Feb. 24, 2007

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. -- The No. 3 USC women's water polo team forced its way into the semifinals of the UC Irvine Invitational with a decisive 15-2 win over No. 10 UC Davis in the quarterfinals on Saturday at Corona del Mar High School. The Trojans (8-2) have earned a place in Sunday's 11:45 a.m. semifinal against No. 2 Stanford at UC Irvine.

USC has split games with the Cardinal so far this season, with Stanford claiming a 10-8 overtime win at home to even the 2007 series between the two squads last week. USC posted an 8-6 win over the Cardinal at the Stanford Invitational earlier this year.

Against UC Davis on Saturday, the Women of Troy incorporated a stiff defense with another balanced scoring attack to top the Aggies, who had edged No. 7 LMU in their opening game at the tournament. USC had 11 different players score in the game - breaking a season-high mark set that same morning with 10 scorers against Long Beach State - while the Trojan defense shut down the Aggies throughout the entire second half of play. USC's scoring onslaught was led by junior Veronika Bartunkova for her second multiple-goal game of the year. Alexandra Kiss and Brittany Hayes were next with a pair apiece, while Kami Craig, Kally Lucas, Erika Figge, Forel Davies, Marina Mayer, Patty Cardenas, Jordan Anae and Carolyn Conway each pumped in a goal as well.

UC Davis's Cassie Mota and Jessica Soza managed goals against USC in the first two periods, respectively. Meanwhile, USC flexed its scoring muscle early, taking a 4-1 lead before extending it to a 9-2 halftime lead thanks to five goals in the second period of play.

USC made sure to finish out the game strong on both ends of the pool, generating four goals in the final frame. USC goalie Whitney Morgan picked up eight saves in the game, helping to shut out the Aggies in the third and fourth periods to help punch the Trojans' ticket into the semifinals.

No. 3 USC 15, No. 10 UC Davis 2
UCD 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 -- 2
USC 4 - 5 - 2 - 4 -- 15

SCORING:
UCD - Cassie Mota, Jessica Soza.
USC - Veronika Bartunkova 3, Alexandra Kiss 2, Brittany Hayes 2, Kami Craig, Kally Lucas, Erika Figge, Forel Davies, Marina Mayer, Patty Cardenas, Jordan Anae, Carolyn Conway.

SAVES: Amber Korner (UCD) 8, Whitney Morgan (USC) 8.