University Southern California Trojans
Saturday, January 31
La Jolla, Calif.
11:10 a.m.
USC
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12
#12 UC San Diego
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Southern California
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UC San Diego
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Photo by: Nicole Hourigan
No. 2 Women's Water Polo Sweeps The Day To Advance To Triton Invitational Title Game
January 31, 2026 | Women's Water Polo
The Trojans defeated two ranked opponents to advance to the title game for the second consecutive season.
SAN DIEGO, Calif.- The USC women's water polo team faced two ranked foes in the No. 12 UC San Diego Tritons and the No. 7 Long Beach State Sharks on Saturday in San Diego, Calif..
The Trojans offense combined for 34 goals and goalie Anna Reed racked up 20 saves across the two games to claim their spot in the Triton Invitational title game where they will face crosstown foe UCLA.
#2 USC 19, #11 UCSD 12
The Women of Troy faced host UC San Diego to kick off the second day at the Triton Invitational.
The Trojans got off to a quick start once again winning the opening sprint to gain the first possession before Meghan McAninch struck first.
EJ Hourigan and Morgan Netherton both scored to give USC an early three goal lead. UC San Diego responded with two goals of their own before Sofia Umeda and Emily Ausmus found the back of the cage to close out the quarter with a 5-2 advantage.
Rachel Gazzaniga sparked a 5-1 run for USC. The Tritons rallied for four goals in the quarter but the Women of Troy held a 11-6 lead at the halftime break.
Ausmus caught fire in the second half registering three goals in the third quarter to halt the surging UC San Diego offense.
Ava Knepper knocked in a goal with 50 seconds to spare before the game headed to the final stanza.
The Trojans held the Tritons to just two goals in the frame to claim their seventh straight win as they advanced to the Triton Invitational semifinal game.
Notables
Scoring: Emily Ausmus (6), Morgan Netherton (2), Maggie Johnson (2), Caitlin Cohen (2), Sofia Umeda (2), EJ Hourigan (1), Ava Knepper (1), Meghan McAninch (1), Rachel Gazzaniga (1), Ava Stryker (1)
Saves: Anna Reed (8)
#2 USC 15, #7 Long Beach State 11
The Sharks attacked early to kick off the semifinal matchup, scoring three of the game's first four goals. Ava Stryker launched a shot into the back of the net to get USC on the board and start chipping away at the Long Beach State lead.
A converted 5-meter shot from Ashley Kwan and a goal from Ava Knepper knotted things up at three apiece.
Emily Ausmus got the steal and scored on the breakaway to give the Trojans a lead they would then never relinquish. Ausmus tallied her second goal of the contest before the end of the quarter as the Women of Troy had swung the momentum in their favor.
She would go on to complete the hat trick at the start of the second frame. The Sharks were able to end their seven-plus minute scoring drought however, Maggie Johnson's shot had the Trojans right back to work. USC put up another five goal quarter to hold a 10-6 lead with a half to play.
The defense combined for two blocks and four steals while Reed made two saves to shutout the sharks in the third stanza.
The Women of Troy tacked on three insurance goals in the final eight minutes of play as they punched their ticket to the Triton Invitational championship game for the second consecutive season.
Notables
Scoring: Emily Ausmus (3), Ashley Kwan (2), Ava Knepper (2), Natalia Blazevic (2), Morgan Netherton (1), Ava Stryker (1), Maggie Johnson (1), Caitlin Cohen (1), Meghan McAninch (1), EJ Hourigan (1)
Saves: Anna Reed (12)
Up Next
USC and UCLA will meet in a rematch of the tournament's 2025 title game with tomorrow's championship match set for 1:30 p.m..
The Trojans offense combined for 34 goals and goalie Anna Reed racked up 20 saves across the two games to claim their spot in the Triton Invitational title game where they will face crosstown foe UCLA.
#2 USC 19, #11 UCSD 12
The Women of Troy faced host UC San Diego to kick off the second day at the Triton Invitational.
The Trojans got off to a quick start once again winning the opening sprint to gain the first possession before Meghan McAninch struck first.
EJ Hourigan and Morgan Netherton both scored to give USC an early three goal lead. UC San Diego responded with two goals of their own before Sofia Umeda and Emily Ausmus found the back of the cage to close out the quarter with a 5-2 advantage.
