University Southern California Trojans
USC Lights Up The Coliseum For Clash With UCLA
October 19, 2010 | Women's Soccer
Oct. 19, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
THIS WEEK
The USC women's soccer has high hopes for this Friday's crosstown showdown. The Women of Troy aim to haul a record-breaking crowd into the Los Angeles Coliseum for the hottest ticket on the USC schedule this season --- the Pac-10 rivalry match with UCLA. The No. 23 Trojans (8-4-3, 1-2-1 Pac-10) and the No. 19 Bruins (9-5-1, 2-2) will go head-to-head under the lights of the Coliseum in a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday (Oct. 22) in a key conference clash. The last time USC and UCLA squared off at the Coliseum, a crowd of 7, 804 joined the fun. That total ranks No. 2 in the NCAA record books, and the Trojans look to beat that count and set a new record at Friday's game. Admission is free for USC students, and as low as $3 for fans. The first 2,500 fans will receive a free commemorative scarf.
FOLLOW ALONG
If you can't make it to the Coliseum for Friday's crosstown showdown action between USC and UCLA, there will be live streaming video of the game available through SCTV at usctrojans.com, as well as live stats available online. Click the Gametracker link on the USC soccer schedule page at usctrojans.com for live stats. Click the Watch link to access live video of Friday's match.
RANKINGS
USC opened 2010 as the nation's No. 19 ranked team in the NSCAA preseason poll and No. 20 in the Soccer America preseason poll. With their opening loss, however, the Trojans slipped out of the rankings, but they moved back up in the rankings on Sept. 13. USC now weighs in at No. 23 Soccer Times and sits at No. 22 in the TopDrawer rankings this week, while receiving votes in the NSCAA poll. UCLA is No. 19 in the Soccer Times poll and is No. 20 according to NSCAA, No. 20 according to Soccer America and No. 24 in TopDrawer's rankings.
SCOUTING UCLA
The Bruins are 9-5-1 overall and 2-2 in Pac-10 play after a split road trip through Oregon last week, beating Oregon 3-1 and then losing 3-0 to Oregon State. Sydney Leroux leads UCLA in scoring with nine goals, and goalkeeper Chante Sandiford has 38 saves and 14 goals against in 15 appearances. Jillian Ellis is in her 12th season as head coach of the Bruins, who went 21-3-1 overall last season, finishing second in the Pac-10 at 8-1 and going on to reach the NCAA semifinals. USC is 3-19-1 all-time against UCLA, taking one-goal losses in the past three meetings. USC's most recent win over the Bruins is arguably the Trojans' biggest of all, as USC upset UCLA 2-1 in the NCAA semifinals in 2007 on the way to winning the national championship and becoming the only Pac-10 team to win the NCAA title. When the teams last met in the Coliseum, UCLA notched a 2-1 win in the teams' 2008 Pac-10 face-off. The Bruins also beat the Trojans 1-0 in the 2008 NCAA Third Round and 2-1 in 2009 during Pac-10 play.
LAST WEEK
USC wound up in a frustrating trip through Oregon last week, coming up short against Oregon State with a 1-0 loss before having to battle for a tie at Oregon. Knotted up in a scoreless tie against the Beavers, USC faltered only in the 83rd minute when OSU top scorer Chelsea Buckland finished off a cross into the box. The Beavers' late goal would stand up, leaving USC with the road loss. Two days later, USC visited Oregon and again saw the opponent's leading scorer get to the back of the net to boost the home team. This one came earlier, as the Ducks' Jen Stoltenberg broke loose and scored in the 81st minute. It would take a late penalty kick converted by USC's Ashli Sandoval to get the Trojans back in the game, although the teams would remain locked up through overtime to leave the match as a draw.
