Courtesy: USC Athletics
WESTWOOD, CALIF. – The No. 1 USC women’s water polo team had its 12-game win streak come to a close across town in a 13-9 loss to No. 3 rival UCLA today at Spieker Aquatics Center. After suffering a 15-minute stretch without scoring during today’s game, the Trojans finish out the regular season with a 26-2 record and 5-1 mark in MPSF play and will take the No. 2 seed into next week’s MPSF Tournament.
USC eclipsed an early 1-0 disadvantage with a four-goal surge sparked by a ripper from Ava Stryker. She’d top off the rally to finish off a USC 6-on-5 after goals from Isabel Zimmerman and Emily Ausmus to net a 4-1 USC lead four minutes into the game. The Bruins responded with a series of strikes out of set, taking a 5-4 lead three minutes into the second. And while the exclusion whistle continued to blow against the Trojans, UCLA moved farther out ahead. USC’s scoring pace slumped, and UCLA’s offensive clicked off a 10-0 rally. Rachel Gazzaniga was tagged with her third exclusion midway through the second, putting USC in a tougher spot down the stretch. The exclusion count tipped heavily against USC in that first half, with seven USC exclusions to two by the Bruins.
Ausmus put a stop to the UCLA run and broke USC’s scoring silence with a goal off a counterattack with 4:50 on the clock in the third, getting the margin to 11-5. USC goalie Anna Reed snuffed a Bruin 5-meter penalty shot soon after, and then Emma Lawson hit the top corner to make it 11-6 for the close of the third. In the fourth, USC misfired on opening 6-on5 opportunities but then kicked in three big goals to carve down the deficit. Alma Yaacobi hit the upper 90 to make it 11-7, although UCLA answered back with a power play strike. Ausmus nabbed a steal next, and Yaacobi ripped off a backhand. Again, Ausmus got the takeaway on the defensive end, and then it was Tilly Kearns who struck out of set to make it 12-9 just ahead of the final minute. The Bruins converted on their next power play, however, getting the margin back to four goals with 36 seconds left.
NEXT:
USC heads back to Westwood next week for competition at the 2025 MPSF Tournament, hosted by UCLA. The Trojans are the No. 2 seed for the tourney, opening up in the quarterfinals at 12:45 p.m. on Friday (April 25) against Indiana. Semifinal rounds take place on Saturday (April 26) with the placement games set for Sunday (April 27) — all at UCLA’s Spieker Aquatics Center.
NOTABLE:
– With two goals today, FR Emily Ausmus has now scored in all 28 games this season, and has recorded multiple-goal games in 27 of USC’s 28 games this season.
– With two goals today, SO Ava Stryker has scored in 27 of USC’s 28 games this season.
– With one goal today, SR Tilly Kearns now has 84 goals scored this season, tying for the fourth most single-season goals by a Trojan.
#3 UCLA 13, #1 USC 9
Saturday, April 19 | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
USC 4 – 0 – 2 – 3 = 9
UCLA 2 – 7 – 2 – 2 = 13
SCORING:
USC — Ava Stryker 2, Emily Ausmus 2, Alma Yaacobi 2, Isabel Zimmerman, Emma Lawson, Tilly Kearns.
UCLA — Anna Pearson 4, Taylor Smith 3, Bia Mantellato 2, Carly McMurray, Molly Renner, Tali Stryker, Nicole Struss.
SAVES: Jada Ward (USC) 5 [1st half], Anna Reed (USC) 3 [2nd half], Lauren Steele (UCLA) 13.
