Michigan Drops Doubleheader Against No. 2 USC, No. 11 UC San Diego at Aztec Invite

Saturday, March 15

San Diego, Calif.

1:30 PM PT

Michigan

8-6

USC

21-1

Southern California

Michigan

Tilly Waugh (Michigan Photography)

Michigan Drops Doubleheader Against No. 2 USC, No. 11 UC San Diego at Aztec Invite

3/15/2025 11:50:00 PM | Water Polo

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 PDF Boxscore (USC)PDF Boxscore (UC San Diego)

By: Sydney Miller

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan water polo took on a pair of ranked teams on Saturday (March 15) at the Aztec Invitational. First, they suffered an 18-7 setback against No. 2 USC at the Aztec Aquaplex in San Diego before falling 13-12 to No. 11 UC San Diego at the Canyonview Aquatic Center.

Emma Gustafsson led the Wolverines in the opener with a hat trick, while Ari Karampetsou added two goals. In the second game, Tilly Waugh paced the offense with four goals and two assists.

USC (21-1) jumped off to a quick start, building a 3-0 lead in the opening minutes. Michigan (8-7) tightened up defensively and broke through before the end of the period when Issy Jackson found the back of the net with 14 seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

The Maize and Blue found its offensive rhythm in the second frame, with Karampetsou converting a penalty shot to bring Michigan within one, 3-2. However, the Trojans responded with a four-goal surge to extend their lead to 7-2. Despite goals from Gustafsson and Karampetsou, USC carried a commanding 12-5 lead into halftime.

The Trojans' defense locked down in the third, holding Michigan scoreless through the period. USC added three more goals to push its lead to 15-5 entering the final frame.

Michigan kept fighting in the final eight minutes. Gustafsson notched her third goal of the game, and Waugh closed out scoring for U-M with a strike at 0:54.

In game two, U-M came out firing, quickly asserting control of the game with a 3-0 lead over UC San Diego (13-11). Karampetsou opened the scoring just over a minute in, followed by a power-play goal from Gustafsson. Waugh then added another strike, forcing an early UCSD timeout. The Tritons responded with a goal, but Waugh's second goal of the quarter helped Michigan take a 4-2 advantage.

The Wolverines kept their momentum early in the second frame, with Emilia Mladjan and Waugh scoring to extend the lead to 6-4. However, UC San Diego's offense came alive. The Maize and Blue continued to capitalize on special teams, with Karampetsou and Brooke Ingram converting power-play chances to keep the Wolverines ahead 8-5. The Tritons managed a late push, closing the gap to 8-6 heading into halftime.

After the break, the Tritons flipped the script, outsourcing Michigan in the third period. Midway through the quarter, the UCSD tied the game at eight apiece. U-M briefly regained momentum on Karampetsou's penalty shot, but UC San Diego closed strong with two late goals to take an 11-10 lead.

UC San Diego extended its lead to 13-10 with back-to-back goals, but Waugh found the back of the net with under two minutes to play, followed by a clutch goal from Gustafsson in the final minute to bring Michigan within one. The Wolverines had one final possession but could not find the equalizer before the buzzer sounded and the Tritons walked away the victory.

Michigan will finish up at the Aztec Invitational on Sunday (March 16) when it takes on No. 8 Harvard at 9 a.m. PT at the Aztec Aquaplex.