BREAK THE RECORD
Be a part of a history-making crowd on October 22 for USC's crosstown showdown against UCLA a the Los Angeles Coliseum! The match against the Bruins will be Break the Record Night at the Coliseum, as we seek to bring a record-breaking crowd to watch the USC-UCLA clash. Two years ago, a record crowd of 7,804 fans showed up at the Coliseum for the 2008 women's soccer crosstown showdown, marking the largest attendance ever at a USC-UCLA women's soccer match and the second largest crowd in the nation for a non-NCAA Tournament women's soccer game. That 2008 total even beat the crowd that saw USC's 2-1 victory over UCLA in College Station, Texas, at the 2007 NCAA semifinal, and obliterated the previous USC record for attendance at a soccer game. The national attendance record for a non-NCAA Tournament women's soccer game stands at 8,204, so get ready to come out and get loud at the Coliseum for a bigtime Pac-10 matchup! There will be prizes and giveaways throughout this Friday's USC-UCLA match, so make sure you come to the Coliseum on October 22 to help us make history!
SPREAD OFFENSE
USC is not making it easy for opponents to key in on a specific scoring threat on the front lines this season. In USC's eight wins to date, seven different Trojans have provided the game-winning goal, with Ashli Sandoval holding a pair after her OT winner vs. Cal. A whopping 11 different players have scored so far, and no one had more than three goals total until Elizabeth Eddy busted ahead of the pack with a hat trick against Cal on Oct. 10. Her fellow freshmen Haley Boysen, Autumn Altamirano and Mia Bruno have combined for seven goals to add to USC's scoring load. Eddy's five goals and three assists were all tallied within a span of five games.
SANDOVAL STRIKES BACK
In her first game action in almost a year since suffering a torn ACL last season, redshirt junior midfielder Ashli Sandoval scored in back-to-back games upon returning to the field during USC's road trip through Texas. Sandoval came through with the game-winner at TCU in her 2010 debut, and against Texas, she provided heroics once again in scoring the equalizer in the 87th minute to lock up the Longhorns 1-1. She sustained an ankle injury following the game-tying strike, however, and was sidelined for USC's next two games in Fullerton, Calif. The midfielder returned to game action on Sept. 10 vs. Auburn, and has seen limited time since then after reaggravating her ankle, but played again on Sept. 26 at Eastern Washington. With an assist, a game-winner and a game-tying goal since, Sandoval made some more movement in the USC record books, as she is close to cracking the top-10 in career points (Sandoval now holds 46), and also now boasts 22 career assists to sit three away from No. 3 all-time.
FRESH START
Five freshmen started USC's first game of the year, and it's been a similar story ever since. Elizabeth Eddy has started all 11 games to date, and freshman goalkeeper Shelby Church also has locked into goal for every game. All told, six freshmen have appeared in the starting lineup, including redshirt freshman Morgan Morrow's starting debut on Sept. 3 after being sidelined last year with a knee injury. Morrow has set up shop in the back to replace injured junior defender Chelsea Buehning, who tore her ACL in USC's 2010 season opener.
CHAMPIONSHIP CORE
Four players remain from the Trojans' 2007 NCAA Championship team, providing an anchor of talent and experience around which Khosroshahin has built a powerhouse of potential for the season to come. In breaking down the 2010 Trojan roster, there is a clear balance of power. Seniors Alyssa Dávila, Megan Ohai and Karter Haug offer up winning experience from front to back, with star midfielder Ashli Sandoval returning as a redshirt junior after being sidelined last year by knee injury. Together, the foursome boasts a national championship as well as a wealth of experience to anchor this year's lineup. Dávila and Ohai headline the front lines, with Sandoval shining in the middle and Haug in command of the defense. Already, the group has produced for the Women of Troy. Dávila just notched her 12th career game-winning goal to stand at No. 2 all-time at USC; Sandoval scored in her first two games back on the turf and ranks No. 4 all-time with 22 career assists; Ohai has a hold on No. 9 all-time in career goals (15) and is No. 6 in career game-winning goals (7) after her winner vs. Purdue; and Haug has served up two assists and scored one goal so far.
