Saturday, February 10
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Photo by: Dan Avila
No. 3 USC Takes Road Trip To Triton Invitational
February 07, 2018 | Women's Water Polo, Features
Trojans look to claim their fifth consecutive title at the Triton Invite in La Jolla.
THIS WEEK
USC gets into its first tournament action of the year with a trip to La Jolla to compete in the 2018 Triton Invitational, hosted by UC San Diego. If all goes as planned for the No. 2 Trojans (3-0), the 16-team tournament could well feature a championship bout against rival UCLA. But first, USC has to get through group play on Saturday (Feb. 10). There, the Trojans open with an 8:30 a.m. matchup against Sonoma State. A win would put USC up against either UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State at 3:10 p.m. Winner of that one will advance to an 11:10 a.m. semifinal on Sunday (Feb. 11) to fight for a spot in the 5:50 p.m. championship game that evening, preceded by a 4:30 p.m. third-place bout. Senior captain Brianna Daboub enters the event just one goal away from her 100th career goal.
USC IN THE RANKINGS
USC kicked off 2018 ranked No. 2 in the national preseason poll and tied for third in the MPSF preseason poll. No. 3 last week, USC has moved up into a tie for No. 2 in the nation in the latest national poll (released Feb. 7).
TRITON INVITATIONAL NOTES
This year's edition of the competitive Triton Invitational features 16 teams, including three MPSF teams in USC, UCLA and Arizona State. The teams will open up action playing through four-team brackets, designated as follows:
    Bracket A: #2 USC, #13 UC Santa Barbara, #18 San Diego State, Sonoma State
    Bracket B: #4 UCLA, #12 Indiana, #15 UC San Diego, Iona
    Bracket C: #6 Arizona State, #10 UC Davis, #19 LMU, Cal State East Bay
    Bracket D: #7 UC Irvine, #11 Long Beach State, #23 CSUN, Santa Clara
On Sunday, semifinals and placement games will be held. Last year, the Trojans went undefeated at the 2017 Triton Invitational. USC beat Santa Clara 18-2 and San Diego State 17-4 on the first day and then topped Michigan 9-5 in the semifinals and Arizona State 12-2 in the title match.Â
LAST ACTION
Two weeks ago at the CBU Mini Invitational, USC churned out two more decisive wins while extending its shutout streak to just under 81 minutes in these early goings of 2018. The Trojans pinned up its second shutout win of the year with a 20-0 victory over Cal Baptist and then kept Pomona-Pitzer silent for the first half en route to a 21-3 win over Pomona-Pitzer out in Riverside. USC's young guns came to play that day, with Trojan freshmen and sophomores accounting for 70 percent of the scoring. True freshman Paige Hauschild and sophomore Elise Stein punched up four goals apiece in the shutout win over Cal Baptist, with sophomore Denise Mammolito delivering a hat trick and freshmen Nadia Pavlovich and Verica Bakoc tallying two goals each in the dominant Trojan performance. That marked the first career goals as Trojans for Pavlovich. On the defensive end, junior goalie Amanda Longan backed up the stingy USC defense with 12 saves to anchor USC's second straight shutout of the year in the 20-0 win over its hosts. In doing so, Longan became the first USC goalie ever to record back-to-back complete shutouts. USC would turn around and take on Pomona-Pitzer immediately after the matchup with CBU. There, senior Brianna Daboub had a hat trick in the first period on the way to registering a new career high with five goals in the eventual 21-3 Trojan win. USC worked its way to a 9-0 lead in the first frame, then piled on five more goals to grip a 14-0 advantage by halftime. Just under a minute into the second half, Pomona-Pitzer became the first team to break through the Trojan defense this season with a 6-on-5 finish that made it 15-1 USC. By the final buzzer, sophomore Kelsey McIntosh matched her career best with four goals in this one, while Mammolito delivered another hat trick to help pace the USC offense, which got 10 Trojans on the scoreboard in the win. That included the first career goal as a Trojan for freshman Nina Ceklic. Senior goalie Victória Chamorro played the first three periods before giving way to senior Nicola Gonzales, who got her first official game action today and picked up two solid saves during her time in the cage.
