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Photo by: Jorge Daboub
No. 2 USC Carries Eight-Game Win Streak To No. 1 Stanford and No. 21 San José State
April 11, 2018 | Women's Water Polo, Features
Trojans aim to avenge their only loss of the year with a visit to Palo Alto for a televised rematch on Friday.
#2 USC (18-1, 2-0) at #1 Stanford (14-1, 1-1)
Friday, April 13 | 5:30 p.m.
Avery Aquatic Center (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Series Record: USC trails 32-35 (L4)
TV: Pac-12 LA | Pac-12 BA (PbP: Kevin Danna | Analyst: Adam Krikorian)
#2 USC (18-1, 2-0) at #21 San José State (9-14, 0-2)
Saturday, April 14 | 2 p.m.
West Valley College (Saratoga, Calif.)
Series Record: USC leads 35-0
THIS WEEK
USC packs up its eight-game win streak for an important MPSF road trip this week. The No. 2 Trojans (18-1, 2-0 MPSF) seek revenge against No. 1 Stanford first, visiting the Cardinal (14-1, 1-1) for a 5:30 p.m. faceoff on Friday (April 13) in Palo Alto. That battle will be televised by Pac-12 Networks with Kevin Danna and Adam Krikorian on the call. From there, USC will head to tackle another MPSF opponent with a 2 p.m. clash against No. 21 San José State (9-14, 0-2) on Saturday (April 14) at West Valley College in Saratoga, Calif.
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 as the season has progressed, and has most recently risen to rank No. 2 the nation in the latest national poll (released April 11).
SCOUTING STANFORD
The No. 1 Cardinal is 14-1 overall and 1-1 in MPSF play after an 8-5 win over UCLA last week. Makenzie Fischer leads Stanford in scoring with 36 goals, while goalie Julia Hermann is averaging 8.26 saves and 4.53 goals-against per game. In a series dating back to 1996, USC is 32-35 all-time against the Cardinal with losses in the last four meetings. Stanford beat USC 9-3 earlier this season in the championship of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational. USC beat the Cardinal 10-9 in overtime in the 2017 Barbara Kalbus Invite before Stanford topped the Trojans 12-8 in MPSF regular-season play and 6-5 in the MPSF Tournament semifinals. USC and Stanford would face off again in the 2017 NCAA Tournament semifinals, with the Cardinal edging out the Trojans 11-10.
SCOUTING SJSU
The No. 21 Spartans are 9-14 overall and 0-2 in MPSF play after a 13-5 loss to Cal in their most recent action. Guara Garcia Delgado and Lili Urvari lead SJSU in scoring with 25 goals apiece. Goalies Katelynn Thompson and Tayler Peters have shared time in goal. Thompson is averaging 8.38 saves and 9.54 goals-against per game, and Peters averages 7.95 saves and 9.58 goals-against per game. In a series dating back to 1998, USC is a perfect 35-0 all-time against the Spartans after a 17-1 win earlier this season at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational. Last season, USC beat SJSU 19-3 in an MPSF match in Los Angeles and won 17-2 in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals.
