USC
Loyola Marymount
No. 4 USC Puts Away LMU 13-5
February 29, 2008 | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 29, 2008
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - The No. 4 USC women's water polo team put together a strong showing against No. 9 LMU on Friday evening, running up the Trojans' home win streak to 41 straight with a 13-5 victory over the visiting Lions. The Women of Troy balanced effective offense with a good defensive effort throughout the match as they worked out ahead of LMU in each frame. Seniors Veronika Bartunkova and Miranda Nichols each tacked up a hat trick for USC, while goalie Tumua Anae tallied 12 saves in pushing USC's overall record up to 9-4 with the win.
LMU managed the first score of the day, but USC responded by going on a four-goal tear. Kally Lucas struck first with a 6-on-5 strike in the first period, and Miranda Nichols drilled a bar-in score for a 2-1 USC lead entering the second period. There, Forel Davies opened things with a steal - one of many from Davies in the match - and soon after Julie Spataru hit Jordan Anae for a perimeter score and a 3-1 USC lead. Less than a minute later, Michelle Stein found Anae in the same spot, and she put that one away as well with a slider that boosted USC up 4-1. LMU would end the run with a 6-on-5 score, only to have the Trojans pump in two more before the half as Nichols blasted in her second and Stein got on the board as well to get USC ahead 6-2 at halftime.
Stein struck again to open the second half before LMU was able to punch in back-to-back goals from Mary Ann Campos to cut USC's lead to three at 7-4 with 3:51 on the clock. Again, the Trojans manufactured a powerful scoring stretch, pinning up five straight to put the Lions well out of reach. Bartunkova buried three of those, while Nichols ripped in a backhand from set and Sarah Van Norman did the same to help USC to a 12-4 edge. LMU snapped the streak with another Campos strike with 2:19 left to play, but Van Norman had the last word for the Trojans to finish off a two-goal game for the freshman and cap USC's 13-5 win.
#4 USC 13, #9 LMU 5
LMU 1 - 1 - 2 - 1 = 5
USC 2 - 4 - 4 - 3 = 13
SCORING:
USC - Veronika Bartunkova 3, Miranda Nichols 3, Jordan Anae 2, Michelle Stein 2, Sarah Van Norman 2, Kally Lucas.
LMU - Mary Ann Campos 3, Alex Wike, Nicole Hughes.
SAVES: Tumua Anae (USC) 12, Whitney Morgan (USC) 1, Eliana Arellano (LMU) 7.
