Tuesday, October 30
Atlanta, GA
All Day
USC
vs
East Lake Cup
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
Amelia Garvey won her East Lake Cup semifinal match, 4&2.
No. 1 USC Downs Arizona, 4-1, In East Lake Cup Semifinals
October 30, 2018 | Women's Golf, Features
Trojans to face Stanford in final, looking to defend tournament title.
The No. 1 USC women's golf team, featuring three players who never trailed in their matches, defeated Arizona, 4-1, in the 2018 East Lake Cup semifinals on Tuesday (Oct. 30) at the East Lake G.C. in Atlanta, setting up a final rematch against Stanford on Wednesday.
The Trojans, who defeated the Cardinal, 3-2, in the final last year, will be seeking their third consecutive tournament win in tomorrow's finale and their third overall East Lake Cup title.
"After our round yesterday we knew that getting off to a fast start was going to be huge," USC Head Coach Justin Silverstein Said. "I'm thrilled to see that this group was able to make the necessary adjustments to do just that. We're excited to get a chance to go up against Stanford, who has had an incredible week thus far."
Sophomore Jennifer Chang secured USC's first point with a 1up victory over Arizona's Bianca Pagdanganan. In a back-and-forth match in which neither player led by more than one stroke, Chang took the lead on 14 and secured the win with a birdie on 18.
Arizona, the 2018 NCAA champion, evened the match as Yu-Sang Hou downed USC freshman Malia Nam, 3&2.
But USC was leading the remaining three matches and sophomore Alyaa Abdulghany soon put Troy ahead, 2-1, with a 1up win over Ya Chun Chang. Abdulghany opened up a five-hole lead through 12 holes before Chang won four holes in a row to pull within one on 16. But Abdulghany, who never trailed, hung tough and clinched her match with a birdie on 18.
Sophomore Amelia Garvey won her first hole of the day and never looked back, downing Arizona's Sandra Nordaas, 4&2. She opened a two-hole lead through seven holes and never led by less than three holes after the 10th. She secured her win and the overall clinching point with a birdie on 16.
Sophomore Gabriela Ruffels was also in position to close out her match when play was stopped, 3up through 14 holes, over Arizona's Haley Moore. Ruffels, like Garvey and Abdulghany, never trailed. She was 1up through the turn and won holes 11, 12 and 13 to take command of her match.
Abdulghany enters tomorrow's final with a 5-2-1 collegiate match play record. Garvey is 5-1, Ruffels is 4-1-1, Chang is 3-3 and Nam 0-1. Chang squared up against Duke's and Alabama's No. 1 players in last season's NCAA Championships, falling by one hole to each.
Chang, against facing the opponent's top player, will square off against Stanford's Albane Valenzuela in the leadoff match at 9:45 a.m. PT. Nam will take on Ziyi Wang at 10:05 a.m. with Garvey taking on Mika Liu at 10:25 a.m. Abdulghany is in the fourth match against Aline Krauter at 10:45 a.m. while Ruffels is in the anchor match against Andrea Lee at 11:05 a.m.
The Trojans, who defeated the Cardinal, 3-2, in the final last year, will be seeking their third consecutive tournament win in tomorrow's finale and their third overall East Lake Cup title.
"After our round yesterday we knew that getting off to a fast start was going to be huge," USC Head Coach Justin Silverstein Said. "I'm thrilled to see that this group was able to make the necessary adjustments to do just that. We're excited to get a chance to go up against Stanford, who has had an incredible week thus far."
Sophomore Jennifer Chang secured USC's first point with a 1up victory over Arizona's Bianca Pagdanganan. In a back-and-forth match in which neither player led by more than one stroke, Chang took the lead on 14 and secured the win with a birdie on 18.
Arizona, the 2018 NCAA champion, evened the match as Yu-Sang Hou downed USC freshman Malia Nam, 3&2.
But USC was leading the remaining three matches and sophomore Alyaa Abdulghany soon put Troy ahead, 2-1, with a 1up win over Ya Chun Chang. Abdulghany opened up a five-hole lead through 12 holes before Chang won four holes in a row to pull within one on 16. But Abdulghany, who never trailed, hung tough and clinched her match with a birdie on 18.
Sophomore Amelia Garvey won her first hole of the day and never looked back, downing Arizona's Sandra Nordaas, 4&2. She opened a two-hole lead through seven holes and never led by less than three holes after the 10th. She secured her win and the overall clinching point with a birdie on 16.
Sophomore Gabriela Ruffels was also in position to close out her match when play was stopped, 3up through 14 holes, over Arizona's Haley Moore. Ruffels, like Garvey and Abdulghany, never trailed. She was 1up through the turn and won holes 11, 12 and 13 to take command of her match.
Abdulghany enters tomorrow's final with a 5-2-1 collegiate match play record. Garvey is 5-1, Ruffels is 4-1-1, Chang is 3-3 and Nam 0-1. Chang squared up against Duke's and Alabama's No. 1 players in last season's NCAA Championships, falling by one hole to each.
Chang, against facing the opponent's top player, will square off against Stanford's Albane Valenzuela in the leadoff match at 9:45 a.m. PT. Nam will take on Ziyi Wang at 10:05 a.m. with Garvey taking on Mika Liu at 10:25 a.m. Abdulghany is in the fourth match against Aline Krauter at 10:45 a.m. while Ruffels is in the anchor match against Andrea Lee at 11:05 a.m.
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