Those who tuned into ESPNU’s broadcast of the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship Final in La Jolla Sunday evening caught a peculiar sight – ahead by a single goal headed into the fourth quarter, players were seen dancing around during the team huddle.
For the USC Trojans, it’s nothing new.
“I think fun is a defining word for this team,” said sophomore goalkeeper Anna Reed. “It’s a constant, constant fun and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
It isn’t every day that a team dances in a pressure situation with a national championship on the line, but the players said that having a little fun helps them stay grounded when it matters.
“I think that just encapsulates what our team is,” said senior team captain Maggie Johnson.
For Casey Moon, who captured his first title as head coach in his third year on the job, the team’s jovial nature was established early.
“The thing that I really wanted to implement is this aspect of joy,” Moon said. “Our girls love each other – they’ll kill each other in the pool, and then when they get out they really are the best of friends.”
The “sisters together” mantra that Moon implemented before the season shone in little moments for the team.
“We’re really unserious, and it helped us all the way,” Reed said. “We’re cracking jokes all the time, keeping it super lighthearted.”
It wasn’t always fun and games for the team. With just five of the team’s 23 regular-season matches at home, the constant travel put a strain on the players.
With a tough three-game road trip over spring break in March, there was a fear that it was only going to get worse.
“We were looking at that three-game stretch, and we said, ‘We’re just going to take it one game at a time,” Johnson said. “I’m grateful it was so hard because it challenged us.”
After a much-needed victory against then-No. 5 Arizona State, the squad had to regroup before a trip out to Hawaii. With feelings of disconnect amongst the team, something had to be done.
“Right before we left for Hawaii, we had a team meeting where we had disconnection as a group, and it got a lot of people really emotional,” Reed said. “You can just tell that we wanted it so bad, and everybody at that point felt more connected to each other, and it built in Hawaii.”
And build in Hawaii, it did. For coach Moon, a 14-13 victory set the tone for what his girls could accomplish going forward.
“When we had this feeling that we had this opportunity to win, we were in Hawaii tied going into the fourth quarter. I told them, ‘This is the moment that’s going to test us for whether or not we’re ready in April.”
Confident after the win in the Aloha State, the Trojans headed up north to the Bay, where an 11-10 victory against then-No. 1 Stanford gave USC some measure of closure after previously losing to the Cardinal in what was then their only loss of the season.
The players said the win was a huge confidence boost, and they felt ready to go when it was time for the NCAA National Championship tournament.
“The number one thing on our team is that we have some resiliency and hate to lose mentally,” Moon said. “With that, they really balance it with this aspect of joy.”
USC would lose to a familiar opponent in UCLA in the semifinals, with whom the Trojans split the regular season series.
“When we went down against UCLA, and we gave up a three-goal run going into the fourth,” Reed said, “There was never a doubt that we could climb back because of those experiences and those challenging moments.”
With a trip to the national championship and the season on the line, it was Reed who found her time in the spotlight during the finals. A career-high 14 saves in net would boost USC to hold on to its slim lead from start to finish, giving the program its eighth national championship.
“The coaching staff was waiting for Anna’s moment all year to shine,” Moon said. “Anna Reed is 5-feet-7. Her heart gives her two feet – she’s seven feet in the goal. Her character, her will to win and her fight really make her a big goalie.”
The rest of the team found their groove as well, even in a tight spot late in the fourth quarter. The team was down a player following an exclusion foul. For them, it all circled back to that foundation of joy laid out before the season.
“Everyone bought into their role so much,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, we all bought into the plan, and we all believed, and that’s what I think got us to the top.”
For Senior Captain Johnson, it was a moment she had waited for all her life.
“I think you imagine it when you’re going through the season and throughout my whole time here,” Johnson said, “but there’s really nothing to replace the feeling of ‘Oh my gosh, we did it.”
Of all the lessons learned, however, one stood out to Reed.
“I saw a quote from Geno Auriemma, the UConn women’s basketball coach, and he said that sometimes it’s the most talented team that wins the national championship,” Reed said, “but sometimes it’s the team that comes together at the right time.”
“And I think that’s exactly what we did.”