Friday, February 2
La Jolla, Calif.
9:20 AM
USC
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Concordia University Irvine
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Photo by: Katie Chin
No. 1 USC Women’s Water Polo Sets Up Defense Of Triton Invite Title In San Diego
January 31, 2024 | Women's Water Polo
Trojans enter an early-season tournament stretch starting with action at the Triton Invitational.
THIS WEEK
No. 1 USC steps into its first tournament action of the 2024 season with a trip to San Diego to compete as the defending champs at the Triton Invitational. The Trojans (2-0) are in a group with Concordia, Michigan and UC Santa Barbara, opening up against the Eagles in a 9:20 a.m. game on Friday (Feb. 2) at La Jolla High School. USC will face either the Wolverines or the Gauchos on the morning of Saturday (Feb. 3) at UC San Diego's Canyonview Aquatic Center, with semifinals set for that afternoon. Sunday (Feb. 4) will feature placement games, culminating in a 12:40 p.m. championship match.
RANKINGS
USC opened up 2024 tied at No. 1 in the national rankings. After the first week of action, the Trojans stood alone at the top, and USC remains as the No. 1 team in the nation as of the latest round of national rankings (released Jan. 31).
LAST ACTION
USC tacked up two strong wins to open up its 2024 competition, beating No. 23 San Diego State 18-7 and Cal State Fullerton 16-3 at the Titan Invitational. Three USC goalies capped up and thirteen different Trojans scored across the two wins, highlighted by a career-high six goals from Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea against the Aztecs and the first career goals as Trojans by Rachel Gazzaniga, Ava Stryker, Meghan McAninch and Hannah Carver. In USC's 2024 kickoff against No. 23 San Diego State, the Trojans surrendered the first goal of the game before settling in and rattling off four in a row, sparked by a 5-meter penalty shot earned by freshman Rachel Gazzaniga and polished off by senior Alejandra Aznar. USC's blend of veteran and newer talent proved a potent pairing, with USC freshmen Gazzaniga, Ava Stryker and Meghan McAninch all netting their first goals as Trojans during the second half while junior Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea had a hat trick in place by the break. Senior goalie Carolyne Stern hauled in five saves in the cage in that first half to help USC lead it 11-5 before giving way to sophomore goalie Jada Ward. Ward and the USC defense shut out the Aztecs in the third period while building out a 13-5 lead with Vandeweghe-O'Shea rattling in another and Alex Bonaguidi notching her second in that frame. By the final buzzer, USC had nine Trojans on the scoresheet with Vandeweghe-O'Shea leading the pack with her career-high six goals. Stern took the cage to open the second game of the day, and the Trojans were dominant on both ends in racking up a 7-0 start against the host Titans. Gazzaniga and McAninch had two apiece in that first-half surge, as USC led it 8-2 by halftime. Laine Hourigan took over the cage next and tallied a new career high with seven saves in her 16 minutes of work between the pipes. Again, the USC defense shut out its opponent in the third period, while the offense poured out five goals from five different scorers to craft a 14-2 lead entering the fourth. Bonaguidi and Molly Glad wrapped goals around the Titans' lone goal of the half, and USC topped off a 16-3 win to improve to 2-0 on the year.
NOTABLE:
- FR Rachel Gazzaniga, Ava Stryker and Meghan McAninch each scored their first goals as Trojans vs. SDSU.
- JR Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea set a new career high with six goals scored vs. SDSU.
- Vandeweghe-O'Shea's six goals marked the most scored by a Trojan since Tilly Kearns had six vs. San José State in 2022.
- The USC defense — with SO goalie Jada Ward in goal — shut out SDSU in the third period.
- USC again — with RS SO goalie Laine Hourigan in goal — shut out CSF in the third period.
- With seven saves in the second half vs. CSF, RS SO Hourigan set a new career high.
- RS FR Hannah Carver scored her first career goal as a Trojan vs. CSF.
- With her six saves vs. CSF, SR goalie Carolyne Stern moved up to rank No. 6 all-time at USC in career saves, now with 403.
