USC looks to stay hot against Anteaters


By
 in ,

Coming off an uneven effort against No. 7 Loyola Marymount, the No. 2 USC women’s water polo team will visit No. 11 UC Irvine for a non-conference matchup.

Despite the decisive 9-2 victory last weekend, the Women of Troy (5-1, 0-0) struggled in the first half, only leading 3-2 before the break.

The Anteaters (5-3, 0-0) — like most opponents the team will face — are underdogs in this matchup, which is not to say that won’t pose a challenge to the Women of Troy.

The Women of Troy hold a 13-6 all-time record against their former Mountain Sports Pacific Conference rivals. The Anteaters feature senior Kat Plummer, who earned the Big West Player of the Week honors for her five goals in the teams last two games. The Anteaters are a well balanced team led by Caitlin Haskell on offense who has 13 goals on the season, while featuring a duo of goalies that have helped the Anteaters to a winning record.

Standout USC goalkeeper senior Tumua Anae reflected on the team’s sluggish start against LMU and how she and her teammates plan to prepare for this game.

“Against LMU, we didn’t have the proper mind-set and focus,” Anae said. “On Saturday, from the moment we wake up until the game ends, we need to focus.”

Anae also stressed the pregame stretch and meeting as times to block out any extraneous thoughts.

While on paper the Women of Troy are heavily favored to win the game, they know better than to assume victory. For most teams that have won games as convincingly as they have, it is natural to become complacent.

“It’s easy to get excited for big [conference] games, but this game gives us an opportunity to focus on remembering our goal of winning a national championship,” Anae said.

As the offense remains potent, the Women of Troy will turn their focus toward improving their defensive effort against the Anteaters.

Better shot selection will also help them avoid another lackluster start. This game offers the team a glimpse at the venue of next weekend’s UC Irvine Invitational — the biggest tournament remaining before the postseason. The team hopes to continue its winning ways before facing one of its toughest challenges this season.