SEASON OPENER
USC stormed out of the gates of the 2018 season in churning out an 18-0 shutout of No. 22 LMU in the first official action of the season at the UCLA Mini Invite. Behind seven saves from junior goalie Amanda Longan, the USC defense turned away 10 Lion power play opportunities to help lock up the shutout win and make it a 1-0 start to the year. Senior Hayley McKelvey drummed up four goals in the first period of play — all 6-on-5 finishes — to set the tone for the Trojan offensive onslaught. Freshman Paige Hauschild should tally her first goal as a Trojan during the first frame, while Kelsey McIntosh delivered her first of two goals on the day and Maud Megens started off on her path to an eventual game-high five goals for the Trojan cause. Up 7-0 after eight minutes of action, USC received two goals from senior captain Brianna Daboub, two more from Megens and the first career goal as a Trojan for freshman Verica Bakoc to lead it 12-0 by halftime. By the final buzzer, sophomore Denise Mammolito had joined the scoresheet, while Hauschild completed her debut hat trick and Megens round out her five-goal outing. After the impressive showing, Megens was named the MPSF Player of the Week, and Hauschild was selected MPSF Newcomer of the Week.Â
CLIMB ON
As the 2018 season rolls on, two USC seniors are knocking on the door of the century scoring club. Brianna Daboub has punched up 99 career goals to date, with Hayley McKelvey holding 84 as they look to crack the 100-goal mark in their final season at Troy. On the defensive end, two USC goalies are climbing the all-time saves ladder. Senior Victória Chamorro ranks No. 5 all-time with 387 career saves, while junior Amanda Longan stands at No. 6 with 385.
2018 TROJANS AT A GLANCE
Five All-Americans and seven NCAA champions strong, the 2018 USC women's water polo roster has the experience and the skill to lock up another national championship. This year's arsenal of Trojans boasts a daunting blend of veterans and youth — all armed with the talent and savvy to propel USC to the top. Already ranked No. 2 in the land as the 2018 season gets underway, USC trains its focus on that NCAA trophy, which the Trojans last captured in 2016 in an undefeated run through that season. Back in the captains' roles for 2018 are two members of that title-winning team in All-Americans Brianna Daboub and Amanda Longan, who are leading a group of very hungry Women of Troy. Headlining this freshman class is U.S. National Team member Paige Hauschild, who is tabbed as a starter for the Trojans. A set of sophomores — Denise Mammolito, Maud Megens and Kelsey McIntosh are also in that mix, along with savvy seniors Daboub and Hayley McKelvey.Â
CAGE FIGHTERS
USC boasts a fearsome tagteam in the cage in All-American tandem Victória Chamorro and Amanda Longan. Both compete for their respective national teams — Chamorro as a 2016 Olympian with Brazil and Longan as a gold-medalist with Team USA at the recent 2017 FINA World Championships. The Trojan defense allowed just 4.59 goals per game last season, with both Chamorro and Longan averaging over 10 saves per game in the cage.Â
BACK ON THE ATTACK
A year's experience for last season's freshmen — Maud Megens, Kelsey McIntosh, Denise Mammolito, Elise Stein and Kaylee Brownsberger — along with the leadership of 2016 NCAA champion seniors Victória Chamorro, Brianna Daboub, Hayley McKelvey and Annika Jensen and juniors Amanda Longan, Courtney Fahey and Brooke Presten will raise the bar again for the Trojans. As a true freshman, Megens was USC's second leading scorer with 58 goals. Daboub, McKelvey and Mammolito combined for an even 100 goals. Add to that the depth charge that U.S. National Team member Paige Hauschild and her fellow true freshmen bring for 2018, and USC's attack becomes well-rounded and dangerous. USC also has three new internationals in the water to diversify that attack. Canadians Verica Bakoc and Nina Ceklic are in the mix, along with New Zealand product Nadia Pavlovich. U.S. product Randi Reinhardt also stands out as a key addition to USC's rotation for 2018.
