STANFORD, Calif. – Aria Fischer had two goals and No. 1 Stanford was within one midway through the third quarter, but No. 2 USC scored three unanswered to pull away and beat the Cardinal 8-5 at Avery Aquatic Center on Friday night.
The Trojans (18-1, 3-0 MPSF) scored the game's first three goals and raced out to a 4-1 lead before Stanford (14-1, 1-2 MPSF) started to surge back. The Cardinal's sixth power play resulted in its second goal late in the second quarter on a skip shot to the near post from Kat Klass to make it 4-2. USC was whistled for a common foul early in the third and with three seconds on the shot clock Makenzie Fischer fired off a shot from beyond five meters on the restart to pull the Cardinal within a goal.
Hayley McKelvey answered right back for USC on its next trip down the pool to end a more than 13-minute scoreless drought for the Trojans and Aria Fischer rattled the cage on Stanford's ensuing possession to make it 5-4 with 6:27 on the clock in the third.
The Cardinal would go cold down the stretch, unable to find a goal until Fischer fired one in with just 12 seconds left and the game already in hand for USC.
Stanford earned 11 exclusions, but converted just two of its power play opportunities while USC was 3-for-7 in the 6-on-5.
Klass was kicked out with the clock winding down in the third period and USC called a 30-second timeout to set up a play which resulted in a goal from Brianna Daboub with four seconds on the clock.
Paige Hauschild used a skip shot to go far post and scored with 7:06 left in the fourth and at 6:15 she launched from six meters and ricocheted her shot off the near post and to the back of the cage to push USC's lead to 8-4.
Both Hauschild and McKelvey and hat tricks for the Trojans.
Stanford's first goal came from Katie Dudley midway through the first quarter in the 6-on-5. Makenzie Fischer's attempt pounded the crossbar, but Dudley was there to collect the rebound and put her shot past Amanda Longan at 3:34.
Longan had 17 saves for USC and Julia Hermann seven for the Cardinal.
Stanford returns to the pool on Sunday, April 15 at 2 p.m. when it hosts No. 6 Arizona State on Pac-12 Networks.
No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 USC
April 13, 2018 • Stanford, Calif.
USC 4 – 0 – 2 – 2 = 8
STAN 1 – 1 – 2 – 1 = 5
USC Goals: Paige Hauschild 3, Hayley McKelvey 3, Brianna Daboub, Denise Mammolito
USC Saves: Amanda Longan 16
Stanford Goals: Aria Fischer 2, Katie Dudley, Makenzie Fischer, Kat Klass
Stanford Saves: Julia Hermann 7
