University Southern California Trojans
Friday, March 3
Pomona, Calif.
1:45 PM
USC
vs
Iona
Players Mentioned
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water Polo
G
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
/ Women's Water Polo
Photo by: Kristen Tehaney
No. 2 USC Women’s Water Polo Faces Four Foes At Convergence This Week
March 01, 2023 | Women's Water Polo
Trojans play three games in Pomona and cap weekend at Claremont-Mudd Scripps.
THIS WEEK
This week, No. 2 USC is off to Pomona and Claremont, Calif., for competition against four teams. The Trojans (12-1) open up with two games on Friday (March 3) in Pomona, taking on Iona at 1:45 p.m. and then facing Whittier at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, (March 4), USC faces No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer at 12:45 p.m. in the Sagehens' home pool before heading over to Claremont to battle host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 4:30 p.m.
RANKINGS
USC picked up the No. 2 ranking in the nation to open 2023, mirroring the Trojans' 2022 finish. As of the latest round of national rankings (released March 1), USC still sits at No. 2 in the land.
BKI RECAP
USC came just a breath away from claiming another tournament title after late goals from No. 1 Stanford stole the game away from the Trojans in the final of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational. USC had topped LMU 18-7 and Arizona State 16-4 in group play to set up a semifinal bout against No. 3 UCLA. The Trojans controlled that one, winning 13-10 to move into the title match against the Cardinal, which eked out an 11-10 win.
GAME 1: #2 USC 18, #23 LMU 7
USC overcame a tight first half with a second-half onslaught that saw the Trojans pour out 13 goals en route to an 18-7 comeback win over No. 23 Loyola Marymount. It was a back-and-forth battle in the first stretch as USC was attacking into a blustery wind to open the game. Still, USC manufactured a 4-2 lead in the first period on the hands of four different scorers. In the second period, however, LMU found its scoring touch and took the lead, up 6-5 on the Trojans by halftime. In the second half, USC made its power move again. The Trojans had shut out UC Irvine in the second half of last week's home opener, and USC was similarly dominant in today's second half against the Lions. Paige Hauschild scored twice to join six other USC scorers in the third period as the Trojans peeled out ahead 13-6 while silencing the Lions. After collecting nine saves in her three periods of work, goalie Carolyne Stern gave way to Jada Ward for the fourth. Again, the USC defense proved stingy. Just one LMU shot would find its way through, while USC scored five more in the final frame to put a bow on an 18-7 final victory over LMU.
GAME 2: #2 USC 18, #7 ASU 4
USC jumped out ahead of the Sun Devils with a powerful first frame and served up a now-trademark shutout of its opponent in the third period. USC's nighttime battle against Arizona State saw the Trojans outscore the Sun Devils 6-2 in the first period, with Fanni Muzsnay marking up back-to-back blasts in the final minute to build out a nice lead for USC. The Trojans poured out six more in the second, highlighted by two strikes from Alejandra Aznar while ASU managed just a long 5-meter penalty goal. USC gripped a 12-3 lead at the break, and then silenced the Sun Devils in the third to go with two more Trojan goals for a 14-3 lead to go into the fourth. That's where Téa Poljak and Julia Janov would join the scoresheet, making it nine USC scorers in the win. Goalies Carolyne Stern and Jada Ward split time in the cage, combining for seven saves and just those four goals by the Sun Devils.
SEMIFINAL: #2 USC 13, #3 UCLA 10
USC never trailed in tallying the Trojans' second win over the Bruins this season and take the ticket to the BKI title match Tilly Kearns started the game with an assist and would tally her fourth goal of the day to wrap USC's scoring in the Trojans' victory over the Bruins. UCLA pulled even early, but USC got back on top soon after on a score from Morgan Netherton, and Alejandra Aznar followed with her first of three goals on the day to get USC up 3-1 in the first frame. USC gripped a 5-2 lead after eight minutes of action on scores from five different Trojans. UCLA would stay within one or two goals of the Trojans through the second and third periods, with USC leading it 8-6 entering the fourth. Again the Bruins pulled within one, down 8-7 early in the fourth, only to see USC fire off three straight scores — two from Kearns and one from Paige Hauschild — to put the Bruins off the scent. Aznar's third and Kearns' fourth helped USC build out a 13-9 lead that UCLA would trim to 13-10 with 35 seconds remaining to round out the evening's action as a solid Trojan victory.
