Courtesy: USC Athletics
IRVINE, Calif. — The No. 1 USC women’s water polo team never trailed No. 2 Stanford and got three big goals in the fourth along with a huge penalty stop from Amanda Longan to button up a 10-8 victory that claimed the Barbara Kalbus Invitational title for the Trojans. With the program’s 33rd consecutive win, the Trojans go to 17-0 overall on the year in beating the Cardinal in a rematch of last year’s NCAA final.
Amanda Longan amassed 11 saves in the win, while Maud Megens and Paige Hauschild plugged in two goals apiece to help the Trojans lock up the tournament title.
USC opened up the game with three straight goals, going up 3-0 on blasts from Megens and then from freshmen Alejandra Aznar and Bayley Weber. Stanford got on the board next and then was awarded a 5-meter penalty shot that made its way through to make it 3-2. Another USC freshman stepped up next, with Grace Tehaney finishing a USC 6-on-5 before Stanford struck again, and it was 4-3 Trojans after eight minutes of action. A more defensive battle ensued in the second, as the Trojans got a couple big stops early before Kelsey McIntosh broke through to tug USC ahead 5-3. Stanford struck on a 6-on-5 late, and it was 5-4 USC at halftime.
After one of her 11 saves, Longan delivered a pass to Megens for a transition strike that made it 6-4, but the Cardinal were granted another 5-meter penalty soon after and converts to make it 6-5. Denise Mammolito would earn an exclusion, and Paige Hauschild ripped in the 6-on-5 score next to get it to 7-5. Again, Stanford found an answer, and it would be 7-6 Trojans entering the fourth after two more strong stops by the USC defense. In the fourth, Stanford equalized early, but then USC made its winning move. Mammolito sent in a searing skipper for the go-ahead goal, and then Tilly Kearns scored on a counterattack. Hauschild would drum up USC’s third straight score, and the Trojans gripped a 10-7 lead with 4:22 remaining. Stanford got one to go later to make it 10-8 with 2:11 on the clock, then would get a chance to pull within one with another 5-meter penalty opportunity with 46 seconds left. Longan was there for the stuff, and the Trojans would hold off the Cardinal the rest of the way to secure the tournament title with the 10-8 decision.
USC will have the week off next, with more action on tap March 7 with a trip back to Irvine to face UC Irvine at 6 p.m. Then USC will return home for a 12:30 p.m. clash against San José State on March 8 at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
BARBARA KALBUS INVITATIONAL (Irvine, Calif.)
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
#1 USC 10, #2 Stanford 8
Feb. 24, 2019 | Irvine, Calif.
USC 4 – 1 – 2 – 3 = 10
STAN 3 – 1 – 2 – 2 = 8
SCORING:
USC — Maud Megens 2, Paige Hauschild 2, Alejandra Aznar, Bayley Weber, Grace Tehaney, Kelsey McIntosh, Denise Mammolito, Tilly Kearns.
STAN — Sarah Klass 3, Makenzie Fischer 2, Ryann Neushul, Cassidy Wiley, Kat Klass.
SAVES: Amanda Longan (USC) 11, Emalia Eichelberger (STAN) 9.
