No. 15 Indiana water polo faced off against reigning 2021 national champions No. 3 University of Southern California in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference match-up Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles. The Hoosiers couldn’t compete with the Trojans, losing 16-3.
The Hoosiers entered the game 0-1 in conference play and 10-9 overall, riding a hot streak after going 5-2 in their last seven games.
USC was far from gun-shy on the offensive end, scoring 10 or more goals in 12 of its last 13 games. That offense continued to thrive as less than four minutes into the game USC stifled Indiana with four quick goals for an early lead.
The Hoosiers would eventually get on the board with a goal from freshman center Sophia Sollie, but the Trojans scored two more goals before the conclusion of the first quarter. They led going into the second quarter, 6-1.
Indiana trailed 7-1 in the second quarter before Indiana freshman attacker Skylar Kidd knocked in a goal, slightly closing the margin at 7-2.
But it wasn’t enough as the Trojans found the back of the net twice more before halftime, and the Hoosiers trailed 9-2 going into the break.
The third quarter was all Trojans as they outscored the Hoosiers 4-0 in the third quarter, extending their lead to 13-2. The Hoosiers became frustrated on the sideline and head coach Taylor Dodson was issued a yellow card with 2:03 left in the third quarter. The yellow card served as a warning to the bench, including the coach, prior to a red card which would result in an ejection.
USC refused to stop in the fourth quarter and scored three more goals to go up 16-2. Indiana's Leading scorer, senior center Izzy Mandemas scored the last goal of the day, but it was too late to influence the final result.
Indiana lost 16-3 in its largest goal differential of the season Mandema’s goal brought her to 44 total goals on the season, and she leads Indiana in goals and total points.
Between Indiana’s second and third goals, USC scored 11 unanswered goals.
The Trojans were led by senior driver Grace Tehaney and senior utility Bayley Weber, who both scored four goals. Five different players scored at least two goals against the Hoosiers.
With the loss, Indiana falls to 0-2 in conference play and 10-10 overall. Indiana will look to bounce back against No. 7 Michigan at 11 a.m. March 19 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The matchup will be the second of the season between the two teams, as the Wolverines were victorious in the last meeting at the Kalbus Invite, winning 8-6.
