No. 1 USC faces toughest test of season

The USC women’s water polo team takes on Stanford at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center this Saturday. The two powerhouse teams promises to be a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat thriller that is sure to live up to the hype.

The contest will pit USC, the No. 1 team in the nation, against No. 2 Stanford in only their second matchup since last year’s national championship game, when the Cardinal took the title from the Women of Troy in a 6-4 defensive struggle.

USC hasn’t forgotten about that game, as proven on Feb. 24 of this year, when the Women of Troy outlasted the Cardinal in an emotional 13-10 battle to win the UCI Invitational Tournament.

“We have rivalries with all of the top four schools,” junior two-meter Kaleigh Gilchrist said, “but I think [Stanford] is definitely up there because they beat us in the national championship game and they’ve beaten us a lot, so we have a big rivalry.”

With both of the schools’ track records for scoring — USC leads the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with 15.8 goals per game and Stanford is a close second at 14.0 goals per game — nobody would be surprised if Saturday turned into another shootout.

The goalies of Saturday’s matchup, however, might have something to say about that. The top three goalies in the MPSF hail from these two teams, as freshman Gabby Stone and senior Kate Baldoni of Stanford have combined to allow only 4.25 goals per game. In addition, USC’s junior goalie Flora Bolonyai has allowed only 87 goals in an impressive 72 quarters of play.

As talented as Bolonyai is, she will be relying on the rest of the USC defense to come up big on Saturday.

“We really need to be focused when we’re playing defense,” Bolonyai said. “They have really good offensive players, so it’s important that we know their tendencies and that we know their possible weaknesses.”

Every team has weaknesses, but they are fairly difficult to find on this Stanford offense. Featuring the MVP of the London Olympics, freshman Maggie Steffens, and last season’s NCAA MVP winner, sophomore Kiley Neushul, the Cardinal offensive attack is a force to be reckoned with.

“They have really dangerous center players,” USC head coach Jovan Vavic said. “Good centers create problems inside. They have gold medalists who play center inside, and both are very strong and play well.”

The USC offensive is not without its own weapons, however, as the Women of Troy make up a sizeable chunk of the top 25 scorers in the MPSF. Leading the charge is sophomore Monica Vavic, who is putting up impressive numbers this season. Monica Vavic leads the MPSF in goals per game with 2.95, scoring 59 goals in only 20 games. By comparison, Stanford’s top scorer, senior Melissa Seidemann, has scored four fewer goals in four more games.

The key to the Trojan offense is its unpredictability, as any player can score from any spot in the pool at any time. Using an offense that capitalizes on fast breaks down the pool and quick passes from their perimeter offense, Jovan Vavic knows the value of the amount of scorers on his team.

“It’s our strength,” Jovan Vavic said. “You can’t focus on any one of our players.”

Another factor that might swing the contest in USC’s favor is the location, as Saturday’s game will be the third and final home game for the squad. It will also be senior night for the Women of Troy, as the team will celebrate the careers of graduating seniors Constance Hiller, Nicolina McCall, Blair Moody, Dominique Sardo and Chelsea Silvers. In front of their home crowd, expect an energized and refreshed team to take the pool in Los Angeles.

“It’s always nice to play at home,” Vavic said. “There are familiar surroundings, and we don’t have to travel. Our fans, family members and players from our men’s team will be there.”

The fans in attendance on Saturday will be treated not only to the pageantry of senior night but also to a thrilling match, as the Women of Troy attempt to remain the lone undefeated team in the nation. The game begins at 4 p.m.