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Photo by: Trevor Sochocki
No. 3 USC Makes TV Debut To Start Three-Game Stretch
March 21, 2018 | Women's Water Polo, Features
WEEKLY RELEASE (PDF)USC-PRINCETON STREAMUSC-PRINCETON STATSUSC-ASU STREAMUSC-ASU STATSUSC-PACIFIC STATS
Trojans host Princeton in a televised clash on Pac-12 Network before a trip to ASU and a return to host Pacific this weekend.
#3 USC (13-1) vs. #15 Princeton (12-6)
Thursday, March 22 | 5 p.m. |Â Uytengsu Aquatics Center
Series Record: USC leads 3-0
TV: Pac-12 Network | Pac-12 LA
(PbP: Greg Mescall | Analyst: Adam Krikorian)
STREAMÂ | Â LIVEÂ STATS
#3 USC at #6 Arizona State (14-5)
Saturday, March 24 | 1 p.m. |Â Tempe, Ariz.
Series Record: USC leads 28-2 (W7)
STREAM | LIVEÂ STATS
#3 USC vs. #8 Pacific (5-6)
Sunday, March 25 | 1 p.m. | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
Series Record: USC leads 17-0
LIVEÂ STATS
Thursday, March 22 | 5 p.m. |Â Uytengsu Aquatics Center
Series Record: USC leads 3-0
TV: Pac-12 Network | Pac-12 LA
(PbP: Greg Mescall | Analyst: Adam Krikorian)
STREAMÂ | Â LIVEÂ STATS
#3 USC at #6 Arizona State (14-5)
Saturday, March 24 | 1 p.m. |Â Tempe, Ariz.
Series Record: USC leads 28-2 (W7)
STREAM | LIVEÂ STATS
#3 USC vs. #8 Pacific (5-6)
Sunday, March 25 | 1 p.m. | Uytengsu Aquatics Center
Series Record: USC leads 17-0
LIVEÂ STATS
THIS WEEK
USC has a busy week ahead with three games on the docket for the No. 3 Women of Troy, who carry a 13-1 record into the stretch. It all starts with a televised matchup against No. 15 Princeton (12-6) this Thursday (March 22) at 5 p.m. at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The game will air live on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Los Angeles, with Adam Krikorian and Greg Mescall on the call. USC will then head to its first MPSF contest of the year with a 1 p.m. faceoff at No. 6 Arizona State (14-5) on Saturday (March 24) in Tempe, Ariz., before returning to Los Angeles to host No. 8 Pacific (5-6) at 1 p.m. on Sunday (March 25) back at Uytengsu Aquatics Center
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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. USC has bounced between No. 2 and No. 3 in recent weeks, and is currently ranked No. 3 the nation in the latest national poll (released March 21).
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SCOUTING PRINCETON
The No. 15 Tigers enter the week 12-6 overall after beating San Diego State 10-4 last week. Princeton will face Concordia on Wednesday before visiting USC on Thursday. Haley Wan enters the week as Princeton's top scorer with 37 goals to date, while goalie Marissa Webb is averaging 10.7 saves and 8.5 goals-against per game. USC is 3-0 all-time against the Tigers after a 12-3 win last season in Los Angeles.
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SCOUTING ASU
The No. 6 Sun Devils are 14-5 overall and 0-1 in MPSF play after losing to Cal 6-3 last week. Maud Koopman is ASU's top scorer with 33 goals to date, while goalie Mia Rycraw is averaging 10.19 saves and 5.13 goals-against per game. USC is 28-2 all-time against the Sun Devils with wins in the past seven meetings, including an 8-6 victory last month at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational. Last year, USC beat ASU 12-2 in the championship game of the 2017 Triton Invitational and 11-4 in the MPSF match in Los Angeles.Â
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SCOUTING PACIFIC
The No. 8 Tigers enter the week 5-6 overall after beating Azusa Pacific 15-7 last week. Pacific will face LMU and Cal Baptist before taking on the Trojans on Sunday. Mariana Duarte enters the week as Pacific's top scorer with 34 goals to date, while goalie Alexis Hollinrake is averaging 5.9 saves and 10.1 goals-against per game. USC is 17-0 all-time against the Tigers. The teams last faced in 2013 with USC winning 14-2 at the UC Irvine Invitational.
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LAST WEEK
USC put a nice exclamation mark on its Spring Break training trip with a 9-5 win over host Hawai'i on the Trojans' final night in Honolulu. The Rainbow Wahine drew first blood in this one, but USC responded with a blast from Paige Hauschild off a feed from fellow freshman Verica Bakoc. That 1-1 score would hold through the end of the first frame, and USC opened the second with a rocket from Brianna Daboub off Kelsey McIntosh's assist. This time it was Hawai'i that equalized, although the Trojans heeded that wakeup call and surged to life from there. Annika Jensen and Elise Stein would strike before halftime to make it a 4-2 USC advantage by halftime. USC's scoring rally would extend to a five-goal spurt thanks to three more scores — from McIntosh, Daboub and Hauschild. USC's defense would shut out Hawai'i in the third while building out a 6-2 lead before Hauschild zipped in her second to start the third and make it 7-2 Trojans. The Rainbow Wahine broke their silence with back-to-back goals later in the fourth to carve the deficit to 7-4, only to see Maud Megens hit Hauschild to round out the freshman's hat trick to make it 8-4 USC. Hawai'i would convert on another power play opportunity next, but Megens found Denise Mammolito soon after for the ripper and a 9-5 USC lead that would hold to the final buzzer.