- SR Alejandra Aznar scored her 100th career goal in USC's win over SDSU.
2023 TRITON CHAMPS
Last year at the Triton Invitational, USC made a winning run at the tourney to claim the title with four wins, topped off with a 10-8 overtime victory over UCLA in the championship game.
FINAL: #2 USC 10, #3 UCLA 8 (OT)
A 5-meter penalty shot had UCLA up 8-6 early in the fourth period, but that would be the last time the Bruins would break through. Mireia Guiral tugged the Trojans within one with a score from the post to make it 8-7, and then — after some stingy USC defense — Grace Tehaney locked it even for the first time since the second period with a crosscage blast that knotted it at 8-8 with 2:35 left in the fourth. UCLA's look at a regulation winner was off the mark, bringing up overtime for the crosstown rivals. Neither team was able to get to the back of the net in the first three-minute OT frame as the USC defense continued to squelch the Bruins. After another minute of scoreless play to open the second overtime stretch, USC earned its first lead since the first period when Paige Hauschild found the far corner to go up 9-8. In the last minute, Tilly Kearns earned a 6-on-5 for the Trojans and would finish off the possession to make it 10-8 USC with 48 ticks to go. The Trojan defense remained resolute, leaving the Bruins scoreless for the final 9:30 of the game to emerge as the Triton Invitational champions with the 10-8 overtime victory.
SEMIFINAL: USC 15, #9 UC Irvine 8
USC course-corrected early to take a 4-2 lead over the Anteaters with opening goals from four different players. Back-to-back goals from Paige Hauschild in the second helped lift USC to an 8-5 halftime advantage over the Anteaters, and then Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea and Alejandra Aznar joined the scoresheet in the third as USC moved ahead 11-7 to close the third. Offense kept clicking for USC down the stretch, while the defense tightened up, and the Trojans emerged with a 15-8 win over UC Irvine to steal a spot in the final.
USC 16, #13 Indiana 7
Up against Indiana to wrap up bracket play, USC came out a little slow and had to fight back to tie it up three times in the first period before Tehaney got the Trojans a late 4-3 lead to close the first. It was a 6-5 margin at halftime, and then USC made its power move in the third, knocking in six goals — three from Tehaney, two from Weber and once from Mireia Guiral — to help stoke the Trojans to a 12-7 lead entering the fourth. There, behind some stubborn goalkeeping from senior Carolyne Stern, USC shut out the Hoosiers in the last eight minutes en route to claiming a 16-7 victory that ensured a semifinal slot for USC.
USC 23, Concordia 3
USC churned out the first 11 goals of the game en route to a dominant 23-3 win over Concordia to open bracket play at the Triton Invitational. Freshman Maggie Johnson knocked out four goals to lead the Trojan scoring charge. USC goalies Carolyne Stern and Laine Hourigan tag-teamed the cage in this one, with senior Stern tallying five saves and giving up just one late goal in the first half of action as USC built out an 11-1 advantage over the Eagles. Bayley Weber, Tilly Kearns and Alejandra Aznar each scored twice in the first half to set USC on its course to victory. With her first goal of the day, Kearns tallied her 100th career goal as a Trojan. Hourigan checked into the cage for the second half, backing up a stingy Trojan defense with six saves while the Eagles found the back of the net only twice. Maggie Johnson clicked off three more goals in the second half to set her career high at four on the day, while Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea also had a career day in serving up three goals all in the fourth period as USC pressed on to close out a 23-3 final victory.
OVERSEAS ACHIEVERS
International experience has been key to USC's development of versatile players. The USA pipeline has crafted a number of outstanding Trojans — past, present and future, including Team USA's Emily Ausmus, who deferred her freshman enrollment at USC in order to train for the 2024 Olympics. Many other U.S. pipeline products will be capped up for USC this season, including Morgan Netherton, Rachel Gazzaniga and Ava Stryker, who competed for the USA at Junior Worlds this past summer. Abigail Hendrix, Maggie Johnson, Meghan McAninch, Hannah Meyer, Carolyne Stern, Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea, Deming Wyer and Isabel Zimmerman also have capped up for the USA at the Youth level. Outside of the United States, several returning Trojans have also gathered international experience with other nations — Alejandra Aznar (Spain), Julia Janov (Slovakia), Emma Lawson (Canada), Fanni Muzsnay (Hungary), Jelena Sarac (Serbia).
