USC
Marist
Big Numbers Boost USC To NCAA Semis
May 14, 2010 | Women's Water Polo
May 14, 2010
Watch the USC vs Marist Postgame Press Conference
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. -- The USC women's water polo team started its NCAA push by pinning up season-high scoring numbers on the way to a 20-5 win over Marist in the NCAA First Round on Friday afternoon at the Aztec Aquaplex in San Diego, Calif. The No. 2 seeded Trojans jumped way out ahead of the No. 7 seeded Red Foxes, and had a season-best 11 different scorers get on the board as USC built up a season-high 20 goals in the win. Now 23-3 overall, USC is set to appear in its seventh straight NCAA Semifinal, facing No. 6 seed LMU at 5:45 p.m. tomorrow (May 15) for the right to move into Sunday's title match.
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To open up the game, Joelle Bekhazi tallied herself a hat trick in the first period, scoring three of USC's first four goals as the Trojans worked to a 6-0 lead. Bekhazi was joined in the early run by a skip from Kami Craig. Up 4-0, USC earned its first 6-on-5 of the game, with Patricia Jancso promptly depositing the ball in the back of the cage. Thirty seconds later, Sarah Van Norman hit Kristen Dronberger for a strike from around the 4-meter mark, and the Women of Troy were well on the way with a 6-0 lead going into the second period.
USC would climb ahead 8-0 as Kally Lucas and Alexandra Kiss got on the board for the Trojans before Marist broke through with a 6-on-5 score from Samantha Swartz. USC's response involved rattling off four more goals before the end of the half, with Kiss striking again and Dominique Sardo getting in on the scoring action before Jancso rocketed in two more goals on her way to a four-goal day.
USC's 12-1 hafltime lead grew to 16-1 as three more new Trojan scorers got in the books. Constance Hiller finished off a USC 6-on-5 to open the second half, followed by a power play blast from Kiss for her third of the day. Forel Davies, who had set up Kiss' 6-on-5 score, got a nice pass into 2-meters from Blair Moody on a USC counter, and Davies buried the opportunity. Making it a 16-1 USC advantage was Dronberger with 2:35 to go in the frame. Swartz would convert on another Marist 6-on-5 next to make it 16-1, but the last word in the period was a Jancso slam to make it 17-2 USC.
The teams stayed even on scoring in the final frame as Sardo slipped in her second and Kara-Leigh Huse and Nicolina McCall helped set USC's new season best as the 10th and 11th Trojan scorers in the game. Marist put in two 6-on-5 scores and got another even strike to go, leaving the game as a 20-5 USC victory. Tumua Anae played in the cage for the first three quarters before giving way to Courtney Ray in goal for the fourth period.
2010 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
First Round - May 14 - Aztec Aquaplex (San Diego, Calif.)
[2] USC 20, [7] Marist 5
USC 6 - 6 - 5 - 3 = 20
Marist 0 - 1 - 1 - 3 = 5
SCORING:
USC -- Patricia Jancso 4, Joelle Bekhazi 3, Alexandra Kiss 3, Kristen Dronberger 2, Dominique Sardo 2, Kami Craig, Kally Lucas, Constance Hiller, Forel Davies, Kara-Leigh Huse, Nicolina McCall.
MARIST -- Samantha Swartz 2, Kristen Barnett, Agnes Konopka, Angie Rampton.
SAVES: Tumua Anae (USC) 4, Courtney Ray (USC) 0, Jessica Getchius (MARIST) 5.