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PAIGE PICKS UP ANOTHER
USC freshman Paige Hauschild claimed her fourth MPSF Newcomer of the Week award following another week of leading the Trojan scoring charge. Hauschild leads the conference with her four selections, thanks to back-to-back honors in the past two weeks. Perfect once again on opening sprints, Hauschild also delivered a hat trick and added a steal in USC's 9-5 win at No. 5 Hawai'i last week. Hauschild has scored in every game this season in her first year as a Trojan, recording 11 multiple-goal games after this latest three-goal outburst. Additionally, her 2.57 goals per game is the best in the MPSF.
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FIVE-TIME TRITON TITLISTS
USC claimed its fifth straight championship at the Triton Invitational by capping off the event with a 6-4 win over rival UCLA in the title match. The Trojans never once trailed during the tournament, opening with a 13-1 win over Sonoma State and a 14-2 win over San Diego State in group play. In the semifinals, USC played a tighter match against UC Irvine, pulling away for a 7-5 win that sent the Trojans to the title match. During that semifinal win, senior captain Brianna Daboub notched her 100th career goal. Up against UCLA in the final, Paige Hauschild opened the scoring for the Trojans on a 6-on-5 finish. UCLA equalized, but junior goalie Amanda Longan made the stop on the Bruins' next try and then Daboub delivered for a 2-1 USC lead. That would do it for the first frame, but USC struck first again in the second. Kelsey McIntosh took the Trojans to a 3-1 lead before Longan roared to back-to-back blocks and then slammed away a UCLA 5-meter penalty try for a huge boost to the Trojan cause. UCLA moved it to a 3-2 margin by the end of the half, then equalized early in the third, only to see Daboub earn a 5-meter penalty that Denise Mammolito hammered home for a 4-3 USC advantage. In the fourth, Daboub zipped in her second of the game to go up 5-3. Next, Hauschild took a feed from Hayley McKelvey to pad out USC's lead to 6-3. The USC defense would shut down the next few UCLA offensive series, although the Bruins would convert with 3:05 to go, making it 6-4. The stalwart Trojan defense did the rest, as USC closed out the game as a 6-4 win that locked up the Trojans' fifth straight Triton Invitational crown. USC's staunch defense was anchored by goalies Victória Chamorro and Amanda Longan. Chamorro had 14 saves vs. Sonoma State and 13 in tehwin over UC Irvine, while Longan made 12 vs. SDSU before adding her 11 vs. the Bruins. Amanda Longan would lock up her first career selection as MPSF Player of the Week for her efforts, while Paige Hauschild claimed her second MPSF Newcomer of the Week award after emerging as USC's top scorer with 12 goals at the Triton Invitational.
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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
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CLIMB ON
As the  2018 season rolls on, two seniors are making moves on the USC career scoring ladder. On Feb. 11, Brianna Daboub broke into the century club, scoring her 100th career goal. Since then, she's upped her career count to 107 to rank No. 25 all-time in scoring at USC. Fellow senior Hayley McKelvey is also on the climb, holding 90 career goals to her name with an eye on hitting that century mark at Troy. On the defensive end, two USC goalies are on the rise on the all-time saves ladder. Junior Amanda Longan jumped into the No. 4 all-time slot as she now holds 465 career saves, just ahead of senior Victória Chamorro, who ranks No. 5 all-time with 428 career saves.
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BY THE NUMBERS
Through the first 14 games of 2018, USC has outscored opponents 167-55. Freshman Paige Hauschild is the Trojans' top scorer to date with 36 goals, giving her an MPSF-best 2.57 goals per game average. Behind her on the 2018 scoresheet sits sophomore Denise Mammolito with 22 goals to date, followed by sophomore Kelsey McIntosh at 17 and seniors Brianna Daboub and Annika Jensen gripping 16 and 15, respectively. On the defensive end, three goalies have checked into the cage to date. Junior Amanda Longan has logged minutes in 10 games, averaging 10.42 saves and 4.42 goals-against per game. She also boasts back-to-back complete-game shutouts in the cage. Senior goalie Victória Chamorro has appeared in five games and averages 10.35 saves and 2.59 goals-against per game. Senior Nicola Gonzales made her first career appearance on Jan. 27, making two saves in one period of work in that USC victory. The Trojan defense has rendered opponents silent in at least one period of play in 12 different games while accumulating a grand total of 26 shutout periods this season so far.
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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
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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. This year, Longan made some Trojan history in anchoring back-to-back shutout wins over LMU and Cal Baptist. Longan is the only USC goalie to record back-to-back complete-game shutouts.
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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.
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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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