CENTER STAGE
USC is without one decorated Trojan international for 2024, as Olympian and Cutino Award finalist Tilly Kearns is training with Australia for the 2024 Olympic Games. That leaves a void at the center position for this season, but head coach Casey Moon has tapped into his handy toolkit in order to adjust. In addition to the proven work done at set by senior Hannah Meyer, Moon has eyes on incorporating newcomer national teamer Rachel Gazzaniga along with sophomore Alex Bonaguidi for increased action, with new addition Madison Haaland-Ford also in the mix at the center slot.
ON THE ATTACK
In the field, USC is fueled by an arsenal of attackers along with deft defenders to go along with its center play. Molly Glad, Abigail Hendrix, Emma Lawson, Jelena Sarac and Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea are tabbed for duty on the defensive end, while also set to take aim offensively from the perimeter. USC's onslaught of attackers features newcomers Meghan McAninch and Ava Stryker to go along with veterans Alejandra Aznar, Julia Janov and Fanni Muzsnay, who combined for 88 goals last season. As freshmen, attackers Maggie Johnson and Morgan Netherton pinned up a combine 34 goals. All versatile tools in Moon's box of tricks, the USC attacking core also includes Brooklyn Aguilera, Hannah Carver, Caitlin Cohen, Sally McCarthy, Deming Wyer and Isabel Zimmerman.
BACK IN ACTION
USC boasts nine returners from USC's 2023 NCAA roster, which reached the NCAA final in the program's 19th straight trip to the postseason to finish with a 29-3 overall record. Maggie Johnson and Morgan Netherton were freshmen on that squad, bringing back key lessons learned along with the other seven members of the returning group that was on deck for that NCAA journey — Brooklyn Aguilera, Alejandra Aznar, Molly Glad, Abigail Hendrix, Hannah Meyer, Carolyne Stern, Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea, Jada Ward and Isabel Zimmerman.
CAPTAIN'S SALUTE
Goalie Carolyne Stern is joined by Julia Janov and Maggie Johnson as team captains for 2024. All were instrumental in USC's NCAA run last season, and Janov and Stern are now entering their fourth season playing together. That combined experience and leadership ability gives coach Moon the utmost confidence in his three captains, who are charged with setting the tone and the course for the Trojans in 2024.
CAGE FIGHTERS
A 2023 All-American, Carolyne Stern enters her final season between the pipes. She's been a steadying and reliable force in the cage for USC, thanks in part to the talented younger goalies in the water with her every day. Sophomore Jada Ward and redshirt sophomore Laine Hourigan both served as outstanding backups for Stern last year, and they are joined by two true freshmen this season in Anna Reed and Lauren Schneider to round out a formidable goalkeeping corps for the 2024 Trojans. In her first weekend of work, Stern surged to now rank as USC's No. 6 all-time saves leader, now with 403 career saves to her name as a Trojan.
LAST SEASON
In 2023, USC went 28-3 overall in a season that saw the Trojans make a 19th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. USC posted a perfect 6-0 mark in MPSF competition before taking second place in the MPSF Tournament and later reaching a fifth consecutive NCAA final, where USC lost to Stanford. At the close of the season, Tilly Kearns was selected as a finalist for the Peter J. Cutino Award for the second straight season. She also was a First Team All-American along with Paige Hauschild and Bayley Weber. They were joined by fellow All-Americans Carolyne Stern (Honorable Mention) and Grace Tehaney (Honorable Mention). Head coach Marko Pintaric was named MPSF Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season, and Weber was named MPSF Player of the Year. •
No. 1 USC steps into its first tournament action of the 2024 season with a trip to San Diego to compete as the defending champs at the Triton Invitational. The Trojans (2-0) are in a group with Concordia, Michigan and UC Santa Barbara, opening up against the Eagles in a 9:20 a.m. game on Friday (Feb. 2) at La Jolla High School. USC will face either the Wolverines or the Gauchos on the morning of Saturday (Feb. 3) at UC San Diego's Canyonview Aquatic Center, with semifinals set for that afternoon. Sunday (Feb. 4) will feature placement games, culminating in a 12:40 p.m. championship match.
