USC finishes third at Stanford Invite


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Sophomore two-meter Kaleigh Gilchrist scored five goals to lead the Women of Troy in two convincing wins in the final day of the Stanford Invitational on Sunday, as the squad claimed third place in the tournament to start their season.

USC concluded the weekend with a 10-5 win over No. 2 Cal to clinch the third-place game, just hours after routing No. 14 UC-Davis 13-6.

Opening weekend · The No. 3 Women of Troy kicked off their season with a third place victory at the Stanford Invitational this weekend. Sophomore Kaleigh Gilchrist led the young squad with five goals. - Courtesy of USC Sports Information

The Women of Troy dominated a pivotal second quarter against Cal, outscoring the Golden Bears 4-1 to take a 6-2 lead into the locker room at halftime.

They continued that pace in the third period to take an 8-3 lead, having held the Golden Bears to one goal in each of the first three periods.

Gilchrist recorded a hat trick against Cal, and freshman driver Monica Vavic scored two goals. Sophomore goalie Flora Bolonyai held steady between the posts, racking up seven saves.

UC Davis hung close with the USC for the first half of Sunday’s opening match, staying within 6-4 at halftime.

But USC woke up in the third quarter, outscoring UC Davis 4-1. The Women of Troy added three more goals in the fourth period for a final score of 13-6.

Gilchrist, Vavic and juniors two-meter Patricia Jancso and driver Chelsea Silvers scored two goals apiece to lead USC’s balanced attack.

Bolonyai recorded three saves before giving way to senior goalie Morgan Vickers halfway through the fourth quarter.

USC went 3-1 overall in the tournament, beating No. 5 San Jose State 14-6 before narrowly falling to No. 1 Stanford 8-7 on the first day of play.

San Jose State and the Women of Troy were tied 3-3 after the first period, but USC exploded for 10 goals in the next two quarters to pull away from the Spartans.

The Women of Troy spread the wealth around in their first official game of the 2012 season, as 10 different players scored against San Jose State. Three freshman — Vavic, 2-meter Eike Daube and driver Savannah Fletcher — scored their first career goals.

In Saturday’s nightcap, USC took its first loss of the season against No. 1 Stanford after falling behind 5-1 by halftime.

The young squad, which has three seniors on its roster, fought back valiantly in the second half, but fell short against the top ranked Cardinal in its home pool.