LAST SEASON
In 2017, the Trojans finished up 29-4 overall with a run to the 2017 NCAA semifinals in USC's 14th consecutive trip to the tourney. USC posted a 4-2 record in MPSF action and went on to claim third in the 2017 MPSF Tournament. The Trojans received a No. 3 seed into the NCAA Tournament, where USC was looking to win back-to-back national championships for the first time in program history. USC would go up against top-seeded Stanford in the semis, coming up just short of a trip to the final with an 11-10 loss. Stephania Haralabidis was USC's top scorer in 2017 with 84 goals. She'd be named a First Team All-American to close out her USC career. Freshman Maud Megens earned Second Team honors, while senior Brigitta Games and sophomore Amanda Longan were Third Team picks, and junior captain Brianna Daboub earned All-America Honorable Mention.•
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USC gets into its first tournament action of the year with a trip to La Jolla to compete in the 2018 Triton Invitational, hosted by UC San Diego. If all goes as planned for the No. 2 Trojans (3-0), the 16-team tournament could well feature a championship bout against rival UCLA. But first, USC has to get through group play on Saturday (Feb. 10). There, the Trojans open with an 8:30 a.m. matchup against Sonoma State. A win would put USC up against either UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State at 3:10 p.m. Winner of that one will advance to an 11:10 a.m. semifinal on Sunday (Feb. 11) to fight for a spot in the 5:50 p.m. championship game that evening, preceded by a 4:30 p.m. third-place bout. Senior captain Brianna Daboub enters the event just one goal away from her 100th career goal.
USC IN THE RANKINGS
USC kicked off 2018 ranked No. 2 in the national preseason poll and tied for third in the MPSF preseason poll. No. 3 last week, USC has moved up into a tie for No. 2 in the nation in the latest national poll (released Feb. 7).
TRITON INVITATIONAL NOTES
This year's edition of the competitive Triton Invitational features 16 teams, including three MPSF teams in USC, UCLA and Arizona State. The teams will open up action playing through four-team brackets, designated as follows:
    Bracket A: #2 USC, #13 UC Santa Barbara, #18 San Diego State, Sonoma State
    Bracket B: #4 UCLA, #12 Indiana, #15 UC San Diego, Iona
    Bracket C: #6 Arizona State, #10 UC Davis, #19 LMU, Cal State East Bay
    Bracket D: #7 UC Irvine, #11 Long Beach State, #23 CSUN, Santa Clara
On Sunday, semifinals and placement games will be held. Last year, the Trojans went undefeated at the 2017 Triton Invitational. USC beat Santa Clara 18-2 and San Diego State 17-4 on the first day and then topped Michigan 9-5 in the semifinals and Arizona State 12-2 in the title match.Â
LAST ACTION
Two weeks ago at the CBU Mini Invitational, USC churned out two more decisive wins while extending its shutout streak to just under 81 minutes in these early goings of 2018. The Trojans pinned up its second shutout win of the year with a 20-0 victory over Cal Baptist and then kept Pomona-Pitzer silent for the first half en route to a 21-3 win over Pomona-Pitzer out in Riverside. USC's young guns came to play that day, with Trojan freshmen and sophomores accounting for 70 percent of the scoring. True freshman Paige Hauschild and sophomore Elise Stein punched up four goals apiece in the shutout win over Cal Baptist, with sophomore Denise Mammolito delivering a hat trick and freshmen Nadia Pavlovich and Verica Bakoc tallying two goals each in the dominant Trojan performance. That marked the first career goals as Trojans for Pavlovich. On the defensive end, junior goalie Amanda Longan backed up the stingy USC defense with 12 saves to anchor USC's second straight shutout of the year in the 20-0 win over its hosts. In doing so, Longan became the first USC goalie ever to record back-to-back complete shutouts. USC would turn around and take on Pomona-Pitzer immediately after the matchup with CBU. There, senior Brianna Daboub had a hat trick in the first period on the way to registering a new career high with five goals in the eventual 21-3 Trojan win. USC worked its way to a 9-0 lead in the first frame, then piled on five more goals to grip a 14-0 advantage by halftime. Just under a minute into the second half, Pomona-Pitzer became the first team to break through the Trojan defense this season with a 6-on-5 finish that made it 15-1 USC. By the final buzzer, sophomore Kelsey McIntosh matched her career best with four goals in this one, while Mammolito delivered another hat trick to help pace the USC offense, which got 10 Trojans on the scoreboard in the win. That included the first career goal as a Trojan for freshman Nina Ceklic. Senior goalie Victória Chamorro played the first three periods before giving way to senior Nicola Gonzales, who got her first official game action today and picked up two solid saves during her time in the cage.
