Courtesy: USC Athletics
LOS ANGELES – Emily Ausmus and Tilly Kearns combined for 11 goals today to help propel the No. 2 USC women’s water polo to a 23-9 win over visiting No. 22 Brown at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. Ausmus’ six-goal outburst pushed the freshman’s season total to 84 — the third most single-season goals by a Trojan in program history — as USC improved to 23-1 overall with the victory.
It was a two-goal game early in the second period at Uytengsu until USC hit the afterburners. A 5-meter penalty shot converted by Morgan Netherton lit the fuse for the Trojans, who set off on a six-goal surge to take control. Ausmus struck twice in that rally, with Ava Stryker, Emma Lawson and Maggie Johnson joining the fun to help build out a 13-5 USC lead. Brown broke up the party with a 5-meter penalty conversion, only to see Kearns and Stryker nail their second goals and Meghan McAninch have the last word of the half to net a 16-6 USC halftime lead.
Kearns unleashed three goals in the third while Ausmus punched up two more to get their respective high marks on the day, and USC was up 21-9 entering the fourth. There, the USC defense silenced the Bears with Lauren Schneider in the cage for that frame. She made four saves in that stretch, while Isabel Zimmerman knocked in back-to-back goals on the offensive end to top off the 23-9 USC win.
NEXT:
USC remains at home for the next three games, set up next to host top-ranked Stanford and looking to avenge an earlier loss to the Cardinal. USC and Stanford will clash at 1 p.m. on Saturday (March 29) in an MPSF battle at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
NOTABLE:
– With six goals scored today, FR Emily Ausmus matched her career high.
– Ausmus has now scored 84 goals this season, ranking third all-time in single-season goals by a Trojan.
– Ausmus has now recorded multiple-goal games in 23 of USC’s 24 games this season.
– With goals today, Ausmus and SO Ava Stryker have scored in all 24 games this season.
– With five goals today, SR Tilly Kearns has now scored 76 goals this season — sixth most single-season goals by a Trojan.
– USC’s 10 goals scored in the second period of play tied the most single-quarter goals scored by the Trojans this season.
#2 USC 23, #22 Brown 9
Sunday, March 23 | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
USC 6 – 10 – 5 – 2 = 23
BU 4 – 2 – 3 – 0 = 9
SCORING:
USC — Emily Ausmus 6, Tilly Kearns 5, Morgan Netherton 2, Ava Stryker 2, Isabel Zimmerman 2, Emma Lawson, Maggie Johnson, Meghan McAninch, Ava Knepper, Rachel Gazzaniga, Sinia Plotz.
BU — Madeleine Poissonnier 2, Aubrie Anderson 2, Ella Palmer, Hanna Tidrencczel, Alexandra Love, Gaby Montalvo, Sofia Holman.
SAVES: Jada Ward (USC) 1, Anna Reed (USC) 1, Laine Hourigan (USC) 1, Lauren Schneider (USC) 4, Roxanne Hazuka (BU) 4, Somto Okafo (BU) 3.
