USC enters MPSF Tournament as top seed


Senior driver Grace Tehaney looks to shoot during USC’s match against UCLA last Saturday.
Senior driver Grace Tehaney looks to shoot during USC’s match against UCLA last Saturday. Tehaney has 37 goals on the season — the fourth-most for the Trojans’ squad. (Eli Masket | Daily Trojan)

No. 1 USC will host this year’s MPSF tournament as the top-seeded squad, looking to close out a stellar 17-2 season with some hardware. The Trojans hold the only bye in the competition and will play the victor between No. 6 UC Berkeley and No. 9 Arizona State.

USC has led the national rankings for three consecutive weeks and is rolling off a seven-game win streak, including triumphs over No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 UCLA and two dubs against No. 4 Hawai’i. The 9-7 victory against the Bruins last week was hard-fought and just what the team needed heading into tournament play.

“Every victory against a top opponent counts towards the final selection seeding for any tournament, conference first and then NCAAs … Those wins are crucially important,” said Head Coach Marko Pintaric in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “Of course, [it’s important] for confidence for the team as well. [UCLA’s] a close rival and it’s a high-pressure game.”

Against UCLA, the offense was flowing. Seven different USC players scored, and the Trojans assisted on as many goals. Defensively, the team was aggressive as always, committing 13 exclusions and only allowing three goals off of them.

The star of the show was junior goalie Carolyne Stern, who won the MPSF Player of the Week honors for her eight-save game. Pintaric said he knows this is the perfect time for Stern to be peaking.

“I’m very happy that she stepped up and had a very good game,” Pintaric said. “She worked hard preparing for [the UCLA] game, and that hard work paid off.”

This weekend, USC will have Friday off as it watches the other six teams duke it out for a spot in the semifinals. Pintaric would rather not have a bye — he likes to “get a feel for the water” early on in tournaments — but he’s focused on scouting and preparing well.

“We will use that time wisely to have an extra practice and try to simulate the game. In the past, what I learned from being a player and a coach, you can overlook that because you’re so dedicated in a tournament to feel the water, feel the competition,” Pintaric said. “We’ll approach it with high caution, with good training, good practice.”

USC will take on either Cal or Arizona State at Uytengsu Aquatics Center Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Trojans handily defeated the Golden Bears 13-7 back in February and the Sun Devils 15-11 April 11. 

The USC defense was strong against Cal, holding the Bears to 7 of 26 shooting and stealing the ball 11 times. In Tempe, the Trojans spread the wealth offensively. Redshirt sophomore driver Alejandra Aznar enjoyed a hat trick, while five others chipped in a brace. 

Perhaps USC’s greatest strength is the plethora of attacking weapons, and anyone can go off at any time. 

Redshirt sophomore 2-meter Tilly Kearns has tallied 51 goals on the season, senior utility Bayley Weber has 47, redshirt junior driver and captain Paige Hauschild has scratched 38 times and senior driver Grace Tehaney has contributed 37.

Either matchup will likely favor the Trojans, and barring an upset from either No. 13 San Jose State University or No. 15 Indiana (whom USC both blew out of the water), the team will face Stanford or UCLA in the MPSF final. 

On top of the conference title, the tourney winner secures an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament next week.

“It’s one game at a time, always for us,” Pintaric said. “A national title is a big mountain to climb every year. It’s very hard to win it, and in our camp, we always approach it one game at a time. Once you’re in the game, it’s a completely different animal …  All our focus is on our next opponent, which is Cal or ASU.”

USC split the season series against both, 1-1, but have claimed victories in the recent weeks. It’s looking as ready as ever to battle either team.

The Trojans will first play Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and will either play either the third-place match on Sunday at 12:45 p.m. or the championship game at 2:30 p.m.