Courtesy: USC Athletics
LA JOLLA, CALIF. — The No. 3 USC women’s water polo team unleashed its highest scoring game since 2022 with a 30-8 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps today to open the Trojans’ action at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, Calif. Three Trojans set new career highs in the game, led by Tilly Kearns’ seven-goal outburst along with five goals from Meghan McAninch and four from Sofia Umeda. USC is now 5-0 on the year and sets up for two games ahead tomorrow (Feb. 1) at the event.
USC displayed a balanced attack out of the games, with seven different Trojans scoring in the opening eight minutes as USC built an 8-2 lead on CMS. Ausmus had two of her ultimate five goals during that stretch, and then two more Trojans joined the scoresheet in the second frame. Kearns struck twice to get the ball rolling on her seven-goal outing — the most scored by a Trojan since 2021 — and help USC to a 15-3 halftime lead. Goalie Jada Ward gave way to Anna Reed for the third period of play, and USC’s defense would allow just one goal to go in that stretch. Offensively, Emma Lawson became the 10th Trojan to score to take USC to a 21-4 lead, and freshman Umeda got her third of an eventual four goals on the board in helping USC lead it 21-4 entering the fourth. Laine Hourigan stepped into the cage for that final frame, making five saves while the USC offense stacked up eight more goals on the offensive end. Kearns broke through three more times to stack up seven for the senior, and McAninch tallied to more to get to five on the day. Umeda’s fourth topped things off for the Trojans, who had a 30-8 win in the books.
NEXT:
USC will take on either No. 11 LMU or No. 21 UC Davis to round out bracket play tomorrow (Feb. 1) at 10:40 a.m. at Canvonview Pool to fight for a spot in tomorrow’s semifinals at 5:50 p.m. in Triton Pool. Placement games are set for Sunday (Feb. 2), with the championship game set for 1:30 p.m., preceded by a 12:10 p.m. third-place game.
NOTABLE:
– With seven goals, SR Tilly Kearns set a new career high and also recorded the most goals by a Trojan in a game since Denise Mammolito in 2021.
– SO Meghan McAninch scored a career-high five goals.
– FR Sofia Umeda scored a career-high four goals.
– USC’s 30 goals scored vs. CMS was the most in a game since a 33-2 win over Occidental on Jan. 29, 2022.
– With goals today, Kearns, Emily Ausmus, Rachel Gazzaniga, Ava Knepper and Ava Stryker have all scored in every game for USC this season.
– Kearns and Ausmus also have now registered multiple-goal efforts in all five USC games this season.
TRITON INVITATIONAL
BRACKET PLAY
#3 USC 30, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 8
Friday, Jan. 31 | Triton Pool (La Jolla, Calif.)
USC 8 – 7 – 7 – 8 = 30
CMS 2 – 1 – 1 – 4 = 8
SCORING:
USC — Tilly Kearns 7, Emily Ausmus 5, Meghan McAninch 5, Sofia Umeda 4, Isabel Zimmerman 2, Rachel Gazzaniga 2, Ava Stryker, Maggie Johnson, Alma Yaacobi, Emma Lawson, Ava Knepper.
CMS — Muñoz 3, LaCour, Wraith, Murphy, Kroonen, Marlow.
SAVES: Jada Ward (USC) 2 [1st half], Anna Reed (USC) 0 [3rd period], Laine Hourigan (USC) 5 [4th period], CMS n/a.
