Saturday, February 8
Los Angeles, Calif.
1:00 p.m.
USC
10-0
19
vs
15
UC Irvine
3-4
1
2
3
4
F
UC Irvine
3
4
2
6
15
Southern California
7
5
7
0
19
Team Stats
UCI
USC
Shots
26
31
Goals
15
19
Assists
12
13
Points
27
32
Exclusions
8
10
Steals
6
12
Sprints
0
4
1
Alma Yaacobi
7:13
Libby Alexander
6:55
Ava Knepper
6:33
Sinia Plotz
5:39
Sara Naulty
5:03
Emily Ausmus
4:18
Emma Lawson
2:33
Pippa Heaver
1:36
Tilly Kearns
1:25
Tilly Kearns
0:10
2
Brooke Hourigan
7:21
Ava Stryker
6:55
Rachel Gazzaniga
5:26
Nioka Thomas
5:01
Libby Alexander
4:30
Emily Ausmus
2:02
Alma Yaacobi
1:29
Sara Naulty
1:05
Tilly Kearns
0:43
3
Tilly Kearns
7:34
Emily Ausmus
7:00
Sinia Plotz
6:10
Brooke Hourigan
3:59
Tilly Kearns
3:39
Emily Ausmus
2:21
Ava Stryker
1:50
Emily Ausmus
1:12
Kennedy East
0:11
4
Nioka Thomas
6:27
Libby Alexander
5:17
Nioka Thomas
4:21
Brooke Hourigan
2:34
Deirdre Murphy
1:01
Kennedy East
0:20
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
6
Goals
5
Assists
3
Points
8
Shots
6
Goals
5
Assists
0
Points
5
Shots
3
Goals
2
Assists
2
Points
4
Shots
3
Goals
1
Assists
0
Points
1
Players Mentioned
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
C
/ Women's Water PoloC
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
ATT
/ Women's Water Polo
C
/ Women's Water Polo
Photo by: Katie Chin
No. 1 USC Women’s Water Polo Tacks Up 10th Win With 19-15 Victory over No. 6 UC Irvine
February 08, 2025 | Women's Water Polo
Tilly Kearns and Emily Ausmus combine for 10 goals to help USC to another win at Uytengsu.
LOS ANGELES — The No. 1 USC women's water polo team built a hefty lead and held on to notch its 10th win of the season with a 19-15 victory over visiting No. 6 UC Irvine today at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. Olympians Emily Ausmus and Tilly Kearns combined for 10 of USC's goals on the day to help USC to 10-0 on the year.
USC opened up the game scoring on four straight 6-on-5 opportunities, netting goals from Alma Yaacobi, Ava Knepper, Ava Stryker and Emily Ausmus. UCI had gotten one back on a power play of its own, making it 3-2, only to see Ausmus hammer home a 6-on-5 feed from Meghan McAninch to make it 4-2 Trojans at 4:15. Jada Ward came up with a sweet save to snuff an Anteater counterattack, and then Emma Lawson sniped in a bar-in blast to take USC out ahead 5-2. Later, Tilly Kearns would issue back-to-back strikes after a UC Irvine score to get USC ahead 7-3 at the end of the first. The scoring pace evened up more in the second before Ausmus sizzled in a 5-meter penalty shot that was soon followed by a score out of set from Alma Yaacobi. That had USC on top 11-6 just before the final minute of the half. The teams traded goals in the remaining time, and it was a 12-7 USC lead for halftime.
The Trojan offense was firing on all cylinders in the third, thanks in part to three more goals from Ausmus in that span. Sinia Plotz zipped in her second goal of the game to get USC a 15-7 advantage along the way, and later USC ripped off four straight scores en route to a 19-9 lead at the close of the third. In the fourth, however, the Anteaters found their scoring touch and paired that with some stingy defense that helped UC Irvine carve down that Trojan lead. UCI scored six in the final eight minutes of action while USC was unable to break through, although the Trojan lead was large enough going in to keep the Anteaters ay bay in a final 19-15 decision.