CHURCH'S STATEMENT
After getting her first career shutout under her belt with a 1-0 win at TCU on August 27, USC's freshman goalkeeper Shelby Church delivered another powerful statement in the very next game. Faced with a penalty kick that threatened to put USC down two goals in the first half at Texas, Church made a clutch save against the PK to keep the Trojans within reach, and USC would equalize late in the game. Church also helped secure a run of three straight shutouts for the Trojan defense, and she currently holds four shutouts, 56 saves and 15 goals against to kick off her career as a Trojan.
STREAK TALK
USC held a six-game win streak and was undefeated in nine straight games after a winning weekend trip through Washington. Forced to come from behind in both road matches, the Trojans were up to the task. USC trailed host Gonzaga 1-0 at halftime before equalizing in the 69th minute with a goal from Elizabeth Eddy. In overtime, Eddy set up the winner for Autumn Altamirano, who headed in her goal in the 96th minute to get USC the 2-1 OT victory. In Eastern Washington for the first time, USC saw the Eagles score after just a minute and a half of play, but the Trojans turned around and scored twice within 10 minutes to set off on a path toward an eventual 5-1 win. Courtney Garcia had the equalizer, and would go on to make it a two-goal game in scoring USC's fifth goal during the 88th minute. It's the first two-goal game for the sophomore. Also scoring in the big win were Samantha Johnson -- who got the game-winner in the 12th minute -- along with Haley Boysen and Karter Haug.
FINDING THEIR FEET
USC's freshman class has been an integral part of the Trojan lineup in the early goings of the season, and now that group officially has made its mark on the stat sheets. During USC's Trojan Invitational, Haley Boysen became the first freshman to score a goal this season with her overtime game-winner against Auburn. She would also pick up the first freshman assists during the weekend as well, including help on her fellow freshman Mia Bruno's first career goal as a Trojan in USC's win over NAU. In USC's 4-1 win over Oklahoma, two new freshmen joined the scoring ranks with Autumn Altamirano and Elizabeth Eddy both notching a goal and an assist.
YEAR TEN
USC head coach Ali Khosroshahin is in his 10th season of collegiate head coaching. It's a milestone that he admits came faster than he expected, but there's no doubt that he has squeezed a lot of shining moments into his first decade. In his three seasons at the helm of the Women of Troy, he's continued his streak of NCAA appearances (2005 and 2006 at Cal State Fullerton; 2007-present at USC) and picked up a national championship along the way. Khosroshahin and the Trojans won the 2007 NCAA title in his first season at Troy, making USC the first Pac-10 school to ever win a women's soccer national championship. The 2007 National Coach of the Year, Khosroshahin totes a 48-14-7 (.746) overall record at USC and 124-54-13 (.683) career record into this final season of his first decade of collegiate coaching.
BACK ON THE ATTACK
Over half of USC's goals last season came from the feet of returning strikers Alyssa Dávila, Sam Johnson and Megan Ohai. Seniors Dávila and Ohai are already locked into the USC record books for career scoring totals, and the pair are poised to climb even higher this year. Now a sophomore, Johnson's firepower is no secret, but the strong forward is in even better position to pack a punch at the top for USC this year along with Dávila and Ohai. Including those two senior strikers and sophomore Johnson, the Trojans return all but one goal scorer from last year. Dávila led them all with nine goals, heading up a group of 10 players to get to the back of the net. Nine of those remain, hauling back a good 87 percent of the Trojan scoring load to the pitch for 2010.