FINAL: #1 Stanford 11, #2 USC 10
A second-half hat trick from Tilly Kearns and some savvy saves from goalie Carolyne Stern helped key a USC comeback effort before Stanford got the goals it needed to net the win. USC got behind by two goals out of the gates before working its way back. Down 4-2, Stern put up a wall in the cage with two 6-on-5 stops around a power play goal from Morgan Netherton, and USC was a goal back at 4-3 at the end of the first. The Trojans made a power move next as Kearns earned a 5-meter penalty shot that Bayley Weber put away to lock things even at 4-4. Paige Haushild nabbed a steal next, and soon after Kearns would find Hauschild for a slick tip-in goal that had USC on top for the first time, up 5-4 with 6:30 on the clock in the second period. Stanford answered back, however, getting a 6-on-5 to go and then finishing off an even strike to lead it 6-5 for halftime. USC went right back to work to kick off the second half, hammering in two goals in the first minute. Weber converted off a 6-on-5 feed from Hauschild to pull USC even, and then Kearns picked off a pass and found the opportunistic finish the other way to lift USC on top 7-6. A defensive stalemate ensued until Stanford was awarded a 5-meter penalty shot and found the finish to level it 7-7 on the way into the fourth. The final frame was a wild one, with the officials' whistles calling for four penalty shots and five exclusions. Kearns got USC back in the lead with a fine finish out of set, but Stanford evened it with a score at the tail end of a 6-on-5. Kearns' third goal of the day came on a 5-meter penalty shot for the go-ahead goal, and then Stern came up with one of her 12 saves on the day to snuff another Stanford 6-on-5. Kearns' efforts at two meters earned another 5-meter for the Trojans, and Weber drilled her third goal of the day to get USC a 10-8 advantage at 4:55. Stern continued to shine in the cage, although she had to face a Stanford 5-meter penalty at 2:01 that cut the margin to one. The Cardinal equalized at 1:11, and then came up with a save against a USC 5-meter penalty try with 44 seconds to go. Knotted at 10-10, Stanford was awarded a late power play and scored as teams were pulling even to get the Cardinal an 11-10 lead with 10 ticks to go. USC got the last shot off, and the ball deflected off the post and floated close to crossing the goal line, but time would expire before the ball was through, and overtime was averted as Stanford emerged with the win.
BY THE NUMBERS
Now 13 games deep into 2023, USC's balanced scoring charge is led by Bayley Weber with 30 goals, followed by Tilly Kearns with 27 and Alejandra Aznar with 21. Paige Hauschild, Grace Tehaney and Maggie Johnson are next in line with 19, 15 and 13 goals, respectively. In all, 21 Trojans have scored at least one goal to date, including six with their first goals as Trojans. Defensively, all four USC goalies have factored into the 12-1 start, led by senior Carolyne Stern. Stern is averaging 10.5 saves per game thanks in part to a career-high 16 saves made against Long Beach State on Jan. 28. USC's other three goalies — Laine Hourigan, Sofia Stein and Jada Ward — are in their first season of action as Trojans. Overall, the group averages 9.8 saves per game to anchor a Trojan defense giving up just 6.8 goals per game. USC has outscored opponents 206-88 so far, while holding teams scoreless in eight different periods to date, including a powerful second-half shutout of No. 6 UC Irvine on Feb. 18.
ON THE RISE
Senior Paige Hauschild has climbed to rank No. 10 all-time in scoring at USC with 183 career goals to date. Several more veteran Trojans are also on the climb. Bayley Weber ranks No. 12 with 173 career goals, and Grace Tehaney sits at No. 19 with 138 to her name. Meanwhile, Tilly Kearns, who joined the 100-goal club at USC last month, now holds 120 goals as a Trojan, and Mireia Guiral also is on the rise with 108 career goals. On the defensive end, senior goalie Carolyne Stern ranks No. 9 all-time among USC goalies with her 295 career saves — 12 away from the No. 8 slot.