RANKINGS
USC opened up 2024 tied at No. 1 in the national rankings. After the first week of action, the Trojans stood alone at the top, and USC remains as the No. 1 team in the nation as of the latest round of national rankings (released Jan. 31).
LAST ACTION
USC tacked up two strong wins to open up its 2024 competition, beating No. 23 San Diego State 18-7 and Cal State Fullerton 16-3 at the Titan Invitational. Three USC goalies capped up and thirteen different Trojans scored across the two wins, highlighted by a career-high six goals from Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea against the Aztecs and the first career goals as Trojans by Rachel Gazzaniga, Ava Stryker, Meghan McAninch and Hannah Carver. In USC's 2024 kickoff against No. 23 San Diego State, the Trojans surrendered the first goal of the game before settling in and rattling off four in a row, sparked by a 5-meter penalty shot earned by freshman Rachel Gazzaniga and polished off by senior Alejandra Aznar. USC's blend of veteran and newer talent proved a potent pairing, with USC freshmen Gazzaniga, Ava Stryker and Meghan McAninch all netting their first goals as Trojans during the second half while junior Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea had a hat trick in place by the break. Senior goalie Carolyne Stern hauled in five saves in the cage in that first half to help USC lead it 11-5 before giving way to sophomore goalie Jada Ward. Ward and the USC defense shut out the Aztecs in the third period while building out a 13-5 lead with Vandeweghe-O'Shea rattling in another and Alex Bonaguidi notching her second in that frame. By the final buzzer, USC had nine Trojans on the scoresheet with Vandeweghe-O'Shea leading the pack with her career-high six goals. Stern took the cage to open the second game of the day, and the Trojans were dominant on both ends in racking up a 7-0 start against the host Titans. Gazzaniga and McAninch had two apiece in that first-half surge, as USC led it 8-2 by halftime. Laine Hourigan took over the cage next and tallied a new career high with seven saves in her 16 minutes of work between the pipes. Again, the USC defense shut out its opponent in the third period, while the offense poured out five goals from five different scorers to craft a 14-2 lead entering the fourth. Bonaguidi and Molly Glad wrapped goals around the Titans' lone goal of the half, and USC topped off a 16-3 win to improve to 2-0 on the year.
NOTABLE:
- FR Rachel Gazzaniga, Ava Stryker and Meghan McAninch each scored their first goals as Trojans vs. SDSU.
- JR Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea set a new career high with six goals scored vs. SDSU.
- Vandeweghe-O'Shea's six goals marked the most scored by a Trojan since Tilly Kearns had six vs. San José State in 2022.
- The USC defense — with SO goalie Jada Ward in goal — shut out SDSU in the third period.
- USC again — with RS SO goalie Laine Hourigan in goal — shut out CSF in the third period.
- With seven saves in the second half vs. CSF, RS SO Hourigan set a new career high.
- RS FR Hannah Carver scored her first career goal as a Trojan vs. CSF.
- With her six saves vs. CSF, SR goalie Carolyne Stern moved up to rank No. 6 all-time at USC in career saves, now with 403.
- SR Alejandra Aznar scored her 100th career goal in USC's win over SDSU.
2023 TRITON CHAMPS
Last year at the Triton Invitational, USC made a winning run at the tourney to claim the title with four wins, topped off with a 10-8 overtime victory over UCLA in the championship game.