LAST WEEK
USC made a power move in MPSF action last weekend with a resounding 11-6 win over visiting No. 2 California. The Golden Bears had held a one-goal lead in the first period of play before USC edged to take a 4-3 halftime advantage. In the second half, however, it was all USC. While goalie Amanda Longan worked her way to a 15-save outing, Maud Megens and Annika Jensen busted out second-half hat tricks to net the Trojans the powerful home win. USC's stabilizer throughout the game was senior captain Brianna Daboub. After Cal struck first with a bar-in blast to take the opening lead, Daboub earned a 6-on-5 for USC and then promptly deposited the early equalizer off a setup from Jensen. When Cal got a skipper to go to nudge ahead 2-1, Daboub opened the second period with a strike out of set off a pass from Denise Mammolito. Daboub wouldn't score again in the game, but she'd get her Trojans up on power plays and deliver a couple more key assists before the Trojans' day's work was done. At the other end, it was Longan who reigned supreme in the cage. After one of her 15 saves on the night, USC went the other way and made the most of a 6-on-5 earned by Jensen. Megens would hit senior Hayley McKelvey for a booming slam to get USC a lead that it would not relinquish, up for the first time in the game with 4:44 on the clock in the second period. McKelvey issued a field block next to follow a save from Longan against a Cal power play, and then Kelsey McIntosh hit Megens for a ripper that made it 4-2 Trojans. Cal would sail in a score soon after, and USC would grip a 4-3 lead for halftime. The third period unfurled with a scoring frenzy. Another USC 6-on-5 care of Daboub was finished off with a bullet from McKelvey off an assist from Paige Hauschild to get a 5-3 lead. Not 30 seconds later, McIntosh and Megens made another winning combination to make it 6-3 Trojans. That prompted a back-and-forth exchange with four goals scored in just over a minute. Cal would answer with a 6-on-5 strike, followed by another ripper from Megens off a feed from Daboub. Cal delivered a crosscage score next to make it 7-5 and would later close the gap to one with a score that made it 7-6 with 3:54 left in the third. Undeterred, USC responded with a steal from Megens and then a bold move from Longan to squash a pair of Cal possessions. With 1:18 left in the frame, McKelvey found Jensen for a rocket that proved too strong for the Cal defense to tug the Trojans ahead 8-6 entering the fourth. In the final frame it was all USC. While Longan collected another half-dozen saves in the final eight minutes, USC got two big blasts from Jensen and then a nifty score from Megens to make it a fourth-period shutout of the Golden Bears en route to a final 11-6 USC victory. For her four goals, two steals and assist on the day, Megens would be named MPSF Player of the Week for the second time this season.
PAIGE PICKS UP SIX
USC freshman Paige Hauschild claimed her sixth MPSF Newcomer of the Week award on April 3 following another week of powerful play for the Trojan cause. Hauschild leads the conference with her six selections, thanks to and MPSF-record four consecutive picks in the past four weeks. USC's top scorer this season with 50 goals to date, Hauschild has scored in all but one game in her first year as a Trojan, recording 14 multiple-goal games after her career-high seven goals scored last week. That makes Hauschild the sixth USC true freshman to score at least 50 goals in her first season as a Trojan. Additionally, her 2.63 goals per game is the best in the MPSF.
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 118 to rank No. 22 all-time in scoring at USC — just two goals away from cracking the top-20. Fellow senior Hayley McKelvey is also on the climb, holding 96 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 has maneuvered into the No. 4 all-time slot as she now holds 508 career saves, just ahead of senior Victória Chamorro, who ranks No. 5 all-time with 439 career saves.
BY THE NUMBERS
Now 19 games in to 2018, USC has outscored opponents 247-83. Freshman Paige Hauschild is the Trojans' top scorer to date with 50 goals, giving her an MPSF-best 2.63 goals per game average. Behind her on the 2018 scoresheet sits sophomore Denise Mammolito with 32 goals to date, followed by senior Brianna Daboub andsophomore Maud Megens with 27 each. Sophomore Kelsey McIntosh is next with 23, and senior Annika Jensen has added 20, already marking a career single-season best for the senior. On the defensive end, three goalies have checked into the cage to date. Junior Amanda Longan has logged minutes in 15 games, averaging 10.92 saves and 4.77 goals-against per game. She also boasts back-to-back complete-game shutouts in the cage. Senior goalie Victória Chamorro has appeared in nine games and averages 9.67 saves and 2.81 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 15 different games while accumulating a grand total of 29 shutout periods this season so far. Overall, USC is averaging 13.0 goals per game on the offensive end and is allowing just 4.37 goals-against per game defensively.
EVEN BETTER WITH AGE
With a full season under their belts, USC's sophomore class is stepping up big in their second year of action as Trojans. Denise Mammolito has already eclipsed her true-freshman scoring total of 28 goals, standing as USC's second leading scorer this season with 32 goals to date. Kelsey McIntosh also has beaten out her freshman year total of 20 goals, gripping 23 this season to date. Fellow sophomore Maud Megens, meanwhile, is back to her scoring savvy after missing 10 games with injury. She was USC's second leading scorer with 58 goals as a true freshman, and she's pumped in 27 goals in just nine appearances so far this year, highlighted by a career-high seven goals vs. Pacific. Mammolito, McIntosh and Megens have combined for 82 goals to date — over a third of USC's total offensive output.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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