NEXT:
USC has another home game on tap next week, with the Trojans hosting Long Beach State on Saturday (Feb. 15) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
NOTABLE:
- With two goals today, JR Sinia Plotz recorded her first multiple-goal game as a Trojan.
- With their goals today, SO Rachel Gazzaniga, SO Ava Stryker, SR Tilly Kearns and FR Emily Ausmus have all scored in every game for USC this season.
- With five goals today, Ausmus also has now registered multiple-goal efforts in all 10 USC games this season.
#1 USC vs. #6 UC Irvine
Saturday, Feb. 8 | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
USC 7 - 5 - 7 - 0 = 19
UCI 3 - 4 - 2 - 6 = 15
SCORING:
USC —Emily Ausmus 5, Tilly Kearns 5, Ava Stryker 2, Alma Yaacobi 2, Sinia Plotz 2, Emma Lawson, Ava Knepper, Rachel Gazzaniga.
UCI — Libby Alexander 3, Brooke Hourigan 3, Nioka Thomas 3, Sara Naulty 2, Kennedy East 2, Pippa Heaver, Deirdre Murphy.
SAVES: Jada Ward (USC) 2 [1st half], Anna Reed (USC) 2 [2nd half], Rachel Kirchner (UCI) 3, Ella Walker (UCI) 3 [4th period].
USC opened up the game scoring on four straight 6-on-5 opportunities, netting goals from Alma Yaacobi, Ava Knepper, Ava Stryker and Emily Ausmus. UCI had gotten one back on a power play of its own, making it 3-2, only to see Ausmus hammer home a 6-on-5 feed from Meghan McAninch to make it 4-2 Trojans at 4:15. Jada Ward came up with a sweet save to snuff an Anteater counterattack, and then Emma Lawson sniped in a bar-in blast to take USC out ahead 5-2. Later, Tilly Kearns would issue back-to-back strikes after a UC Irvine score to get USC ahead 7-3 at the end of the first. The scoring pace evened up more in the second before Ausmus sizzled in a 5-meter penalty shot that was soon followed by a score out of set from Alma Yaacobi. That had USC on top 11-6 just before the final minute of the half. The teams traded goals in the remaining time, and it was a 12-7 USC lead for halftime.
The Trojan offense was firing on all cylinders in the third, thanks in part to three more goals from Ausmus in that span. Sinia Plotz zipped in her second goal of the game to get USC a 15-7 advantage along the way, and later USC ripped off four straight scores en route to a 19-9 lead at the close of the third. In the fourth, however, the Anteaters found their scoring touch and paired that with some stingy defense that helped UC Irvine carve down that Trojan lead. UCI scored six in the final eight minutes of action while USC was unable to break through, although the Trojan lead was large enough going in to keep the Anteaters ay bay in a final 19-15 decision.
NEXT:
USC has another home game on tap next week, with the Trojans hosting Long Beach State on Saturday (Feb. 15) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
NOTABLE:
- With two goals today, JR Sinia Plotz recorded her first multiple-goal game as a Trojan.
- With their goals today, SO Rachel Gazzaniga, SO Ava Stryker, SR Tilly Kearns and FR Emily Ausmus have all scored in every game for USC this season.
- With five goals today, Ausmus also has now registered multiple-goal efforts in all 10 USC games this season.
#1 USC vs. #6 UC Irvine
Saturday, Feb. 8 | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
USC 7 - 5 - 7 - 0 = 19
UCI 3 - 4 - 2 - 6 = 15
SCORING:
USC —Emily Ausmus 5, Tilly Kearns 5, Ava Stryker 2, Alma Yaacobi 2, Sinia Plotz 2, Emma Lawson, Ava Knepper, Rachel Gazzaniga.
UCI — Libby Alexander 3, Brooke Hourigan 3, Nioka Thomas 3, Sara Naulty 2, Kennedy East 2, Pippa Heaver, Deirdre Murphy.
SAVES: Jada Ward (USC) 2 [1st half], Anna Reed (USC) 2 [2nd half], Rachel Kirchner (UCI) 3, Ella Walker (UCI) 3 [4th period].
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