Courtesy: USC Athletics
LOS ANGELES – The No. 1 USC women’s water polo team capitalized on a second-half surge to defeat visiting No. 9 Long Beach State 16-10 today at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The Trojans outscored the Beach 10-4 in the second half to help USC get to 11-0 overall on the year.
USC opened up scoring with a quick goal on the first drive from Isabel Zimmerman and a 6-on-5 conversion from Meghan McAninch. Long Beach State answered on the next possession with its own goal on the power play, but Maggie Johnson snuck in a buzzer-beater to bring the lead to 3-1. Long Beach would cut the deficit to one with three minutes remaining in the first, and the time drained out marked by a series of missed 6-on-5 opportunities for both teams. The Beach opened the second with two scores to secure its only lead of the game at 3-4, but Ava Stryker would hit her first of four goals to tie things up. Morgan Netherton and McAninch found the back of the net to try and put USC ahead further, but two Beach power play conversions brought knotted the game up at 6-6 at the half.
Tilly Kearns, Emily Ausmus and Stryker would go on a 3-0 run to kick off the third, and from there the Trojans never trailed. The Beach got within one at thanks to scores on a 6-on-5 and penalty, Netherton’s second and Stryker’s third goal but USC up 11-8 with one frame remaining. McAninch hit her hat trick to open the fourth, and LBSU found two quick hits from 2-meters to bring it back to 12-10, but it was all USC with four minutes remaining. Two back-to-back Trojan penalty conversions from Stryker and Ausmus, along with a Gazzaniga counter and a Kearns buzzer-beater at 0:01 sealed the game at 16-10.
NEXT:
The Trojans will head to Irvine, Calif., next weekend to compete at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational. The invite will run from Friday (Feb. 21) to Sunday (Feb. 23) at UC Irvine’s Anteater Aquatic Center.
NOTABLE:
– 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 two goals today, Ausmus has also registered multiple-goal efforts in all 11 USC games this season.
#1 USC 16, #9 Long Beach State 10
Saturday, Feb. 15 | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
USC 3 – 3 – 5 – 5 = 16
LBSU 2 – 4 – 2 – 2 = 10
SCORING:
USC — Ava Stryker 4, Meghan McAninch 3, Emily Ausmus 2, Tilly Kearns 2, Morgan Netherton 2, Rachel Gazzaniga, Maggie Johnson, Isabel Zimmerman.
LBSU — Ellie Goren 3, Elisa Portillo 3, Martina Cardona 2, Daniela Quinzada Gonzalez, Jamie Oberman.
SAVES: Jada Ward (USC) 4, Chelsea Oliver (LBSU) 7.
