC will face either host Stanford or California in tomorrow's 3 p.m. title match to decide the automatic berth into the coming NCAA Championships.
In a defensive start, USC shut down the Bruins in the first frame, silencing three UCLA power play while scoring on a Bayley Weber rebound and shove to go up 1-0. The Trojan defense forced UCLA up against the shot clock on its first two possessions of the second period before UCLA got on the board in converting off a counter. Not 20 seconds later, USC was back on top, with Kelsey McIntosh finishing off a feed from Maud Megens to make it 2-1 Trojans midway through the second. Alejandra Aznar would zip in a nearest blast next, only to have UCLA go bar-down and in to keep it a one-goal margin. Amanda Longan hauled in one of her seven first-half saves next, and then USC would go up 4-2 as Mireia Guiral popped the ball out to Paige Hauschild for a bar-in ripper with 20 ticks left in the half.
The third frame featured a bevy of Bruin power plays, but it was USC who broke through first as Grace Tehaney found Hauschild for her second to finish off a USC 6-on-5 and make it 5-2 Trojans. On their fourth power play of the frame, the Bruins got one to go after collecting a rebound and putting it through to make it 5-3 USC entering the fourth period. Megens would rise up and take matters into her own hands with a rocket to open the fourth and get USC ahead 6-3. Again UCLA would get a string of 6-on-5 chances, converting on one to get it to a two-goal margin at 6-4 with 5:39 remaining. USC locked things down from there while generating three more goals in the next three minutes. Weber whipped in her second on a 6-on-5 and Aznar zipped in her second soon after. After a Hauschild steal, McIntosh put the finishing touches on the counter, and USC was up 9-4 with 2:33 to go. USC's defense stayed the course down the stretch, and USC emerged with a five-goal victory over its rival.
No. 2 seed USC now looks to claim a sixth MPSF Tournament title as the Trojans head into tomorrow's 3 p.m. championship game against either top-seeded host Stanford or No. 4 see California.
For schedule updates, scoring and streaming links, visit the MPSF Tournament Central page at http://gostanford.com/news/2019/4/11/2019-mpsf-womens-water-polo-championship.aspx
2019 MPSF TOURNAMENT (Palo Alto, Calif.)
SEMIFINALS
#2 USC 9, #3 UCLA 4
April 27, 2019 | Avery Aquatic Center (Palo Alto, Calif.)
USC 1 - 3 - 1 - 4 = 9
UCLA 0 - 2 - 1 - 1 = 4
SCORING:
USC — Bayley Weber 2, Kelsey McIntosh 2, Alejandra Aznar 2, Paige Hauschild 2, Maud Megens.
UCLA — Bella Baia, Lizette Rozeboom, Bronte Halligan, Maddie Musselman.
SAVES: Amanda Longan (USC) 11, Carlee Kapana (UCLA) 6.
In a defensive start, USC shut down the Bruins in the first frame, silencing three UCLA power play while scoring on a Bayley Weber rebound and shove to go up 1-0. The Trojan defense forced UCLA up against the shot clock on its first two possessions of the second period before UCLA got on the board in converting off a counter. Not 20 seconds later, USC was back on top, with Kelsey McIntosh finishing off a feed from Maud Megens to make it 2-1 Trojans midway through the second. Alejandra Aznar would zip in a nearest blast next, only to have UCLA go bar-down and in to keep it a one-goal margin. Amanda Longan hauled in one of her seven first-half saves next, and then USC would go up 4-2 as Mireia Guiral popped the ball out to Paige Hauschild for a bar-in ripper with 20 ticks left in the half.
The third frame featured a bevy of Bruin power plays, but it was USC who broke through first as Grace Tehaney found Hauschild for her second to finish off a USC 6-on-5 and make it 5-2 Trojans. On their fourth power play of the frame, the Bruins got one to go after collecting a rebound and putting it through to make it 5-3 USC entering the fourth period. Megens would rise up and take matters into her own hands with a rocket to open the fourth and get USC ahead 6-3. Again UCLA would get a string of 6-on-5 chances, converting on one to get it to a two-goal margin at 6-4 with 5:39 remaining. USC locked things down from there while generating three more goals in the next three minutes. Weber whipped in her second on a 6-on-5 and Aznar zipped in her second soon after. After a Hauschild steal, McIntosh put the finishing touches on the counter, and USC was up 9-4 with 2:33 to go. USC's defense stayed the course down the stretch, and USC emerged with a five-goal victory over its rival.
No. 2 seed USC now looks to claim a sixth MPSF Tournament title as the Trojans head into tomorrow's 3 p.m. championship game against either top-seeded host Stanford or No. 4 see California.
For schedule updates, scoring and streaming links, visit the MPSF Tournament Central page at http://gostanford.com/news/2019/4/11/2019-mpsf-womens-water-polo-championship.aspx
2019 MPSF TOURNAMENT (Palo Alto, Calif.)
SEMIFINALS
#2 USC 9, #3 UCLA 4
April 27, 2019 | Avery Aquatic Center (Palo Alto, Calif.)
USC 1 - 3 - 1 - 4 = 9
UCLA 0 - 2 - 1 - 1 = 4
SCORING:
USC — Bayley Weber 2, Kelsey McIntosh 2, Alejandra Aznar 2, Paige Hauschild 2, Maud Megens.
UCLA — Bella Baia, Lizette Rozeboom, Bronte Halligan, Maddie Musselman.
SAVES: Amanda Longan (USC) 11, Carlee Kapana (UCLA) 6.
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