Courtesy: Stanford Athletics
IRVINE, Calif. – No. 1 Stanford remained unbeaten and continued its dominant start, defeating No. 2 USC 10-6 in the championship game of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational on Sunday afternoon.
Stanford (11-0, 0-0 MPSF) has won three of the last four tournaments and is a seven-time event champion overall.
The Cardinal has overpowered its opponents through 11 games, pairing a balanced offense with a suffocating defense. Stanford has scored at least 10 goals while allowing eight scores or fewer in every game this season.
That was the case again this weekend. In routs of Cal State Fullerton (19-6) and UC San Diego (17-3), Stanford maintained its streak of producing 12 different goal scorers in a game, a feat which has occurred seven times this season. The Cardinal then easily cruised past defending NCAA champion UCLA 14-4 in the semifinals, representing its largest margin of victory against the Bruins in school history.
The result was Sunday’s highly anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash against USC, which entered the game undefeated at 14-0.
Stanford set the tone early on and never looked back, taking a 4-0 lead after the first period. After Serena Browne scored the first of her two goals for a 1-0 edge, the Cardinal’s All-American trio of Jenna Flynn, Ryann Neushul and Jewel Roemer – which redshirted last season while competing for Team USA at the Paris Summer Olympics – got to work and scored in succession.
Flynn (two goals, one assist, two steals), Neushul (three goals, three assists, 2 steals) and Roemer (two goals, six shots, two steals) were key performers throughout the game, helping establish Stanford’s tempo on both sides of the pool.
The Cardinal led 9-3 after three quarters before the Trojans made a brief run in the final stanza.
Christine Carpenter made a career-high 13 saves in goal, anchoring a stout defense that limited USC to six goals on 32 shot attempts and a 2-for-11 mark on the power play.
Stanford’s home opener is set for Sunday, March 2, against UC Davis at 1 p.m. It’s the first of five home contests at Avery Aquatic Center for the Cardinal in 2025.
Stanford Goals: Ryann Neushul (3), Serena Browne (2), Jenna Flynn (2), Jewel Roemer (2), Eleanor Facey (1).
Courtesy: USC Athletics
IRVINE – The No. 1 USC women’s water polo team fell 10-6 to No. 1 Stanford in the title match of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational on Sunday. Taking second place in the invite, the Trojans move to 14-1 on the season.
The Cardinal quickly opened up scoring in the game with two back-to-back goals, one on their first drive and another on a penalty. USC was called for another penalty, but Jada Ward came up with a huge block to stop the conversion. Stanford went on for two more goals to end the period up 4-0.
Alma Yaacobi began USC’s offensive effort in the first drive of the second period on a Sofia Umeda assist. Meghan McAninch followed and added her own goal to cut the deficit to 2-4. The Cardinal answered back with a score with just over three minutes to go, and another on the power play on its last possession of the period, closing out the half up 6-2.
Stanford kicked off scoring in the third, but its run was cut short with an Emily Ausmus penalty conversion. Another goal on the counter and a hit out of a timeout increased the Cardinal’s lead to 9-3 at the end of the period. Yaacobi collected her second score of the game on the power play to open the fourth, with Tilly Kearns adding her name to the scoresheet on the next USC drive to bring the Trojans up 5-9. Ava Stryker netted a goal of her own to answer a Cardinal 6-on-5 conversion, but Stanford closed out the game 10-6 to clinch the Invitational.
NEXT:
The Trojans will head to Claremont, Calif. next weekend to compete at the Convergence Tournament on Saturday, March 1.
NOTABLE:
– With their goals today, SO Ava Stryker, SR Tilly Kearns and FR Emily Ausmus have all scored in every game for USC this season.
#1 Stanford 10, #1 USC 6
Saturday, Feb. 23 | Anteater Aquatics Complex
USC 0 – 2 – 1 – 3 = 6
STAN 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 = 10
SCORING:
USC — Alma Yaacobi 2, Meghan McAninch, Emily Ausmus, Tilly Kearns, Ava Stryker.
STAN — Ryann Neushul 3, Jewel Roemer 2, Jenna Flynn 2, Serena Browne 2, Eleanor Facey.
SAVES: Jada Ward (USC) 4, Christine Carpenter (STAN) 13.
