Courtesy: USC Athletics
WESTWOOD, CALIF. – USC freshman Emily Ausmus became the fastest Trojan to score 100 goals during her five-goal outburst to help propel the No. 2 USC women’s water polo team to a 20-5 win over No. 7 seed Indiana in today’s MPSF Tournament quarterfinals. She was one of nine Trojans to score today, with USC utilizing a 9-0 surge to take control and earn a ticket to tomorrow’s MPSF semifinal at UCLA’s Spieker Aquatics Center. The Trojans are now 27-2 overall.
Ava Stryker struck first for the Trojans on an assist from Rachel Gazzaniga, with Stryker turning around on the next drive to feed Emily Ausmus for a slam. A series of stops kept both teams scoreless until 3:09 left in the first, where an Anna Reed across-the-pool pass assisted Ausmus’s second of the day. Two Indiana turnovers facilitated back-to-back goals from Tilly Kearns and Morgan Netherton to bring the score up to 5-0. The Hoosiers were then able to convert on the power play to get on the board, after which Kearns answered with her second. Meghan McAninch rounded out the quarter with a sneaky bar-in shot to bring the Trojans up 7-2 going into the second quarter.
Gazzaniga converted on USC’s first power play of the quarter with a no-look tip from Emma Lawson. A Stryker steal led to McAninch’s second goal on the counter. Kearns then hit a hat trick with a penalty goal with 3:49 to go, which Gazzaniga followed up with her own goal to lead USC to 11-2. Ausmus collected her own hat trick from the outside to complete a shut-out quarter and bring the Trojans up by ten.
Three quick goals from Kearns, Stryker and Ava Knepper kicked off the second half for the Trojans. Indiana snuck by Jada Ward to grab its first goal in twelve minutes to bring the score to 15-3. Ausmus recovered her own missed shot on the next drive to hit her fourth of the day and 100th goal of the season. Sofia Umeda would add her name to the board on a 6-on-5 before McAninch closed the quarter out, beating Indiana to the ball for a steal and third goal at the other end of the pool.
Stryker’s fourth assist and Sinia Plotz’s first shot of the day opened the final frame. Indiana converted on the counter attack with just over three minutes to go, but Ausmus took advantage of the next 6-on-5 to grab her fifth of the afternoon. A steal and block from Ward would keep Indiana scoreless for the rest of the quarter and bring the final score to 20-5.
NEXT:
USC advances to the 2025 MPSF Tournament semifinal round, facing off against either No. 3 seed Stanford or No. 6 seed Arizona State at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow (April 26) at UCLA’s Spieker Aquatics Center.
NOTABLE:
– With her fourth goal today, FR Emily Ausmus became the fastest player in program history to reach 100 career goals.
– Ausmus now has 101 goals on the season, moving to No. 2 all-time in single-season scoring at USC.
– Ausmus has scored in all 29 games this season, and has recorded multiple-goal games in 28 of USC’s 29 games this season.
– Ausmus has now scored five or more goals in nine games this season..
– With two goals today, SO Ava Stryker has scored in 28 of USC’s 29 games this season.
– With four goals today, SR Tilly Kearns now has 88 goals scored this season, moving to No. 4 all-time for the most single-season goals by a Trojan.
– Kearns now has scored 250 career goals — fourth most all-time at USC and five away from the No. 3 mark.
– This is the ninth time this season that USC has scored 20 or more goals in a game..
– Shutting out the Hoosiers in the second quarter, this is the 11th period the Trojans have held a team scoreless.
2025 MPSF TOURNAMENT
QUARTERFINALS
#2 USC 20, #12 Indiana 5
Friday, April 25 | Spieker Aquatics Center (Westwood, Calif.)
USC 7 – 5 – 6 – 2 = 20
IU 2 – 0 – 1 – 2 = 5
SCORING:
USC — Emily Ausmus 5, Tilly Kearns 4, Meghan McAninch 3, Rachel Gazzaniga 2, Ava Stryker 2, Ava Knepper, Morgan Netherton, Sinia Plotz, Sofia Umeda.
IU — Grace Klinger 3, Skylar Kidd, Sophia Sollie.
SAVES: Anna Reed (USC) 6 [1st half], Jada Ward (USC) 4 [2nd half], Jasmine Higgs (IU) 4 [1st half], Audrey Cox (IU) 8 [2nd half].
