USC wins season-opening tournament
As the clock ticked down at the Canyonview Complex at the University of California at San Diego Sunday evening, the reigning national champion USC women’s water polo team opened the 2014 season with a perfect weekend.
All in the family · Junior driver Monica Vavic scored a career-high six goals in USC’s first-round game against Sonoma State. The reigning MPSF player of the year has scored 11 goals in the first four games of the 2014 season. – Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan
USC head coach Jovan Vavic’s team captured its second straight Triton Invitational title with an 8-3 victory over No. 5 UC Irvine. En route to the win, freshman driver Stephania Haralabidis posted her second two-goal contest of the tournament — numbers five and six of her young career — helping the Women of Troy gain a 5-1 lead, despite letting in the first goal of the match.
The freshman’s performance impressed Vavic, which is not an easy feat considering he has won the National Coach of the Year honor 12 times. The 13-time national champion has claimed the award eight times while coaching the men’s team and four with the women’s.
“Stephania scored two huge goals when we needed them the most,” Vavic said. “She’s going to continue to progress. I think she’s going to be outstanding.”
Earlier in the day, the Women of Troy punched their ticket to the finals with a 10-4 win over No. 10 Arizona State, the team they defeated in last year’s Triton championship. Junior two-meter Eike Daube was able to counter ASU attack Izabella Chiappini’s four-goal performance with a hat trick of her own and keep USC afloat.
After demolishing opponents during the first day of the tournament beginning with a spectacular offensive performance Saturday morning, the Women of Troy advanced to the latter rounds on Sunday.
Vavic’s squad kicked off the season with a dominating 26-2 victory over Sonoma State, headlined by last year’s top scorer and MPSF Player of the Year junior driver Monica Vavic’s career-high six-goal performance. The coach’s daughter scored five goals throughout the other three games to bring her total to 11 on the season. Following the brutal beatdown of the Seawolves, the Women of Troy did not let up in the second game of their doubleheader.
Behind the excellent play of three-time All-American senior goalie Flora Bolonyai’s 10 saves in the cage, the Women of Troy registered the sixth shutout in program history during a 13-0 dismantling of No. 16 Cal State Northridge.
“We gave up 10 goals in four games which is absolutely outstanding,” Jovan Vavic said. “Flora was, in my opinion, the best player of the tournament. She looks really confident and really tough to score on.”
The MPSF echoed Jovan Vavic’s sentiment about his star goalie, naming Bolonyai the MPSF Player of the Week following her impressive performance in goal throughout the tournament.
Even though the defense was spectacular throughout the tournament, the offensive distribution was also delightful to see.
Seven different players combined for the 13 Trojan goals during the shutout — four coming from the hand of All-American senior two-meter Kaleigh Gilchrist.
After a terrific outing to begin the 2014 campaign in San Diego, the Women of Troy return home to prepare for another tournament test next weekend. The reigning national champions will travel to Riverside, Calif. to compete in the Lancer Invitational at California Baptist University.
The team will attempt to continue its success in the pool as they square off with Fresno Pacific in the first game of the tournament on Friday afternoon. The Sunbirds will enter the contest with a dismal 0-5 record, including a 30-1 thrashing by No. 3 Cal at the UCSB Winter Invitational in late January. The Women of Troy put up a similar score last time they played the Sunbirds in 2012, taking home a 27-1 victory.
“If you have a good leadership on the team, the younger players buy in,” Jovan Vavic said. “If you don’t have good leaders, they’re not going to try. We have great leadership on the team.”
The season is just beginning, but for a team stocked with nine new freshmen surrounded by seasoned veterans who understand what it takes to hoist the national championship trophy, things appear to be going swimmingly for Jovan Vavic and his squad.