USC prepares for home opener vs UC Irvine


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The Trojans started the season with eight straight wins after winning the Triton Invitational last weekend beating UCLA in the final. (Eli Masket | Daily Trojan file photo)

After winning eight straight matches in two tournaments combined, No. 2 USC will play its home opener against No. 6 UC Irvine (7-5) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center Saturday. 

During USC’s 8-0 start, the Trojans have outscored their opponents 123-43. Redshirt senior utility Bayley Weber scored a team-leading 16 goals in that span. The three-time All-American is 14th all-time in goals scored with USC. 

“At the end of the day, it’s not [about] who has the most goals,” Weber said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “I was the last one to take the shot, whereas a lot of other people did the dirty work to get me there.”

Redshirt senior drivers Paige Hauschild (10th) and Grace Tehaney (21st) are also ranked high on the all-time scoring list. Hauschild and Tehaney both have 11 goals so far this season. 

USC is led by Head Coach Marko Pintaric, a 15-time NCAA Champion since he started coaching USC in 2001. 

Pintaric and the Trojans have already faced the Anteaters twice this season, once in a scrimmage and again in a 15-8 Trojan victory Feb. 4. In the team’s most recent game against UCI, Tehaney led all players with four goals, and Weber and Hauschild tacked on three more each.

Defensively, senior goalie Carolyne Stern holds down the cage for the Trojans. After averaging 7.4 saves last season, Stern averages 11.3 saves per game this season. 

“We’ve been working on different defensive skills for the players up top to … basically funnel the ball to me,” Stern said. “They’ve done a really good job in helping me out to make those easy blocks.”

Stern will face a UCI team that averages 13.8 goals per game. Redshirt sophomore attacker Elena Flynn leads the Anteaters with 26 goals, while sophomore center Nioka Thomas has scored on 24 of her 29 shots. However, the two managed just one goal combined against the Trojans in their last matchup.

“They’re definitely someone we look forward to playing,” Stern said. “We’ve been really emphasizing our defense the past couple [of] weeks, and I think we’ll pull through this weekend.”

On defense, the Anteaters allowed an average of 8.7 goals per game. Fifth-year goalie Erin Tharp got the lion’s share of time in the cage and has 24 saves on the season. 

Before playing for UCI this year, Tharp played four years with USC and won a championship in 2021 with the Trojans. Against her former team, Tharp did not have a single save and surrendered 15 goals against USC on Feb. 4.  

“It’s going to start on our defense, for sure,” Weber said. “Making sure that we get good stops that will lead into our fast breaks … [We need to be] making sure to finish on high-percentage opportunities.” 

UCI Head Coach Dan Klatt has a 338-173 (.661) record, including a 40-7 all-time record in the Big West Conference.

The Anteaters have an overall record of 7-5 with a 3-5 record against ranked opponents. Against unranked opponents this season, UCI averages 20.75 goals per game. The Anteaters only manage an average of 10.25 goals per game against ranked teams.

The No. 2 Trojans will face the No. 6 Anteaters at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center at 1 p.m. on Saturday. After then, the Trojans will be on the road until March 25 when they play Indiana.