USA Weekly: The best in the Big West primed for vital clash

Welcome to the USA Weekly, your reliable source of news for all the latest updates from the women’s water polo scene in America.

As we enter the crucial month of April, collegiate teams across the United States are fully immersed in the thick of competition. With the end of this month fast approaching, anticipation is building as the four major Conferences prepare to announce their winners, and crucially, their representatives for the NCAA finals. However, with a significant amount of water polo yet to be played, the path to success remains uncertain. Here is the rundown.

Last week at a glance…

The Uytengsu Aquatics Centre hosted the standout game of the week, as USC put in a commanding performance to defeat Stanford 17-12. The Trojans produced a stunning fourth quarter display to clinch the win, with Bayley Weber leading the way with four goals. Tilly Kearns and Grace Tehaney each added hat-tricks to USC’s impressive tally, while the defeat ended a remarkable 27-game winning run for Stanford, stretching back to last season.

Second defeats first; USC stun Stanford

Elsewhere, UCLA eased past Arizona State 17-10, with Ava Johnson and Taylor Smith both contributing hat-tricks for the Bruins. Meanwhile, San Jose State were no match for California, who ran out comfortable 9-4 winners thanks to hat-tricks from Ruby Swadling and Lily Turner. UCLA and Cal meet this weekend in a vital MPSF clash.

In the Big West Conference, San Diego pulled off a shock victory over UC Davis, with Caroline Christl netting an incredible five goals in a thrilling 10-9 win. After falling behind 3-1 early on, San Diego rallied to take the lead heading into the final quarter, and held on for a hard-fought win.

Continuing with Big West, UC Irvine continued their unbeaten start to the season with a resounding 19-8 win over CSUN, extending the Anteaters’ winning streak to seven games ahead of their huge clash with Hawaii this weekend. Europeans Elise Portillo (4 goals), Martina Cardona (3 goals), and Anne de Kleer (3 goals) all played a big part in the emphatic victory. Michigan edged past Indiana 9-8 thanks to a hat-trick from Hungarian star Kata Utassy and a crucial penalty save from goalkeeper Alex Brown.

Key battles this weekend

There are two exciting games taking place on Saturday. Firstly in the MPSF, Adam Wright’s Bruins host the Cal Bears in one of collegiate play’s most exciting match-ups. Neither side has been in the best of form yet, but a win in this game could be the confidence boost that both teams need ahead of the final MPSF weekend in San Jose on April 28th. At the same time, the two unbeaten teams in the Big West, Irvine and Hawaii face off in Honolulu, with the winner almost certain to finish ranked first heading into the championship play-offs. 

This weekend’s top-picks

Thursday 13th April

USC vs LMU

Saturday 15th April

San Jose vs Indiana 

UC Davis vs Long Beach

Hawaii vs UC Irvine

Michigan vs Princeton

Concordia vs LMU

Conference Standings

MPSF

1. USC – 4 games – 4 wins
2. Stanford – 3 – 1
3. UCLA – 3 – 1
4. California – 3 – 1
5. Indiana – 5 – 1
6. San Jose – 3 – 0
7. Arizona State – 4 – 0

Big West

1. Hawaii – 5 games – 5 wins
2. UC Irvine – 5 – 5
3. Long Beach State – 5 – 4
4. UC Davis – 5 – 3
5. UC San Diego – 5 – 2
6. UC Santa Barbara – 5 – 1
7. CSUN – 5 – 0
8. Cal State Fullerton  – 5 – 0

Golden Coast Conference

1. Fresno State – 6 games – 6 wins
2. LMU – 5 – 4
3. Pacific – 5 – 3
4. Concordia – 5 – 3
5. San Diego State – 5 – 3
6. Azusa Pacific – 5 – 2
7. Santa Clara – 5 – 0
8. Cal Baptist – 6- 0

CWPA

1. Princeton –  7 games – 7 wins
2. Michigan – 7 – 6
3. Havard – 6 – 3
4. Brown – 6 – 2
5. Saint Francis – 7 – 2
6. Bucknell – 7 – 0

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