Saturday, May 11
Stanford, CA
3:00 PM
USC
10
vs
8
California
Players Mentioned
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
D
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ 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: Catharyn Hayne
No. 1 USC Aims For Historic Back-to-Back NCAA Titles After Tense OT Win Over Cal In Semis
May 11, 2019 | Women's Water Polo, Features
Trojans beat the Golden Bears 10-8 in overtime to set up defense of their 2018 national championship.
PALO ALTO, CALIF. — The top-seeded USC women's water polo team never trailed in today's semifinal bout with California, but it still took overtime for the Trojans to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championship match. Back-to-back goals from Alejandra Aznar had USC up by two in the fourth, but Cal pushed back to level in and bring up overtime. That's where USC locked in, netting three goals to just one last-ditch strike by the Bears to claim a 10-8 final victory. The win puts USC in position to make program history. As defending NCAA champs, the Trojans have a shot at winning back-to-back national championships for the first time. Now 28-1 overall, USC will meet tournament host Stanford in tomorrow's 3 p.m. championship match at Avery Aquatic Center.
While sophomore Paige Hauschild punched up a hat trick and sophomore Maud Megens opened things with a resounding goal, it was USC's freshman contingent who accounted for the other six goals for the Trojans today. In the second overtime frame, freshman Bayley Weber took a counter pass from goalie Amanda Longan and drilled her one-on-one opportunity to get USC ahead 9-7. Cal scored on a 6-on-5 in the final minute to make it a one-goal game, only to see Kelsey McIntosh find USC freshman Mireia Guiral for the deciding blow — a rocket from the post to tug the Trojans to a 10-8 advantage with just eight second left in the second OT frame, sealing the win and USC's place in the NCAA Championship game for the third time in four years. Winners of the 2016 and 2018 titles, the Trojans are aiming for the program's first back-to-back crowns and a seventh title on the women's side.
Today's semifinal bout saw the Trojans power up early. Guiral earned a 5-meter penalty shot for USC right out of the gates, and Megens hammered it home. After senior goalie Amanda Longan squashed two Cal power play chances, she'd find Hauschild on the break for a finish and a 2-0 USC lead. USC manufactured a freshman connection next, with Grace Tehaney feeding Tilly Kearns for a slam out of set, and it was a 3-0 USC lead barely four minutes into the game. Cal wouldn't be rattled, however, as the Bears got three straight goals to go to level it at 3-3. That's where Tehaney stepped in again and sizzled in a cross cage bar-in to get USC ahead 4-3. Megens would set the table for Hauschild next, and Hauschild ripped in the goal out of set to make it 5-3 Trojans. In the final minute of the first half, Cal got to the back of the net, and it was 5-4 USC at halftime.
Cal went bar-in to knot things at 5-5 early in the third, but Longan again snuffed a couple Cal attempts. Megens field-blocked a Cal 6-on-5 try to keep things snarled up in the third. As time ticked down, Alejandra Aznar laced in a lob that just squirted across the line at the buzzer, and USC was up 6-5 entering the fourth. Still hot-handed, Aznar made the first move of the fourth, taking a pass, spinning and striking with a nifty lob that landed a 7-5 advantage for the Trojans. USC's defense nabbed steals from Megens and Denise Mammolito next, but Cal converted a 6-on-5 later to make it 7-6. Again, Megens and Bayley Weber came up with steals for USC, only to see Cal get an equalizer with a score from two-meters with 2:57 to go. Longan hauled in a key save in the final minute, and overtime would be next on the agenda with things snarled up 7-7.
USC kicked off the first overtime with Megens earning a 5-meter penalty shot for the Trojan cause. Hauschild stepped up and hit the top corner, and USC was up 8-7. Aznar and Mammolito would issue key field blocks on the defensive end next, and Hauschild wrapped the first OT with a field block of her own to preserve USC's one-goal advantage. Next, a Megens steal fueled a counterattack for Weber to finish off with authority, taking USC ahead 9-7 with 2:10 on the clock. Cal got one to go with a 6-on-5 finish with 39 ticks to go before USC sealed the deal on Guiral's close-range blast to make it 10-8 Trojans.
USC is now up against Stanford in the NCAA final for the third time in four years. USC beat Stanford to claim the 2016 and 2018 titles. Tomorrow (May 12) at 3 p.m., the top-seeded Trojans face the No. 2 seed Cardinal once again to decide the 2019 national champions.
2019 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE WOMEN'S WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS (Palo Alto, Calif.)
SEMIFINALS
[1] USC 10, [4] California 8 (OT)
May 11, 2019 | Avery Aquatic Center (Palo Alto, Calif.)