Rachel Gazzaniga sparked a 5-1 run for USC. The Tritons rallied for four goals in the quarter but the Women of Troy held a 11-6 lead at the halftime break.
Ausmus caught fire in the second half registering three goals in the third quarter to halt the surging UC San Diego offense.
Ava Knepper knocked in a goal with 50 seconds to spare before the game headed to the final stanza.
The Trojans held the Tritons to just two goals in the frame to claim their seventh straight win as they advanced to the Triton Invitational semifinal game.
Notables
- Emily Ausmus matched her career high in goals with a 6-for-7 performance.
- Anna Reed made eight saves in the cage for the Trojans.
- Caitlin Cohen registered the first multiple-goal outing of her career.
- Natalia drew a team-high three exclusions.
- Ten different Trojans registered a goal with five recording multiple-goals.
Scoring: Emily Ausmus (6), Morgan Netherton (2), Maggie Johnson (2), Caitlin Cohen (2), Sofia Umeda (2), EJ Hourigan (1), Ava Knepper (1), Meghan McAninch (1), Rachel Gazzaniga (1), Ava Stryker (1)
Saves: Anna Reed (8)
#2 USC 15, #7 Long Beach State 11
The Sharks attacked early to kick off the semifinal matchup, scoring three of the game's first four goals. Ava Stryker launched a shot into the back of the net to get USC on the board and start chipping away at the Long Beach State lead.
A converted 5-meter shot from Ashley Kwan and a goal from Ava Knepper knotted things up at three apiece.
Emily Ausmus got the steal and scored on the breakaway to give the Trojans a lead they would then never relinquish. Ausmus tallied her second goal of the contest before the end of the quarter as the Women of Troy had swung the momentum in their favor.
She would go on to complete the hat trick at the start of the second frame. The Sharks were able to end their seven-plus minute scoring drought however, Maggie Johnson's shot had the Trojans right back to work. USC put up another five goal quarter to hold a 10-6 lead with a half to play.
The defense combined for two blocks and four steals while Reed made two saves to shutout the sharks in the third stanza.
The Women of Troy tacked on three insurance goals in the final eight minutes of play as they punched their ticket to the Triton Invitational championship game for the second consecutive season.
Notables
- With a 12 save performance, Anna Reed recorded her third double digit game of the season.
- The win marks the highest win versus a ranked opponent of the season thus far.
- Emily Ausmus scored three or more goals for the fourth time in the 2026 campaign.
- 10 different players found the back of the net for the Trojans.
Scoring: Emily Ausmus (3), Ashley Kwan (2), Ava Knepper (2), Natalia Blazevic (2), Morgan Netherton (1), Ava Stryker (1), Maggie Johnson (1), Caitlin Cohen (1), Meghan McAninch (1), EJ Hourigan (1)
Saves: Anna Reed (12)
Up Next
USC and UCLA will meet in a rematch of the tournament's 2025 title game with tomorrow's championship match set for 1:30 p.m..
Team Stats
USC
UCSD
Shots
29
24
Goals
19
12
Assists
11
10
Points
30
22
Exclusions
12
16
Steals
7
8
Sprints
4
0
1
Meghan McAninch
6:33
EJ Hourigan
5:43
Morgan Netherton
5:00
Allie Bartholomew
4:34
Anna Fazioli
1:47
Sofia Umeda
0:59
Emily Ausmus
0:01
2
Rachel Gazzaniga
7:39
Emily Ausmus
6:07
Caitlin Cohen
5:47
Caitlin Stayt
5:09
Ava Stryker
4:06
Maggie Johnson
3:21
Cascade Stensland
2:57
Caitlin Stayt
2:02
Emily Ausmus
1:30
Abigail Schechter
0:58
3
Berkley Sinner
7:15
Abigail Schechter
6:35
Emily Ausmus
6:16
Evelyn Burns
6:01
Emily Ausmus
5:39
Emily Ausmus
4:55
Ava Knepper
0:50
Kenya Cassidy
0:10
4
Maggie Johnson
7:34
Alex Anghera
6:12
Morgan Netherton
5:55
Sofia Umeda
4:56
Caitlin Stayt
4:23
Caitlin Cohen
2:05
Game Leaders
Shots
7
Goals
6
Assists
1
Points
7
Shots
3
Goals
2
Assists
0
Points
2
Shots
3
Goals
1
Assists
1
Points
2
Shots
3
Goals
1
Assists
0
Points
1
Players Mentioned
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