LAST SEASON
>In 2009, USC made its fifth consecutive NCAA appearance in reaching the first round, falling in penalty kicks to Oklahoma State. The Trojans had pieced together a nine-game winning streak during the season, and finished Pac-10 play in fourth place with a 4-3-2 mark. Overall, the Women of Troy posted 12-6-3 record on the year and finished up ranked No. 24 in the final NSCAA national poll. Senior goalkeeper Kristin Olsen was a back-to-back Pac-10 Player of the Week last season, going on to be named a Hermann Trophy semifinalist and a NSCAA First Team All-American. Olsen also led a group of four USC All-Pac-10 honorees. Olsen was selected to the All-Pac-10 First Team, junior midfielder Alyssa Dávila picked up her first Pac-10 award with a spot on the Second Team; senior Meagan Holmes earned her third All-Pac-10 honor with an Honorable Mention pick and freshman Samantha Johnson was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team to open her Trojan playing career.
FAST FORWARDS
The wisdom and skill of USC's senior strikers Alyssa Dávila and Megan Ohai star in a younger lineup of forwards. Sophomore Samantha Johnson was a Pac-10 All-Freshman Team honoree last year, and she has a set of newcomers to follow in her footsteps. Strikers with youth national team experience, true freshmen Haley Boysen and Elizabeth Eddy offer a talented and speedy option for the front line, along with the addition of Isabelle Johnson in her first season as a Trojan.
CENTER STAGE
Fancy footwork will not be contained to USC's strikers on point, however. The Trojan midfield is as diverse in its abilities and as focused on crafting a potent attack as anyone else in the business. In fact, the USC central midfield is incredibly solid, thanks in large part to the return of Ashli Sandoval, an All-Pac-10 honoree who was sidelined by knee injury early last season. The savvy midfielder is eager to get back on the pitch to kickstart the Trojan gameplan and continue her climb in USC's record books. Entering this redshirt junior season, Sandoval has served up 21 career assists to rank No. 4 all-time at USC. While Sandoval was out of the mix last year, the midfield was controlled largely by Carly Butcher and Brittany Kerridge. Now juniors, that tandem boasts experience and reliability in their roles in the midfield. On the younger side of the Trojan midfield is a pair of freshmen who bring physicality and energy to USC's strategic center. Autumn Altamirano and Allie Harrison are both slated to see time onfield, with Harrison also a potential fit at center back as well.
WING SPEED
On the flanks of the USC midfield will be a couple familiar faces to go along with the new ones. Speedy wings abound on the outside, with junior Ashley Freyer holding veteran status. Her speed also makes her a potential fit on the back line, but with a knack for the attack, Freyer fits in well as an outside mid. Courtney Garcia scored some big goals for the Trojans last year as a true freshman, giving her some confidence to go along with added experience for her return to the roster. And you didn't see her on the pitch last season, but Morgan Morrow came back from knee injury in the spring and has blended in quickly and smoothly to USC's offensive onslaught as she enters her first season of action. Along with returner Lainie Ransom and walk-on Allison Dorr, USC has true freshman Elizabeth Eddy geared up to blaze a trail toward goal this season. Coming from a long line of Trojan alums, Eddy also brings a dose of experience with the U.S. Under-20 National Team.
BACK STORY
Inside and out, the USC defense has impressive balance. Along with senior Karter Haug's masterful ability to move wherever needed during her three seasons in the back, junior Claire Schloemer is again locked into the middle of the defense. Missing since tearing her ACL in USC's first game is junior Chelsea Buehning, whose booming left foot made her a staple on that side of the field. Most recently, and quite successfully, Morgan Morrow has made the move to the back to do duty on defense. Following the graduation of All-American defender Meagan Holmes, added stability comes from the new addition of Mia Bruno, an 18-under U.S. national team pool player, along with the possible insertion of her fellow freshman Allie Harrison or even the experienced Ashli Sandoval into the back line.
CAGE FIGHTERS
The question mark left on USC's roster had been lingering around the goalkeeping slot left open by the graduation of All-American Kristin Olsen and backup Brittany Massro. Khosroshahin considers the problem solved. The Trojan goalkeeping corps is back up to three, with Shelby Church holding the reins for the starting slot and Emily Miller and Anne Turner both standing tall as talented options between the pipes.