USC 3 - 2 - 1 - 1 — 1 - 2 = 10
CAL 2 - 2 - 1 - 2 — 0 - 1 = 8
SCORING:
USC — Paige Hauschild 3, Alejandra Aznar 2, Maud Megens, Tilly Kearns, Grace Tehaney, Bayley Weber, Mireia Guiral.
CAL — Brigit Mulder 2, Lauren Charter, Emma Wright, Sarah Siepker, Claire Sonne, Kitty Lynn Joustra, Elli Protopapas.
SAVES: Amanda Longan (USC) 11, Madison Tagg (CAL) 18.
While sophomore Paige Hauschild punched up a hat trick and sophomore Maud Megens opened things with a resounding goal, it was USC's freshman contingent who accounted for the other six goals for the Trojans today. In the second overtime frame, freshman Bayley Weber took a counter pass from goalie Amanda Longan and drilled her one-on-one opportunity to get USC ahead 9-7. Cal scored on a 6-on-5 in the final minute to make it a one-goal game, only to see Kelsey McIntosh find USC freshman Mireia Guiral for the deciding blow — a rocket from the post to tug the Trojans to a 10-8 advantage with just eight second left in the second OT frame, sealing the win and USC's place in the NCAA Championship game for the third time in four years. Winners of the 2016 and 2018 titles, the Trojans are aiming for the program's first back-to-back crowns and a seventh title on the women's side.
Today's semifinal bout saw the Trojans power up early. Guiral earned a 5-meter penalty shot for USC right out of the gates, and Megens hammered it home. After senior goalie Amanda Longan squashed two Cal power play chances, she'd find Hauschild on the break for a finish and a 2-0 USC lead. USC manufactured a freshman connection next, with Grace Tehaney feeding Tilly Kearns for a slam out of set, and it was a 3-0 USC lead barely four minutes into the game. Cal wouldn't be rattled, however, as the Bears got three straight goals to go to level it at 3-3. That's where Tehaney stepped in again and sizzled in a cross cage bar-in to get USC ahead 4-3. Megens would set the table for Hauschild next, and Hauschild ripped in the goal out of set to make it 5-3 Trojans. In the final minute of the first half, Cal got to the back of the net, and it was 5-4 USC at halftime.
Cal went bar-in to knot things at 5-5 early in the third, but Longan again snuffed a couple Cal attempts. Megens field-blocked a Cal 6-on-5 try to keep things snarled up in the third. As time ticked down, Alejandra Aznar laced in a lob that just squirted across the line at the buzzer, and USC was up 6-5 entering the fourth. Still hot-handed, Aznar made the first move of the fourth, taking a pass, spinning and striking with a nifty lob that landed a 7-5 advantage for the Trojans. USC's defense nabbed steals from Megens and Denise Mammolito next, but Cal converted a 6-on-5 later to make it 7-6. Again, Megens and Bayley Weber came up with steals for USC, only to see Cal get an equalizer with a score from two-meters with 2:57 to go. Longan hauled in a key save in the final minute, and overtime would be next on the agenda with things snarled up 7-7.
USC kicked off the first overtime with Megens earning a 5-meter penalty shot for the Trojan cause. Hauschild stepped up and hit the top corner, and USC was up 8-7. Aznar and Mammolito would issue key field blocks on the defensive end next, and Hauschild wrapped the first OT with a field block of her own to preserve USC's one-goal advantage. Next, a Megens steal fueled a counterattack for Weber to finish off with authority, taking USC ahead 9-7 with 2:10 on the clock. Cal got one to go with a 6-on-5 finish with 39 ticks to go before USC sealed the deal on Guiral's close-range blast to make it 10-8 Trojans.
USC is now up against Stanford in the NCAA final for the third time in four years. USC beat Stanford to claim the 2016 and 2018 titles. Tomorrow (May 12) at 3 p.m., the top-seeded Trojans face the No. 2 seed Cardinal once again to decide the 2019 national champions.
2019 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE WOMEN'S WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS (Palo Alto, Calif.)
SEMIFINALS
[1] USC 10, [4] California 8 (OT)
May 11, 2019 | Avery Aquatic Center (Palo Alto, Calif.)
USC 3 - 2 - 1 - 1 — 1 - 2 = 10
CAL 2 - 2 - 1 - 2 — 0 - 1 = 8
SCORING:
USC — Paige Hauschild 3, Alejandra Aznar 2, Maud Megens, Tilly Kearns, Grace Tehaney, Bayley Weber, Mireia Guiral.
CAL — Brigit Mulder 2, Lauren Charter, Emma Wright, Sarah Siepker, Claire Sonne, Kitty Lynn Joustra, Elli Protopapas.
SAVES: Amanda Longan (USC) 11, Madison Tagg (CAL) 18.
USC Water Polo's Emily Ausmus | Trojans Live 3.24.25
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