HATS OFF TO THE CAPTAINS
USC's 2023 captains are a decorated pair. Both 2020 Olympians, Paige Haushild and Tilly Kearns are the experienced backbone of the Trojan roster once again. Kearns finished the 2022 season at the top of the scoring leaderboard with 64 goals – 10th most scored in a single season in program history – and as a Peter J. Cutino Award finalist. The Aussie Olympian earned spots on the 2022 NCAA All-Tournament First Team, the MPSF All-Tournament Team and All-MPSF First Team for her work at two-meters. Olympic gold medalist Hauschild collected 47 goals of her own last season while applying pressure on both sides of the pool. Hauschild was a freshman when USC won the NCAA Championship in 2018, although both she and Kearns were away training with their respective Olympic teams when the Trojans last won it all in 2021. Hauschild and Kearns are two of seven returning All-Americans on the 2023 USC roster, alongside Alejandra Aznar, Mireia Guiral, Carolyne Stern, Grace Tehaney and Bayley Weber.
MORE VETS
In all, USC returns 13 members of its 16-member roster from the 2022 NCAA Tournament. In addition to its seven All-Americans, experienced depth returns in the form of seniors Téa Poljak, Claire Haas, Brooklyn Aguilera and Christina Crum, along with junior Julia Janov and sophomores Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea and Isabel Zimmerman..
YOUNG GUNS
USC's newest additions come from an array of the best talent in the world, including U.S. pipeline members Morgan Netherton and Maggie Johnson. The Trojans also have added Fresno State transfer Fanni Muzsnay, who also has international experience as a member of the Hungarian National Team. Freshman Alex Bonaguidi is tabbed for duty at center, joined by redshirt sophomore Hannah Meyer, who sat out last season due to injury.
LAST SEASON
In 2022, USC posted a 20-4 overall record while making an 18th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans went a perfect 6-0 in MPSF competition before taking second in the MPSF Tournament and reaching a fourth consecutive NCAA final. USC had beaten Fresno State 15-9 in the quarterfinals and then topped Cal 9-7 in the semis to face Stanford in the title match, falling 10-7 to the Cardinal. At the close of the season, Tilly Kearns was selected as a finalist for the Peter J. Cutino Award and was a First Team All-American along with Paige Hauschild. They were joined by fellow All-Americans Bayley Weber (Second Team), Carolyne Stern (Third Team), Mireia Guiral (Honorable Mention) and Grace Tehaney (Honorable Mention). Head coach Marko Pintaric was named MPSF Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. •
This week, No. 2 USC is off to Pomona and Claremont, Calif., for competition against four teams. The Trojans (12-1) open up with two games on Friday (March 3) in Pomona, taking on Iona at 1:45 p.m. and then facing Whittier at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, (March 4), USC faces No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer at 12:45 p.m. in the Sagehens' home pool before heading over to Claremont to battle host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 4:30 p.m.
RANKINGS
USC picked up the No. 2 ranking in the nation to open 2023, mirroring the Trojans' 2022 finish. As of the latest round of national rankings (released March 1), USC still sits at No. 2 in the land.
BKI RECAP
USC came just a breath away from claiming another tournament title after late goals from No. 1 Stanford stole the game away from the Trojans in the final of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational. USC had topped LMU 18-7 and Arizona State 16-4 in group play to set up a semifinal bout against No. 3 UCLA. The Trojans controlled that one, winning 13-10 to move into the title match against the Cardinal, which eked out an 11-10 win.
GAME 1: #2 USC 18, #23 LMU 7
USC overcame a tight first half with a second-half onslaught that saw the Trojans pour out 13 goals en route to an 18-7 comeback win over No. 23 Loyola Marymount. It was a back-and-forth battle in the first stretch as USC was attacking into a blustery wind to open the game. Still, USC manufactured a 4-2 lead in the first period on the hands of four different scorers. In the second period, however, LMU found its scoring touch and took the lead, up 6-5 on the Trojans by halftime. In the second half, USC made its power move again. The Trojans had shut out UC Irvine in the second half of last week's home opener, and USC was similarly dominant in today's second half against the Lions. Paige Hauschild scored twice to join six other USC scorers in the third period as the Trojans peeled out ahead 13-6 while silencing the Lions. After collecting nine saves in her three periods of work, goalie Carolyne Stern gave way to Jada Ward for the fourth. Again, the USC defense proved stingy. Just one LMU shot would find its way through, while USC scored five more in the final frame to put a bow on an 18-7 final victory over LMU.
