USC Visits Stanford Sunday on Pac-12 Networks
March 24, 2014
MPSF Women's Water Polo Release 11
USC (18-0 Overall, 3-0 MPSF) extended its win streak to 25 straight dating back to last year's NCAA title run with three wins in Honolulu, HI. The Trojans defeated Indiana, 15-5, Long Beach State, 12-3, and the host Hawaii, 14-6. USC hosts Hartwick, before traveling to San Jose State and Stanford Sunday (Mar. 30) at 5 pm on Pac-12 Networks. The Trojan-Cardinal showdown will be the first meeting between the two teams since last year's NCAA Championship game.
STANFORD (15-1 Overall, 1-0 MPSF) easily handled UC San Diego Sunday in La Jolla, 21-7, and San Diego State, 12-6, Monday (Mar. 24). Top-ranked and unbeaten USC visits on Sunday. Maggie Steffens led the charge at UCSD with four goals, followed by hat tricks from Anna Yelizarova, Kiley Neushul, and Ashley Grossman.
SAN JOSE STATE (18-9 Overall, 0-2 MPSF) freshman Clara Espar Llaquet cracked the all-time MPSF single-season top-10 list on her fifth goal of the game last Tuesday against Indiana, an 11-9 Spartan win. She enters the week with 85 goals on the year, one goal from Adriana Vogt's school record of 86 set in 2011, and five goals from becoming the ninth player in MPSF history to reach 90. Katelynn Thompson had a career-high 11 saves in just three quarters of cage time. The Spartans host top-ranked USC Saturday.
CALIFORNIA (16-4 Overall, 2-1 MPSF) recorded an MPSF home win this past Sunday, defeating Bakersfield, 19-10. The freshman class once again played a large role for the Bears, as Anna Illes and Dora Antal put away four goals apiece. Antal had been out the previous three games to injury. Two other freshmen, Roser Tarrago and Genevieve Weed added two apiece, with the latter scoring the first two in her career in the fourth quarter. Cal hosts UCLA Thursday (Mar. 27) at 1:30 pm on Pac-12 Networks.
UCLA (18-2 Overall, 1-0 MPSF) defeated Harvard at home this past Friday, 18-7, as Emily Donohoe poured in four goals. Her total has reached a Bruin-High 42 on the year. UCLA is at California and Hawaii this week.
BAKERSFIELD (12-17 Overall, 0-3 MPSF) Janelle Shelby poured in a game-high five goals, while Courtney Wahlstrom collected 11 saves at California this past Sunday. The Roadrunners play their first home game of the season on April 5 against UCLA.
ARIZONA STATE (13-6 Overall, 1-2 MPSF) is off until visiting Stanford and San Jose State, April 5 & 6. The Sun Devils had no trouble in their own invitational, Mar 14-16, allowing a total of six goals through four wins. The Sun Devils beat Marist 14-1, Occidental 16-1, Whittier 20-1, and in an MPSF game, Bakersfield, 14-3. Petra Pardi scored 12 goals in three games, logging three or more goals on three separate occasions. She scored four goals against the Roadrunners and five more against Occidental, giving her five games in her career of scoring at least five and matching the ASU school record.