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Photo by: John McGillen
No. 6 USC Winds Up For Big Road Tests At Washington & WSU
October 17, 2017 | Women's Soccer, Features
The Trojans looking to stay unbeaten in Pac-12 play with a Thursday-Sunday swing through Washington.
THIS WEEK
The No. 6 Trojans (11-1-1, 5-0-1 Pac-12) head back out on the road this weekend, visiting Washington and Washington State in two big road tests. First, the Trojans visit Washington (9-4-2, 2-2-2) for a 5 p.m. match on Thursday (Oct. 19). Then the Trojans travel across the state to face Washington State (7-5-2, 2-4-0) at 12 p.m. on Sunday (Oct. 22).Â
TV TIME
Thursday's game will be televised live on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Washington with Rich Cellini and Mark Rogandino on the call. Sunday's game at WSU will be televised on Pac-12 Washington with Elise Woodward and Temryss Lane on the call. Both games will have live streams available for Pac-12 Network subscribers at pac-12.com/live and on the Pac-12 Now app.
SCOUTING WASHINGTON
The Huskies, who are currently receiving votes the national polls, are 9-4-2 overall and 2-2-2 in Pac-12 play after being narrowly defeated by No. 1 Stanford 1-0 in their lone game last week in Palo Alto. Forward Kimberly Keever leads UW with five goals on the season, while goalkeeper Sarah Shimer has allowed seven goals total and only two during conference play. USC is 13-8-2 all-time vs. the Huskies. In Seattle, the Trojans are  2-6 all-time, with the last win coming in 2007 when the Trojans won 2-1. Under the direction of Keidane McAlpine, the Trojans are 2-1 against the Huskies. The last time the Trojans played in Seattle was Oct. 4, 2010, when the Trojans fell 1-0.Â
SCOUTING WASHINGTON STATE
WSU is 7-5-2 overall and 2-4-0 in Pac-12 play after a 2-0 loss to No. 18 Cal last weekend in Berkeley. Forward Morgan Weaver leads the Cougar attack with six goals. In goal, Ella Dederick has played in all 14 games for the Cougars and has allowed 12 goals. The Trojans are 12-7-3 all-time against the Cougars. Against his previous team, McAlpine is now 3-0, including two 1-0 wins in 2014 and 2015. The Trojans are 3-5-1 all-time against the Cougars in Pullman.Â
LAST WEEK
The Trojans used two quick first half goals to stymie the visiting Colorado Buffaloes at McAlister Field last Friday (Oct. 13). USC got off to a quick start in the match, taking a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute off a finish in the box by redshirt senior Alex Anthony. Assisting Anthony on the goal was freshman Tara McKeown, who is tied for the team lead in assists with five. The Trojans took a 2-0 lead in the 17th minute, as senior Sydney Sladek slotted a ball past the Buffs' keeper for her first goal of the year. Redshirt freshman Savannah DeMelo recorded the assist, giving her five on the season to share the team lead with McKeown. Throughout the remaining 73 minutes of the game, the Trojans continued to dominate the run of play, outshooting the Buffaloes 23-9 and tallying five corner kicks to the Buffs' three. DeMelo, Anthony, and junior Erika Okuma each recorded four shots. In goal, senior Julia Murphy made her first collegiate start and recorded a career-high three saves, helping USC record its sixth shutout of the season.
IN WINNING MODE
At 11-1-1 overall, USC is off to the best start since opening up 12-1-1 in 2008. Five of those wins were comeback efforts. The Trojans are 5-1 in games that they are down this season, including two comebacks with multiple goals in the last five minutes — at LMU and against Oregon.Â
RANKINGS
The Trojans are ranked No. 6 this week in the United Coaches Poll for the third straight week and remain No. 6 in the TopDrawer Soccer Poll for the second-consecutive week. The Trojans, who started the season ranked No. 4, are working their way back to the top. They have been ranked all season and have been ranked for 22 straight weeks, dating back to Sept. 16 of 2016.Â
IN THE PAC-12
USC ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 in total shots with 246 over 13 games. The Trojans also rank No. 3 with 1.92 goals per game (25 goals in 13 games). Individually, freshman Tara McKeown is tied for No. 9 in points per game (13 points through 13 games), while tying at No. 9 with fellow freshman Savannah DeMelo in total assists (5) and assists per game (0.38). During conference play to date, the Trojans are No. 2 in shots (109) and No. 3 in goals (11) and points (34). USC is tied for No. 2 in the Pac-12 with just two goals allowed. Erika Okuma also ranks No. 1 in assists per game (1.00) and No. 3 in total assists (3). DeMelo ranks No. 2 in conference matches for assists (4), while Anthony is tied at No. 1 in game-winning goals (2).Â
NCAA RANKINGS
The Trojans rank No. 7 in the nation in shots per game, with 18.92 per game. The team also ranks No. 7 nationally with a win-loss percentage of 0.885. The Trojans' RPI is currently sitting at 30.
PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior defender Erika Okuma was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week after tallying three assists in two victories vs. the Oregon schools, including assisting on both of the Trojan goals in the last four minutes of play in a comeback 2-1 victory over Oregon. She also helped the Trojans to their fourth shutout of the season vs. Oregon State and shut down the Oregon offense after an early goal, keeping the game within striking distance for the last-minute comeback.Â
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Savannah DeMelo, who redshirted last fall after playing with the U.S. U-20 Women's National Team in the World Cup, has tallied four goals on the season already. Those four goals scored by a freshman are the most since Elizabeth Eddy tallied five in 2010. The freshman USC record is nine goals, set by Amy Rodriguez in 2005. DeMelo tallied three assists in USC's 4-0 victory over Oregon State, tying USC's single-game mark for assists by one player in a match. Her three assist game is also tops in the conference this year. Â
TOP HONORS FROM TOPDRAWER
Senior defender/midfielder Nicole Molen was named to the TopDrawer Team of the Week on Sept. 11 after playing two outstanding road matches, including tallying an assist on Leah Pruitt's game-tying goal at LMU. September also saw junior defender Ally Prisock named the 25th best collegiate player by TopDrawer Soccer. This month, Prisock's status was upgraded in the new set of rankings, with the junior standing at No. 18 on the top-100 list as of Oct. 5.
PRESEASON BEST XI
Junior defender Ally Prisock was named to the TopDrawer Soccer Preseason Best XI Third Team, while freshman midfielder Savannah DeMelo was named to the TopDrawer Soccer Preseason Freshmen Best XI.
WATCH LIST SEASON
Junior defender Ally Prisock, a lockdown defender on last season's team that boasted the lowest goals against average in the conference, and tallied new program highs in total shutouts (12) and shutouts in a row (7), was named to the watch list for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy Award. Last season senior midfielder Morgan Andrews became the first Trojan in program history to be named a finalist for the award.
NEVADA STATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Trojans boast two Gatorade Nevada State Players of the Year in 2016-17, with freshman Arlie Jones joining the ranks with senior Sydney Sladek earning the honor in 2013-14  Jones tallied 32 goals and 13 assists this past season to earn the honor, leading Bishop Gorman High School to a 21-3-1 record and the Class 4A Sunset Region Tournament semifinals. She was recently named a high school All-American by the NSCAA and participated in the High School All-American Game. Sladek, who earned the honor in 2013, holds the Nevada single season scoring record with 78 goals, the Nevada career goals record with 207, the Nevada single game scoring record with 10 goals in one match.Â
NATIONAL TEAM EXPERIENCE
Many of the Trojans boast national team experience, but the depth and experience representing their country runs deep for Trojan freshman. Savannah DeMelo would have been a Trojan freshman in 2016, but redshirted due to competing for the U.S. in the U-20 Women's World Cup in November. Most recently DeMelo joined fellow freshmen Tara McKeon and Arlie Jones in the U-20 training camp in Europe in July. Prior to that DeMelo participated in training camp with the U-19 team this past June in the Czech Republic. Junior Ally Prisock saw action with the U-19 and U-20 squads last year as well. Ashleigh Plumptre, a native of England, has also suited up for her home country in the youth team circuit over the last few months.Â
THIS YEAR'S MIX
The Trojans return five regular starters from last season's national championship squad, including six who started in the national championship game vs. West Virginia (Julia Bingham, Taylor McMorrow, Ally Prisock, Alex Anthony, Amanda Rooney and Nicole Molen). In addition, three other impact players in Leah Pruitt, Sydney Sladek and Sydney Johnson return all as upperclassmen with a lot of experience over their career. Sophomore midfielder Jalen Woodward is expected to see more action this season and be a mainstay as a holding midfielder for the Trojans. The team does need to replace a lot, however, including Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year Sammy Jo Prudhomme, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Mandy Freeman, and all Pac-12 selections Morgan Andrews, Savannah Levin and Kayla Mills. The only Trojan who was named to the College Cup All-Tournament team returning in 2017 is junior forward Pruitt.Â