GAME 2: #2 USC 18, #7 ASU 4
USC jumped out ahead of the Sun Devils with a powerful first frame and served up a now-trademark shutout of its opponent in the third period. USC's nighttime battle against Arizona State saw the Trojans outscore the Sun Devils 6-2 in the first period, with Fanni Muzsnay marking up back-to-back blasts in the final minute to build out a nice lead for USC. The Trojans poured out six more in the second, highlighted by two strikes from Alejandra Aznar while ASU managed just a long 5-meter penalty goal. USC gripped a 12-3 lead at the break, and then silenced the Sun Devils in the third to go with two more Trojan goals for a 14-3 lead to go into the fourth. That's where Téa Poljak and Julia Janov would join the scoresheet, making it nine USC scorers in the win. Goalies Carolyne Stern and Jada Ward split time in the cage, combining for seven saves and just those four goals by the Sun Devils.
SEMIFINAL: #2 USC 13, #3 UCLA 10
USC never trailed in tallying the Trojans' second win over the Bruins this season and take the ticket to the BKI title match Tilly Kearns started the game with an assist and would tally her fourth goal of the day to wrap USC's scoring in the Trojans' victory over the Bruins. UCLA pulled even early, but USC got back on top soon after on a score from Morgan Netherton, and Alejandra Aznar followed with her first of three goals on the day to get USC up 3-1 in the first frame. USC gripped a 5-2 lead after eight minutes of action on scores from five different Trojans. UCLA would stay within one or two goals of the Trojans through the second and third periods, with USC leading it 8-6 entering the fourth. Again the Bruins pulled within one, down 8-7 early in the fourth, only to see USC fire off three straight scores — two from Kearns and one from Paige Hauschild — to put the Bruins off the scent. Aznar's third and Kearns' fourth helped USC build out a 13-9 lead that UCLA would trim to 13-10 with 35 seconds remaining to round out the evening's action as a solid Trojan victory.
FINAL: #1 Stanford 11, #2 USC 10
A second-half hat trick from Tilly Kearns and some savvy saves from goalie Carolyne Stern helped key a USC comeback effort before Stanford got the goals it needed to net the win. USC got behind by two goals out of the gates before working its way back. Down 4-2, Stern put up a wall in the cage with two 6-on-5 stops around a power play goal from Morgan Netherton, and USC was a goal back at 4-3 at the end of the first. The Trojans made a power move next as Kearns earned a 5-meter penalty shot that Bayley Weber put away to lock things even at 4-4. Paige Haushild nabbed a steal next, and soon after Kearns would find Hauschild for a slick tip-in goal that had USC on top for the first time, up 5-4 with 6:30 on the clock in the second period. Stanford answered back, however, getting a 6-on-5 to go and then finishing off an even strike to lead it 6-5 for halftime. USC went right back to work to kick off the second half, hammering in two goals in the first minute. Weber converted off a 6-on-5 feed from Hauschild to pull USC even, and then Kearns picked off a pass and found the opportunistic finish the other way to lift USC on top 7-6. A defensive stalemate ensued until Stanford was awarded a 5-meter penalty shot and found the finish to level it 7-7 on the way into the fourth. The final frame was a wild one, with the officials' whistles calling for four penalty shots and five exclusions. Kearns got USC back in the lead with a fine finish out of set, but Stanford evened it with a score at the tail end of a 6-on-5. Kearns' third goal of the day came on a 5-meter penalty shot for the go-ahead goal, and then Stern came up with one of her 12 saves on the day to snuff another Stanford 6-on-5. Kearns' efforts at two meters earned another 5-meter for the Trojans, and Weber drilled her third goal of the day to get USC a 10-8 advantage at 4:55. Stern continued to shine in the cage, although she had to face a Stanford 5-meter penalty at 2:01 that cut the margin to one. The Cardinal equalized at 1:11, and then came up with a save against a USC 5-meter penalty try with 44 seconds to go. Knotted at 10-10, Stanford was awarded a late power play and scored as teams were pulling even to get the Cardinal an 11-10 lead with 10 ticks to go. USC got the last shot off, and the ball deflected off the post and floated close to crossing the goal line, but time would expire before the ball was through, and overtime was averted as Stanford emerged with the win.
