Women of Troy hit the road for two tough games

It’s been smooth sailing for the USC women’s water polo team for the last couple of weeks, but the squad will face two big challenges this week as it looks to stay undefeated against No. 11 Loyola Marymount (15-7) today and No. 7 UC Irvine (15-7) on Saturday.

The Women of Troy have faced big challenges this year in the form of grueling doubleheaders and highly ranked opponents, but this two-game set at the end of the week presents a different kind of challenge.

“With two games so close together, we get one less morning workout,” USC head coach Jovan Vavic said. “With less hours in the water, it changes how much you can do for preparation.”

Though the team will have its endurance tested, there is no reason to believe the lack of rest will slow down the USC offensive attack. The Women of Troy have failed to score 10 goals in a game only twice this season, and in each of those games they scored nine.

Though sophomore driver Monica Vavic is the undisputed scoring leader with 54 goals, this is an offense that features all types of weapons and one that can score in many different ways. Whether they cut past defenders to find an open position to shoot or use the entire shot clock while passing the ball around the perimeter, this USC offense can adapt to situations and exploit any defense they encounter. This can be seen in the team’s gaudy goal differential in third quarters this season, as USC has outscored opponents 84-19 immediately after halftime.

“We’re very balanced offensively,” Jovan Vavic said. “All of our players can do more than one thing. To put it in basketball terms, we have players like Magic Johnson or LeBron James: they are very good both at outside shooting and driving the ball.”

Against the Lions of LMU, the Women of Troy will have to be at the top of their offensive game, as LMU has won its last six games, giving up a stingy average of only 4.1 goals per game. Granted, five of those games were against unranked opponents, but their last victory on March 23 came against No. 12 Princeton, gritting out a hard-fought 7-5 victory.

USC must be as good defensively as they are offensively during this week’s contests. Along with strong defensive pressure and the occasional field block — which have been becoming more frequent during the last few games — the Women of Troy will be counting on strong outings from junior goalie Flora Bolonyai.

A member of the fourth-place-finishing Hungarian national team in last year’s London Olympic games, Bolonyai has been stellar in the net for USC this season, saving 130 shots on goal and allowing only 4.9 goals allowed per game. For a team that’s offense scores an average of 16 goals per game, Bolonyai has done more than enough for her team to win games.

“In my opinion, Flora is the best goalie in the NCAA,” Jovan Vavic said. “She is very intelligent, studies the game and has developed each year. With her in the goal, we have been able to do more things defensively.”

Three USC players will continue their quest for 100 career goals, as Monica Vavic (93 goals), junior two-meter Kaleigh Gilchrist (90 goals) and senior driver Dominique Sardo (83 goals) are on the cusp of reaching the milestone. Gilchrist and Sardo, however, bring much more to the table than their offensive abilities. They also lead the undefeated team as co-captains.

“[Gilchrist and Sardo] are a big reason why we are undefeated,” Jovan Vavic said. “Dominique was part of our championship team [in 2010], and she understands what it takes to lead the team in the right way.”

With just four games remaining until the MPSF Championships in Berkeley, Calif., the Women of Troy need only to maintain the top form that they’ve been in since the season began.  Three of the team’s final four games are on the road, which means the players must be that much more focused against potentially hostile crowds.

With a strong leadership core in place and talented players who dominate both sides of the ball, there is more than good reason to believe this team will come out of the weekend still unbeaten and still hungry to make a run at the NCAA championship. USC will take on LMU in Westchester today at 4 p.m. and will face the UCI in Irvine on Saturday at 1 p.m.