FINAL: #2 USC 10, #3 UCLA 8 (OT)
A 5-meter penalty shot had UCLA up 8-6 early in the fourth period, but that would be the last time the Bruins would break through. Mireia Guiral tugged the Trojans within one with a score from the post to make it 8-7, and then — after some stingy USC defense — Grace Tehaney locked it even for the first time since the second period with a crosscage blast that knotted it at 8-8 with 2:35 left in the fourth. UCLA's look at a regulation winner was off the mark, bringing up overtime for the crosstown rivals. Neither team was able to get to the back of the net in the first three-minute OT frame as the USC defense continued to squelch the Bruins. After another minute of scoreless play to open the second overtime stretch, USC earned its first lead since the first period when Paige Hauschild found the far corner to go up 9-8. In the last minute, Tilly Kearns earned a 6-on-5 for the Trojans and would finish off the possession to make it 10-8 USC with 48 ticks to go. The Trojan defense remained resolute, leaving the Bruins scoreless for the final 9:30 of the game to emerge as the Triton Invitational champions with the 10-8 overtime victory.
SEMIFINAL: USC 15, #9 UC Irvine 8
USC course-corrected early to take a 4-2 lead over the Anteaters with opening goals from four different players. Back-to-back goals from Paige Hauschild in the second helped lift USC to an 8-5 halftime advantage over the Anteaters, and then Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea and Alejandra Aznar joined the scoresheet in the third as USC moved ahead 11-7 to close the third. Offense kept clicking for USC down the stretch, while the defense tightened up, and the Trojans emerged with a 15-8 win over UC Irvine to steal a spot in the final.
USC 16, #13 Indiana 7
Up against Indiana to wrap up bracket play, USC came out a little slow and had to fight back to tie it up three times in the first period before Tehaney got the Trojans a late 4-3 lead to close the first. It was a 6-5 margin at halftime, and then USC made its power move in the third, knocking in six goals — three from Tehaney, two from Weber and once from Mireia Guiral — to help stoke the Trojans to a 12-7 lead entering the fourth. There, behind some stubborn goalkeeping from senior Carolyne Stern, USC shut out the Hoosiers in the last eight minutes en route to claiming a 16-7 victory that ensured a semifinal slot for USC.
USC 23, Concordia 3
USC churned out the first 11 goals of the game en route to a dominant 23-3 win over Concordia to open bracket play at the Triton Invitational. Freshman Maggie Johnson knocked out four goals to lead the Trojan scoring charge. USC goalies Carolyne Stern and Laine Hourigan tag-teamed the cage in this one, with senior Stern tallying five saves and giving up just one late goal in the first half of action as USC built out an 11-1 advantage over the Eagles. Bayley Weber, Tilly Kearns and Alejandra Aznar each scored twice in the first half to set USC on its course to victory. With her first goal of the day, Kearns tallied her 100th career goal as a Trojan. Hourigan checked into the cage for the second half, backing up a stingy Trojan defense with six saves while the Eagles found the back of the net only twice. Maggie Johnson clicked off three more goals in the second half to set her career high at four on the day, while Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea also had a career day in serving up three goals all in the fourth period as USC pressed on to close out a 23-3 final victory.
OVERSEAS ACHIEVERS
International experience has been key to USC's development of versatile players. The USA pipeline has crafted a number of outstanding Trojans — past, present and future, including Team USA's Emily Ausmus, who deferred her freshman enrollment at USC in order to train for the 2024 Olympics. Many other U.S. pipeline products will be capped up for USC this season, including Morgan Netherton, Rachel Gazzaniga and Ava Stryker, who competed for the USA at Junior Worlds this past summer. Abigail Hendrix, Maggie Johnson, Meghan McAninch, Hannah Meyer, Carolyne Stern, Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea, Deming Wyer and Isabel Zimmerman also have capped up for the USA at the Youth level. Outside of the United States, several returning Trojans have also gathered international experience with other nations — Alejandra Aznar (Spain), Julia Janov (Slovakia), Emma Lawson (Canada), Fanni Muzsnay (Hungary), Jelena Sarac (Serbia).