BY THE NUMBERS
Now 13 games deep into 2023, USC's balanced scoring charge is led by Bayley Weber with 30 goals, followed by Tilly Kearns with 27 and Alejandra Aznar with 21. Paige Hauschild, Grace Tehaney and Maggie Johnson are next in line with 19, 15 and 13 goals, respectively. In all, 21 Trojans have scored at least one goal to date, including six with their first goals as Trojans. Defensively, all four USC goalies have factored into the 12-1 start, led by senior Carolyne Stern. Stern is averaging 10.5 saves per game thanks in part to a career-high 16 saves made against Long Beach State on Jan. 28. USC's other three goalies — Laine Hourigan, Sofia Stein and Jada Ward — are in their first season of action as Trojans. Overall, the group averages 9.8 saves per game to anchor a Trojan defense giving up just 6.8 goals per game. USC has outscored opponents 206-88 so far, while holding teams scoreless in eight different periods to date, including a powerful second-half shutout of No. 6 UC Irvine on Feb. 18.
ON THE RISE
Senior Paige Hauschild has climbed to rank No. 10 all-time in scoring at USC with 183 career goals to date. Several more veteran Trojans are also on the climb. Bayley Weber ranks No. 12 with 173 career goals, and Grace Tehaney sits at No. 19 with 138 to her name. Meanwhile, Tilly Kearns, who joined the 100-goal club at USC last month, now holds 120 goals as a Trojan, and Mireia Guiral also is on the rise with 108 career goals. On the defensive end, senior goalie Carolyne Stern ranks No. 9 all-time among USC goalies with her 295 career saves — 12 away from the No. 8 slot.
HATS OFF TO THE CAPTAINS
USC's 2023 captains are a decorated pair. Both 2020 Olympians, Paige Haushild and Tilly Kearns are the experienced backbone of the Trojan roster once again. Kearns finished the 2022 season at the top of the scoring leaderboard with 64 goals – 10th most scored in a single season in program history – and as a Peter J. Cutino Award finalist. The Aussie Olympian earned spots on the 2022 NCAA All-Tournament First Team, the MPSF All-Tournament Team and All-MPSF First Team for her work at two-meters. Olympic gold medalist Hauschild collected 47 goals of her own last season while applying pressure on both sides of the pool. Hauschild was a freshman when USC won the NCAA Championship in 2018, although both she and Kearns were away training with their respective Olympic teams when the Trojans last won it all in 2021. Hauschild and Kearns are two of seven returning All-Americans on the 2023 USC roster, alongside Alejandra Aznar, Mireia Guiral, Carolyne Stern, Grace Tehaney and Bayley Weber.
MORE VETS
In all, USC returns 13 members of its 16-member roster from the 2022 NCAA Tournament. In addition to its seven All-Americans, experienced depth returns in the form of seniors Téa Poljak, Claire Haas, Brooklyn Aguilera and Christina Crum, along with junior Julia Janov and sophomores Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea and Isabel Zimmerman..
YOUNG GUNS
USC's newest additions come from an array of the best talent in the world, including U.S. pipeline members Morgan Netherton and Maggie Johnson. The Trojans also have added Fresno State transfer Fanni Muzsnay, who also has international experience as a member of the Hungarian National Team. Freshman Alex Bonaguidi is tabbed for duty at center, joined by redshirt sophomore Hannah Meyer, who sat out last season due to injury.
LAST SEASON
In 2022, USC posted a 20-4 overall record while making an 18th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans went a perfect 6-0 in MPSF competition before taking second in the MPSF Tournament and reaching a fourth consecutive NCAA final. USC had beaten Fresno State 15-9 in the quarterfinals and then topped Cal 9-7 in the semis to face Stanford in the title match, falling 10-7 to the Cardinal. At the close of the season, Tilly Kearns was selected as a finalist for the Peter J. Cutino Award and was a First Team All-American along with Paige Hauschild. They were joined by fellow All-Americans Bayley Weber (Second Team), Carolyne Stern (Third Team), Mireia Guiral (Honorable Mention) and Grace Tehaney (Honorable Mention). Head coach Marko Pintaric was named MPSF Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. •
USC Water Polo's Emily Ausmus | Trojans Live 3.24.25
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Julia Janov - 2024 NCAA Women's Water Polo Banquet speech
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Women's Water Polo - Stanford 12, USC 11: Highlights (4/28/24)
Sunday, April 28
