Women's Water Polo | May 12, 2019
PALO ALTO, CALIF. — The top-seeded USC women's water polo team saw a flurry of Stanford power plays and penalty shots erase a third-period Trojan lead as the host Cardinal held off USC to win the 2019 national championship. The Trojans had their eyes on claiming back-to-back NCAA titles for the first time in program history, but that goal slipped away as Stanford converted two 5-meter penalty shots and two 6-on-5 opportunities in the second half to get a 9-8 victory at Avery Aquatic Center in Palo Alto.
The game was epic from the start, with the score snarled up eight times and the lead changing hands six times in the third meeting in four years between USC and Stanford in the NCAA final. Both goalies made strong stands, hauling in nine saves apiece. For senior goalie
Amanda Longan, her eighth of the day pulled her up to rank No. 2 all-time in career saves in the USC history books. She and fellow senior captain
Courtney Fahey finish out their Trojan careers as two-time NCAA champs with titles won in 2016 and 2018. This one may have eluded the 2019 Trojans, but the resilience and unity of this group was resoundingly unparalleled. Under the direction of interim head coach
Casey Moon, this USC team finished out a 28-2 overall season, losing only two one-goal games and claiming the MPSF Tournament title for the second straight season. What's more, five Trojans scored spots on the NCAA All-Tournament Team —
Maud Megens and
Paige Hauschild on the First Team and
Mireia Guiral,
Denise Mammolito and
Amanda Longan on the Second Team.
Freshman
Mireia Guiral carried the load for the Trojans, unleashing USC's first three goals in heroic fashion. Her first blast out of set got USC the early lead. Her second was an incredible punch finish after collecting the rebound at the post on a USC 6-on-5. That got USC ahead 2-1, but Stanford would level it on a counterattack finish a minute later. After the 2-2 tie at the end of the first, Stanford went bar-in to open the second for the Cardinal to get the hosts their first lead of the game. Guiral answered the call. On a USC power play, fellow Spaniard
Alejandra Aznar hit Guiral at set again, and all was even again at 3-3. After a USC defensive stop,
Maud Megens earned a USC power play.
Paige Hauschild would work the ball over to Megens for a ripper as the teams pulled even, and USC was up again, 4-3. A Stanford 6-on-5 finish next leveled it again, and then the Cardinal went ahead on a backhand strike. USC was undeterred. Hauschild hit Megens again for a nearside equalizer, and it would be 5-5 for halftime.
USC would work back on top twice more in the third. Out of the gates, Aznar fed fellow freshman
Tilly Kearns for a 6-on-5 slam at the post, and it was 6-5 Trojans early. The whistle blew against the Trojans' Hauschild next — her second ejection — but Longan was there to squash the Stanford advantage. She'd wind up just out of reach on Stanford's next shot — its second 5-meter penalty shot of the game to tie it at 6-6. The resilient Trojans fired right back, with
Bayley Weber finding Guiral for a sniper shot that registered the freshman's fourth goal and took USC ahead 7-6. Stanford managed a slider next to level it at 7-7, but then some more smooth passing saw USC's Aznar find
Kelsey McIntosh for a laser to the top corner, tugging the Trojans ahead 8-7 with 3:09 on the clock in the third. A couple USC 6-on-5 chances went awry next, and then USC's Hauschild had the referee's whistle go against her for a third time, sending one of USC's top guns to the bench with 1:21 still to go in the third. Stanford would convert on its third 5-meter penalty opportunity of the game, and it was 8-8 — the eighth tie of the game. The USC defense buckled down and got two more clutch saves from Longan before Megens issued a field block to preserve the tie entering the fourth.Â
The Trojan D would stymie two early Stanford power plays with a takeaway from Aznar and a field block from McIntosh. Minutes later, however, USC was called for back-to-back exclusions, giving Stanford a 6-on-4 advantage that the Cardinal converted to go up 9-8 — its first lead of the second half. Try as they may, the Trojans just could not come up with the goal they needed to force a third overtime game against Stanford. Instead, the hosts emerged victorious with the 9-8 decision to take the 2019 NCAA title.
2019 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE WOMEN'S WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS (Palo Alto, Calif.)
CHAMPIONSHIP
[2] Stanford 9, [1] USC 8
May 12, 2019 | Avery Aquatic Center (Palo Alto, Calif.)
USC Â Â 2 - 3 - 3 - 0 = 8
STAN Â 2 - 3 - 3 - 1 = 9
SCORING:
USC —
Mireia Guiral 4,
Maud Megens 2,
Tilly Kearns,
Kelsey McIntosh
STAN — Makenzie Fischer 3, Ryann Neushul 2, Aria Fischer 2, Hannah Shabb, Kat Klass.
SAVES:Â Amanda Longan (USC) 9, Emalia Eichelberger (STAN) 9.Â
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