USC
California*
No. 4 Trojans Top No. 3 Cal 8-7
March 08, 2008 | Women's Water Polo
March 8, 2008
BERKELEY, CALIF. - The No. 4 USC women's water polo team picked up an important MPSF win over host No. 3 Cal on Saturday afternoon in Berkeley, taking an early lead and holding it throughout to keep an undefeated mark in conference play. Now 11-4 overall and 4-0 in MPSF action, USC has won twice and lost once to the Bears as the Trojans now turn to face Pacific in another conference clash on Sunday at 12 p.m. Cal moves to 11-5, 4-2 with this loss. USC junior Michelle Stein racked up a hat trick for the Trojans to lead the offense, while sophomore goalie Tumua Anae smacked down 12 saves in the cage to anchor the USC defense in the match.
Anae opened the match with a save on a lob attempt from the Bears, feeding into a counter for the Trojans that Stein walked in and drilled the score for an early USC advantage. Jordan Anae earned USC a 6-on-5 next, and the Women of Troy made good on the opportunity when Julie Spataru delivered a cross to Stein for a nearside skipper and 2-0 USC lead. Cal would cut in on a counterattack strike from Julie Oreglia. A 5-on-6 save from Tumua Anae squelched a Cal opportunity to tie later, and then Kristen Dronberger pounded in a score for a 3-1 USC lead. A buzzer beater from the Bears closed things back in for a 3-2 USC lead entering the second period.
Again, the Trojans struck first. Alexandra Kiss's 6-on-5 shot rammed off the crossbar, and Jordan Anae grabbed the rebound and shoved in the score to get USC up 4-2. Cal scored from two meters next, but Kiss delivered an offspeed strike on a USC 6-on-5 soon after, making it 5-3 USC at 4:40. Once more, the Bears would bring it to a one-goal game with a skip shot from Katya Eadington at 1:28. Sarah Van Norman earned the Trojans one last player advantage, and Julie Spataru blasted in the score with 37 seconds left for a 6-4 USC halftime lead.
To open up the second half, Veronika Bartunkova earned a 5-meter penalty shot for the Trojans, and Stein converted for her third goal of the day and USC's largest lead of the game, up 7-4 at 7:42. Cal would notch back-to-back scores next on a perimeter strike from Remy Champion and then a 5-meter penalty score from Meghan Corso that put the score at 7-6 USC midway through the third period. With three minutes left in the period, Jordan Anae earned another 6-on-5 for the Trojans, and again Spataru came up big, slicing in a crosscage skipper off the bar and in to get USC ahead 8-6 and bring up the fourth period.
Cal had a 6-on-5 opportunity sail high of the cage early in the fourth, and on the next Cal power play chance, Dronberger put a stop to a Bear shot with a block at the goal line to preserve USC's two-goal lead with 3:50 on the clock. Cal would close in and make it 8-7 with a quick score from two meters with 1:23 to go, but the Trojan defense stayed strong the rest of the way as USC pinned up the 8-7 victory.
#4 USC 8, #3 California 7
USC 3 - 3 - 2 - 0 = 8
CAL 2 - 2 - 2 - 1 = 7
SCORING:
USC - Michelle Stein 3, Julie Spataru 2, Kristen Dronberger, Jordan Anae, Alexandra Kiss.
CAL - Grace Reynolds 2, Julie Oreglia, Darby Anderson, Katya Eadington, Remy Champion, Meghan Corso.
SAVES: Tumua Anae (USC) 12, Heather Stuart (CAL) 8.
