No. 2 USC Women’s Water Polo Finishes Fourth At MPSF Tournament

Sunday, April 27

Westwood, Calif.

12:45 p.m.

USC

27-4

California

19-5

California

Southern California

USC team huddles up ahead of a game at the MPSF Tournament in Westwood.

Photo by: John McGillen

No. 2 USC Women’s Water Polo Finishes Fourth At MPSF Tournament

April 27, 2025 | Women's Water Polo

Box Score

The Trojans held Cal to just one goal in the second half but fell short of a comeback in 13-12 loss

WESTWOOD, CALIF. – The No. 2 USC women's water polo team held No. 4 Cal to just one goal in the second half but could not complete the comeback in taking a 13-12 loss in the MPSF Tournament third-place game. USC had trailed by as much as five goals before clawing back to make it a one-goal game, coming up short of forcing overtime in today's game in Westwood.. USC is now 27-4 overall and awaits the release of the NCAA Tournament bracket, which will be announced on ncaa.com at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

Meghan McAninch got the scoring going early for the Trojans, converting on a Tilly Kearns-earned 6-on-5. The Bears would then go on an offensive frenzy, collecting five goals in the next three minutes. Two goals from Kearns and one from Rachel Gazzaniga would lessen the gap, but a pair of scores from Cal got the game to a 7-4 margin going into the second.

The Bears converted on a 5-meter penalty to open the next frame. Emily Ausmus answered with her own, then going on to assist Alma Yaacobi's first goal of the game on the next drive. Maggie Johnson took advantage of the counter later in the quarter, and Kearns grabbed her second to help the Trojan cause, but four more goals from the Bears kept USC down 12-8 after sixteen minutes.

USC's defensive momentum shifted in the third, keeping Cal scoreless throughout the quarter as the Bears would be rendered silent for almost 11 minutes of play. Ausmus added back-to-back scores to bring the game to 12-10 entering the fourth frame remaining. In the fourth, Kearns delivered her fourth goal of the game to get USC within one at 12-11, although Cal would resurface on a man-up opportunity to go up by two with 5:27 minutes remaining. Ausmus joined Kearns in the four-goal club to bring the Trojans within one with 3:45 to go, but neither team could make another offensive move, leaving the final score at 13-12 as the Trojans were left with a fourth-place MPSF Tournament finish for the second straight season.

Following the event, USC had Emily Ausmus and Tilly Kearns named to the MPSF All-Tournament Team.

NEXT:
The NCAA Selection Show announcing the 2025 field will take place at 5 p.m. tomorrow (April 28) on ncaa.com. USC is looking to make a 21st consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

NOTABLE:
- With her second goal of the game and 107th of the season, FR Emily Ausmus moved up to rank No. 3 in MPSF history for single-season goals.
- With four goals today, Ausmus has recorded multiple-goal games in 30 of USC's 31 games this season, with at least one goal scored in every game.
- With four goals today, SR Tilly Kearns has scored four or more goals in 14 different games this season.
- USC is now 52-19 all-time against Cal, as the Trojans' 29-game win streak over the Bears came to an end in today's loss.

2025 MPSF TOURNAMENT

THIRD-PLACE GAME
#4 California 13, #2 USC 12
Sunday, April 27 | Spieker Aquatics Center (Westwood, Calif.)
USC 4 - 4 - 2 - 2 = 12
CAL 7 - 5 - 0 - 1 = 13

SCORING:
USC — Emily Ausmus 4, Tilly Kearns 4, Rachel Gazzaniga, Maggie Johnson, Meghan McAninch, Alma Yaacobi.
CAL — Feline Voordouw 3, Elena Flynn 2, Ruby Swadling 2, Eszter Varro 2, Miriam Bogachenko, Julia Bonaguidi, Abbi Magee, Rozanne Voorvelt.

SAVES: Jada Ward (USC) 0 [1st quarter], Anna Reed (USC) 3 [3 quarters], Talia Fonseca (CAL) 9.