Courtesy: USC Athletics
RIVERSIDE, CALIF. — The No. 3 USC women’s water polo team flexed some offensive muscle en route to two wins captured at the Lancer Joust today, beating host California Baptist 20-2 before fighting back to top No. 7 UC Irvine 18-15. Tilly Kearns and Ava Stryker each scored five goals in the Trojans’ comeback win over the Anteaters, helping USC improve to 4-0 overall on the year.
In its first game of the day in Riverside, USC manufactured a 9-0 scoring rally to turn a tight early game into a Trojan-controlled affair. Tilly Kearns sparked the rally with a strike out of set in the first period, then had the last word of the half with her second to make it an 8-1 USC lead at halftime. The momentum continued in the second half as Rachel Gazzaniga hammered one home and then Alma Yaacobi scored her first goal as a Trojan in her USC debut to make it a 10-1 advantage. CBU broke up the run with a 6-on-5 score, only to see USC fire off four straight scores. Yaacobi scored two more in that stretch to help her Trojans take a 14-2 lead into the fourth frame. USC would make it a 10-0 run to finish out its 20-2 win, with Kearns working her way to a four-goal outing while Emily Ausmus and Ava Stryker added their third goals during the fourth. Ava Knepper became the 10th Trojan to score along the way to the finish line. USC had all four goalies have a hand in the win over the Lancers, with each serving eight minutes of work. Anna Reed and Lauren Schneider each anchored shutouts in their time in the cage.
USC fell into a three-goal hole twice in the first half before gathering itself and mounting a 4-0 rally to get out ahead. Ausmus converted on a power play to light the fuse for the Trojans, with Kearns going back-to-back and Rachel Gazzaniga powering USC to a 7-6 lead. The Anteaters finished off a power play before the close of the half, and it was knotted 7-7 at halftime. It was a see-saw battle in the third as USC nudged ahead and the Anteaters answered right back for three ties until Ausmus and Yaacobi broke the cycle. Ausmus sent in a slider at the tail end of a USC 6-on-5 to make it 11-10, and then Gazzaniga got a takeaway and found Yaacobi for a rocket that took the Trojans to a 12-10 lead at the end of the third. Action stayed heated in the fourth, and USC stretched its lead out to three-goal margins thanks to inoffensive onslaught from Stryker. Her fifth goal of the game had USC on top 17-14 with 2:41 to go. Kearns joined Stryker’s five-spot with a penalty strike in the final minute to answer UCI’s last goal, and it was an 18-15 USC victory in the books.
NEXT:
USC sets off for San Diego next week for competition at the Triton Invitational. The Trojans open up group play with a Friday (Jan. 31) meeting against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 9:20 a.m. On Saturday (Feb. 1), USC will face either LMU or UC Davis to close out group play, with semifinals set for that afternoon. Placement games take place Sunday (Feb. 2), with all the action taking place at UC San Diego’s Triton and Canyonview pools.
NOTABLE:
– FR Alma Yaacobi scored three goals in her USC debut vs. CBU.
– With nine goals scored today, SR Tilly Kearns climbed to No. 12 all-time in career scoring at USC, now with 178 career goals.
– With goals scored in both games today, Kearns, Emily Ausmus, Rachel Gazzaniga, Ava Knepper and Ava Stryker have all scored in every game for USC this season.
– Kearns, Ausmus and Stryker also have now registered multiple-goal efforts in all four USC games this season.
– With five goals scored vs. UC Irvine, Stryker tied her career high.
– USC has now won 38 straight games against UC Irvine.
LANCER JOUST
GAME ONE
#3 USC 20, California Baptist 2
Friday, Jan. 24 | Lancer Aquatic Center (Riverside, Calif.)
USC 3 – 5 – 6 – 6 = 20
CBU 1 – 0 – 1 – 0 = 2
SCORING:
USC — Tilly Kearns 4, Emily Ausmus 3, Ava Stryker 3, Alma Yaacobi 3, Isabel Zimmerman 2, Meghan McAninch, Maggie Johnson, Rachel Gazzaniga, Sinia Plotz, Ava Knepper.
CBU — Dora Lehoczky, Kyra Kahahawai.
SAVES: Jada Ward (USC) 3 [1st period], Anna Reed (USC) 3 [2nd period], Laine Hourigan (USC) 2 [4th period], Lauren Schneider (USC) 1 [4th period], Amelia Urry (CBU) 5 [3 periods], Aleksandra Antanasaijevic (CBU) 0 [4th period].
GAME TWO
#3 USC 18, #7 UC Irvine 15
Friday, Jan. 24 | Lancer Aquatic Center (Riverside, Calif.)
USC 2 – 5 – 5 – 6 = 18
UCI 5 – 2 – 3 – 5 = 15
SCORING:
USC — Tilly Kearns 5, Ava Stryker 5, Emily Ausmus 3, Ava Knepper, Rachel Gazzaniga, Sinia Plotz, Alma Yaacobi, Meghan McAninch.
UCI — Lauren Hett 4, Libby Alexander 2, Nioka Thomas 2, Maja Layden, Sara Naulty, Gracie Helberg, Kennedy East, Mary Hassett, Deirdre Murphy, Annabelle Mundelius.
SAVES: Jada Ward (USC) 5, Rachel Kirchner (UCI) 7.
