USC Wins UC Irvine Unvite; MPSF Action Resumes
March 1, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
USC (11-1 Overall/1-0 MPSF) turned in a 5-0 week, winning its MPSF opener over Hawaii (14-7) along with a UC Irvine Invitational Title. The Trojans defeated Long Beach State (12-1), San Jose State (15-5), California in the semifinals (10-5) and No. 1 Stanford in the championship (10-6). Tumua Anae had 12 saves in the finals and Patricia Jancso recorded a hat trick. Kami Craig delivered four goals while Anae had 12 more saves in the conference game. USC hosts California Saturday (Mar. 6) in another MPSF contest.
STANFORD (12-1 Overall/1-0 MPSF) won three of four games at the UC Irvine Invitational, with wins against UC San Diego (15-3), Arizona State (15-8), and UCLA in the semifinals (10-4). Kelly Eaton tallied five times against ASU, while Alyssa Lo added four. 10 players scored against UCSD. The Cardinal once again has four games this week, hosting San Diego State in MPSF action Friday (Mar. 5), UC Irvine Saturday (Mar. 6), and a doubleheader in Davis Sunday (Mar. 7) against CS Bakersfield and UC Davis.
UCLA (12-4 Overall/1-0 MPSF) came out on top in one of the longest games in water polo history, 7-6 in eight overtime periods for third-place over California. The Bruins also defeated UC Santa Barbara (9-3) and Michigan (7-5) on day one of the tournament. KK Clark recorded a hat trick and Caitlin Dement collected eight saves in the opening-round win over UCSB. UCLA travels to Hawaii for an MPSF contest Saturday night (Mar. 6).
CALIFORNIA (12-4 Overall/2-1 MPSF) placed fourth at UCI with wins over Hawaii (8-4) and UC Davis (13-5), Emily Csikos delivered another hat trick and Stephanie Peckham had 19 saves in the eight-overtime UCLA game. Peckham recorded 12 saves in each of the wins. The Bears compete in the Cal Lutheran Tournament Friday and Sunday, with the conference game at USC sandwiched in between on Saturday.
HAWAII (8-6 Overall/0-2 MPSF) won the fifth-place game at UC Irvine, 9-7 over conference opponent Arizona State. In a third-round contest earlier Sunday, the Wahine advanced with a 10-5 decision over San Jose State, as Leonie Van Der Molen recorded three goals. Van Der Molen and Carmen Eggens also scored three vs. ASU. Saturday, UH also topped the host UCI 11-7 on day one. UCLA visits Honolulu Saturday for MPSF action.
ARIZONA STATE (6-5 Overall/0-0 MPSF) finished in sixth this past weekend, with wins coming against CS Northridge (14-4) on day one and Michigan (11-6) on day two. Sarah Harris posted three goals and freshman goalkeeper Amanda Young picked up 12 saves in the win over the Wolverines. The Sun Devils compete in the Cal Lutheran Tournament this weekend.
SAN JOSE STATE (9-8 Overall/0-2 MPSF) came up big in its seventh-place game over Michigan, 10-3, as Megan Minson had 12 saves in goal and Dani Curran and Adrianna Vogt each posted a hat trick. Vogt also had three goals vs. Hawaii. The Spartans edged Loyola Marymount (9-8) on Saturday for an opening-round win. SJSU hosts San Diego State Saturday in an MPSF contest, before UC Irvine visits on Sunday in non-conference play.
SAN DIEGO STATE (10-5 Overall/0-0 MPSF) avenged a pair of Saturday losses with a pair of Sunday wins en route to a 13th-place invitational finish. Following close setbacks to Michigan and UCSB, the Aztecs recovered with victories over UC San Diego (9-5) and UC Davis (11-8). Amber Pezolla tallied a career-high five goals and Alex Ford added three against the Aggies. SDSU travels to Stanford and San Jose State for a pair of MPSF outings.
KAMI CRAIG MPSF MIKASA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
USC senior two-meter Kami Craig (Camarillo, CA/Santa Barbara HS) scored four goals in the MPSF-opening win over Hawaii, and with that effort, entered the Trojans' all-time top-10 scoring list. She added four more goals at the UCI Invitational, two in the championship win over top-ranked Stanford. Also Nominated: Meagan Minson (SJSU)
PATRICIA JANCSO MPSF MIKASA NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
USC freshman two-meter defender Patricia Jancso (Budapest, Hungary/Agoston HS) scored nine goals in five games last week, including three in the UCI Invitational title game. She has 18 goals in her first season, second most on the team. Also Nominated: Annabelle Carter (ASU)