Women of Troy look to move past loss to Stanford


By
 in ,

USC coach Jovan Vavic and the USC women’s water polo team enter this weekend’s Mountain Pacific Sports Federation postseason play ranked second in the nation. After spending the previous two months as the country’s top team, the amount of pressure on their shoulders hasn’t changed — for better or worse.

Big test · Senior utility Forel Davies and the Women of Troy will be faced with a tough MPSF tournament when they travel to Spieker Aquatic Center on UCLA’s campus. - Gary Fung | Daily Trojan

When now-No. 1 Stanford topped the Women of Troy 7-6 in overtime Saturday, the Cardinal knocked USC from its perch atop the water polo world. The Women of Troy had won 19 consecutive matches before the game. But the players still expect their opponents to approach them as if they had never lost.

“We’ve been a target throughout the season and will remain one,” said senior two-meter Kami Craig, the team captain. “I believe we’ll stand up to that challenge.”

The Women of Troy — defending MPSF champions — will make the short trip to UCLA’s Spieker Aquatic Center from Friday through Sunday. The opening round in the eight-team tournament will pit them against seventh-seeded San Diego State in a 10 a.m. Friday match-up. A win in that game would propel them into the semifinals against either No. 3 seed California or No. 6 seed San Jose State on Saturday. The championship game will be held Sunday, and the winner will get an automatic bid to the NCAA championships.

Vavic made clear that his team did not execute its game plan against Stanford, as the Trojans squandered many opportunities to put the Cardinal away. Vavic told his players that they were neither outcoached nor bested by a more talented squad — they were just unfocused and unprepared for Stanford’s intensity.

“Our overall focus on the game was bad,” Craig said. “We need to be better on transition defense. Offensively, we need to finish opportunities when we create them. They came out with more intensity this time because they wanted to impress their fans on their Senior Day.”

Although the Cardinal and Women of Troy draw much of the attention in the MPSF tournament, there are other teams hungry to knock off these two behemoths. The No. 13 Aztecs competed with USC in March but fell 9-4; the Women of Troy outscored Cal 17-9 in two matches and San Jose State 13-6 in February but couldn’t blow either team out.

“We can’t overlook anyone — Cal, Hawai’i, UCLA,” Craig said. “When it comes down to it, it’s anyone’s games. Teams have nothing to lose, so they go for it.”