SEASON OPENER
USC stormed out of the gates of the 2018 season in churning out an 18-0 shutout of No. 22 LMU in the first official action of the season at the UCLA Mini Invite. Behind seven saves from junior goalie Amanda Longan, the USC defense turned away 10 Lion power play opportunities to help lock up the shutout win and make it a 1-0 start to the year. Senior Hayley McKelvey drummed up four goals in the first period of play — all 6-on-5 finishes — to set the tone for the Trojan offensive onslaught. Freshman Paige Hauschild should tally her first goal as a Trojan during the first frame, while Kelsey McIntosh delivered her first of two goals on the day and Maud Megens started off on her path to an eventual game-high five goals for the Trojan cause. Up 7-0 after eight minutes of action, USC received two goals from senior captain Brianna Daboub, two more from Megens and the first career goal as a Trojan for freshman Verica Bakoc to lead it 12-0 by halftime. By the final buzzer, sophomore Denise Mammolito had joined the scoresheet, while Hauschild completed her debut hat trick and Megens round out her five-goal outing. After the impressive showing, Megens was named the MPSF Player of the Week, and Hauschild was selected MPSF Newcomer of the Week.Â
CLIMB ON
As the 2018 season rolls on, two USC seniors are knocking on the door of the century scoring club. Brianna Daboub has punched up 99 career goals to date, with Hayley McKelvey holding 84 as they look to crack the 100-goal mark in their final season at Troy. On the defensive end, two USC goalies are climbing the all-time saves ladder. Senior Victória Chamorro ranks No. 5 all-time with 387 career saves, while junior Amanda Longan stands at No. 6 with 385.
2018 TROJANS AT A GLANCE
Five All-Americans and seven NCAA champions strong, the 2018 USC women's water polo roster has the experience and the skill to lock up another national championship. This year's arsenal of Trojans boasts a daunting blend of veterans and youth — all armed with the talent and savvy to propel USC to the top. Already ranked No. 2 in the land as the 2018 season gets underway, USC trains its focus on that NCAA trophy, which the Trojans last captured in 2016 in an undefeated run through that season. Back in the captains' roles for 2018 are two members of that title-winning team in All-Americans Brianna Daboub and Amanda Longan, who are leading a group of very hungry Women of Troy. Headlining this freshman class is U.S. National Team member Paige Hauschild, who is tabbed as a starter for the Trojans. A set of sophomores — Denise Mammolito, Maud Megens and Kelsey McIntosh are also in that mix, along with savvy seniors Daboub and Hayley McKelvey.Â
CAGE FIGHTERS
USC boasts a fearsome tagteam in the cage in All-American tandem Victória Chamorro and Amanda Longan. Both compete for their respective national teams — Chamorro as a 2016 Olympian with Brazil and Longan as a gold-medalist with Team USA at the recent 2017 FINA World Championships. The Trojan defense allowed just 4.59 goals per game last season, with both Chamorro and Longan averaging over 10 saves per game in the cage.Â
BACK ON THE ATTACK
A year's experience for last season's freshmen — Maud Megens, Kelsey McIntosh, Denise Mammolito, Elise Stein and Kaylee Brownsberger — along with the leadership of 2016 NCAA champion seniors Victória Chamorro, Brianna Daboub, Hayley McKelvey and Annika Jensen and juniors Amanda Longan, Courtney Fahey and Brooke Presten will raise the bar again for the Trojans. As a true freshman, Megens was USC's second leading scorer with 58 goals. Daboub, McKelvey and Mammolito combined for an even 100 goals. Add to that the depth charge that U.S. National Team member Paige Hauschild and her fellow true freshmen bring for 2018, and USC's attack becomes well-rounded and dangerous. USC also has three new internationals in the water to diversify that attack. Canadians Verica Bakoc and Nina Ceklic are in the mix, along with New Zealand product Nadia Pavlovich. U.S. product Randi Reinhardt also stands out as a key addition to USC's rotation for 2018.
LAST SEASON
In 2017, the Trojans finished up 29-4 overall with a run to the 2017 NCAA semifinals in USC's 14th consecutive trip to the tourney. USC posted a 4-2 record in MPSF action and went on to claim third in the 2017 MPSF Tournament. The Trojans received a No. 3 seed into the NCAA Tournament, where USC was looking to win back-to-back national championships for the first time in program history. USC would go up against top-seeded Stanford in the semis, coming up just short of a trip to the final with an 11-10 loss. Stephania Haralabidis was USC's top scorer in 2017 with 84 goals. She'd be named a First Team All-American to close out her USC career. Freshman Maud Megens earned Second Team honors, while senior Brigitta Games and sophomore Amanda Longan were Third Team picks, and junior captain Brianna Daboub earned All-America Honorable Mention.•
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