USC women’s water polo led all four periods, resulting in a 19-15 win against the Irvine Anteaters. Graduate center Tilly Kearns, freshman attacker Emily Ausmus, sophomore center Rachel Gazzaniga, and sophomore attacker Ava Stryker have scored goals in each of USC’s 10 games this season. Kearns and Ausmus, both 2024 Olympians, significantly contributed to the Trojans’ victory, with an impressive five goals each.
Head coach Casey Moon attributes the success of today’s game to the team’s joy, which is vital to their preparation for games against teams such as UC Irvine. “Player for player we match up really well and we did what we needed to,” Moon said.
Stryker gave her take on today’s victory, crediting it to her team’s dominant play, especially in the first half, by keeping “composure, even when calls weren’t going our way.”
Freshman attacker Ava Knepper kicked the game off by winning the sprint and securing the ball for the Trojans. Early on in the first period, freshman center Alma Yaacobi scored a goal to put the first point on the board. That was quickly responded to by UC Irvine’s senior utility Libby Alexander, who scored less than a minute later.
The first period also consisted of an outstanding cross-pass goal where Ausmus hammered in the ball after an assist from sophomore attacker Meghan McAninch. Kearns finished off the period by firing out two consecutive goals, bringing the Trojans up to a 7-3 lead.
After a fight for possession at the beginning of the second period, the Trojans won the sprint yet again. The ball was quickly turned over back to UC Irvine, where graduate attacker Brooke Hourigan scored for the Anteaters. The Trojans answered with a goal from Stryker, followed by a forced steal by Kearns that set up Gazzaniga to drill the ball into the back of the net.
The rest of the period was defined by back-and-forth goals, including penalty shot goals from both sides and a hat trick goal from Kearns. The Trojans sustained the advantage with a 12-7 lead at the end of the half.
After another sprint win, this time from Stryker, Kearns opened up the half with another shot smashed past the goalkeeper. Kearns then drew a penalty against UCI’s sophomore attacker Sara Naulty, putting Ausmus in the perfect position to get a hat-trick goal. Kearns and Ausmus smashed more balls into the net, each reaching an outstanding five goals against the Anteaters. A couple of goals by UCI, a penalty shot goal by Stryker and a yellow card given to UCI head coach Dan Klatt concluded the end of the third period, yielding a 19-9 advantage for the Trojans.
At the top of the fourth, McAninch won the sprint for the Trojans, leading them to command possession at the beginning of each period. Irvine fought back hard in the last period, scoring all six of the goals in the fourth. However, the Trojans built themselves a sufficient lead prior, helping them secure their 10th successive victory of the season.
Moon thinks the key to these upcoming matches is focusing on tightening up transitions and connecting better in terms of passing, ultimately “having one voice.”
Stryker plans to carry the momentum with her and her team by “keeping up the intensity in practice” and “never settling for what [they’ve] been successful at, always wanting more.”
USC hosts Long Beach State at Uytengsu Aquatics Center next Saturday, with the first sprint scheduled for 1 p.m.