CENTER STAGE
USC is without one decorated Trojan international for 2024, as Olympian and Cutino Award finalist Tilly Kearns is training with Australia for the 2024 Olympic Games. That leaves a void at the center position for this season, but head coach Casey Moon has tapped into his handy toolkit in order to adjust. In addition to the proven work done at set by senior Hannah Meyer, Moon has eyes on incorporating newcomer national teamer Rachel Gazzaniga along with sophomore Alex Bonaguidi for increased action, with new addition Madison Haaland-Ford also in the mix at the center slot.
ON THE ATTACK
In the field, USC is fueled by an arsenal of attackers along with deft defenders to go along with its center play. Molly Glad, Abigail Hendrix, Emma Lawson, Jelena Sarac and Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea are tabbed for duty on the defensive end, while also set to take aim offensively from the perimeter. USC's onslaught of attackers features newcomers Meghan McAninch and Ava Stryker to go along with veterans Alejandra Aznar, Julia Janov and Fanni Muzsnay, who combined for 88 goals last season. As freshmen, attackers Maggie Johnson and Morgan Netherton pinned up a combine 34 goals. All versatile tools in Moon's box of tricks, the USC attacking core also includes Brooklyn Aguilera, Hannah Carver, Caitlin Cohen, Sally McCarthy, Deming Wyer and Isabel Zimmerman.
BACK IN ACTION
USC boasts nine returners from USC's 2023 NCAA roster, which reached the NCAA final in the program's 19th straight trip to the postseason to finish with a 29-3 overall record. Maggie Johnson and Morgan Netherton were freshmen on that squad, bringing back key lessons learned along with the other seven members of the returning group that was on deck for that NCAA journey — Brooklyn Aguilera, Alejandra Aznar, Molly Glad, Abigail Hendrix, Hannah Meyer, Carolyne Stern, Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea, Jada Ward and Isabel Zimmerman.
CAPTAIN'S SALUTE
Goalie Carolyne Stern is joined by Julia Janov and Maggie Johnson as team captains for 2024. All were instrumental in USC's NCAA run last season, and Janov and Stern are now entering their fourth season playing together. That combined experience and leadership ability gives coach Moon the utmost confidence in his three captains, who are charged with setting the tone and the course for the Trojans in 2024.
CAGE FIGHTERS
A 2023 All-American, Carolyne Stern enters her final season between the pipes. She's been a steadying and reliable force in the cage for USC, thanks in part to the talented younger goalies in the water with her every day. Sophomore Jada Ward and redshirt sophomore Laine Hourigan both served as outstanding backups for Stern last year, and they are joined by two true freshmen this season in Anna Reed and Lauren Schneider to round out a formidable goalkeeping corps for the 2024 Trojans. In her first weekend of work, Stern surged to now rank as USC's No. 6 all-time saves leader, now with 403 career saves to her name as a Trojan.
LAST SEASON
In 2023, USC went 28-3 overall in a season that saw the Trojans make a 19th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. USC posted a perfect 6-0 mark in MPSF competition before taking second place in the MPSF Tournament and later reaching a fifth consecutive NCAA final, where USC lost to Stanford. At the close of the season, Tilly Kearns was selected as a finalist for the Peter J. Cutino Award for the second straight season. She also was a First Team All-American along with Paige Hauschild and Bayley Weber. They were joined by fellow All-Americans Carolyne Stern (Honorable Mention) and Grace Tehaney (Honorable Mention). Head coach Marko Pintaric was named MPSF Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season, and Weber was named MPSF Player of the Year. •
USC Water Polo's Emily Ausmus | Trojans Live 3.24.25
Monday, March 24
Women's Water Polo - Stanford 8, USC 3: Highlights (5/10/24)
Friday, May 10
Julia Janov - 2024 NCAA Women's Water Polo Banquet speech
Thursday, May 09
Women's Water Polo - Stanford 12, USC 11: Highlights (4/28/24)
Sunday, April 28
