Photos by Marisa Padilla
Southern California
The Waves hosted USC on Saturday. The Trojans have won the last six WCC titles and continued to prove their strength through a six-goal lead in the second quarter.
“The game against USC was tough, no doubt … but it provides us with a learning experience,” junior redshirt Luke Hewko said. “We are a young team, and we have a lot to learn, and playing the best is the only way to get better.”
Redshirt senior attacker Jake Schrimpf led the team with three goals, followed by freshman attacker Kenneth Keller and junior attacker Wesley Sherburne. Freshman goalie Zack Rhodes finished the game with eight saves.
According to Hewko, the team went into the game with a timid mindset because of the prestige and history of the USC program.
“I think we took away that defense is important, and we really need to focus on it because that will help us win games against the good teams,” Hewko said. “Offense will help us win against weaker teams, but defense is what is going to help us win against the big dogs.”
Despite a crushing loss, the team turned around and prepared to stomp on the Claremont Mudd-Scripps Stags.
Claremont Mudd-Scripps
The team kicked off the game with a strong start, scoring four goals in the first five minutes which led to a 13-6 victory over the Stags. Hewko scored two goals at the 1:50 mark of the first quarter and walked away with five goals.
“We came out with fire early and that helped us propel the rest of the game,” Hewko said.
Redshirt senior attacker Thomas Patten, freshman attacker Justin Cowan and Schrimpf each followed with two goals and Rhodes finished the game with 10 saves.
According to Hewko, this year’s team is “completely revamped” with younger talent, players coming off of redshirts and many freshmen that have led to a new dynamic of the team.
“I think we got better as a team, and we look forward to playing more games and just having the best season possible,” Hewko said.
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Follow Marissa Yoshizawa on Twitter: @MarissaYosh