LAST SEASONÂ
The Trojans won the program's second national title in their 15th tournament appearance. They earned a two seed for the second time in program history. The previous time was in 2007 when they went on to win the NCAA title. It was the highest seeding the program had ever seen. The Trojans are 19-11-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including going 6-0 in 2007 to win the NCAA title. Under head coach Keidane McAlpine the Trojans are 5-1-3 in the postseason (three years). 2016 was just the second time the Trojans advanced to the NCAA Women's College Cup, with the previous time coming in 2007. That year on Nov. 30 the Trojans defeated crosstown rival UCLA 2-1 in the semifinals and Florida State 2-0 in the finals in College Station, Texas to win the program and the Pac-12 their first NCAA women's soccer title. The Trojans road to the national title began with defeating Eastern Washington 3-1 in the first round, advancing in the second round 4-3 in penalty kicks after a 0-0 double-overtime tie against Texas A&M. Then the Trojans defeated Pac-12 foe Utah 1-0 with a 73rd minute goal by Leah Pruitt to advance the Trojans to the NCAA quarterfinal against Auburn, where a fourth minute goal by Alex Anthony held up as the Trojans won 1-0 to advance to the Women's College Cup. The Trojans then defeated Georgetown 1-0 thanks to a 60th-minute goal by Katie Johnson. The Trojans then defeated No-1-ranked West Virginia (second time in the season the Trojans took down a top-ranked team this season after defeated then-No. 1 Stanford) 3-1 in the final, with an early goal by Morgan Andrews, but then the Mountaineers equalized, only to have Katie Johnson take over the game with two second-half goals, including the eventual-game winner assisted by Pruitt.Â
THE DEFENSE
Defensively the team loses anchor Mandy Freeman, but returns Ally Prisock and Julia Bingham, who was a part of the back line in 2016 that set a team-record 12 shutouts, including seven in a row. The Trojans are also excited about the return of Dominique Randle from a knee injury, as she is a voice with experience to help out the line. In addition to those two, the Trojans boast sophomore Ashleigh Plumptre and newcomers Jessica Haidet and Tara McKeown, providing depth at the position.Â
THE MIDFIELD
The Trojans return the most in the midfield from the national championship squad, led by seniors Nicole Molen, Sydney Sladek, Amanda Rooney and sophomore Jalen Woodward. The Trojans also add some exciting pieces in Savannah DeMelo, who was away in 2016 playing in the U-20 World Cup with the U.S. National Team and freshman Arlie Jones, who is a versatile and technical player who can also play up top.Â
THE FORWARDS
The Trojans lost 55 percent (22-of-49) their goals scored last year to graduation (Katie Johnson 10, Morgan Andrews 10, Savannah Levin, 2). However, the Trojans return bonafide scorers in Alex Anthony (tied for the team lead in 2016 with 10 goals, sixth-best goal scoring output in one season at USC) and Leah Pruitt with four. Pruitt also led the team in 2016 with eight assists. They also return dangerous goal scorer Sydney Johnson. Â
HONORS IN 2016
The Trojans boasted eight All-Pac-12 honorees last season, the most in program history. Returning in 2017 is second-team honoree Alex Anthony, while defender Julia Bingham was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. Anthony also earned NSCAA All-Pacific Region honors. Â
WINS IN 2016
 The Trojans' 19 wins in 2016 (19-4-2) season were the second-most in program history, with the most coming during the 2007 national championship season when they went 20-3-2. That year the Trojans also finished second in the Pac-12 and were a two seed in the NCAA Tournament.Â
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
The 2016 Trojan defense was the stingiest in the Pac-12 in 2016, allowing just nine goals over 19 games in the regular season. The team tallied a program-high 12 shutouts in the regular season (16 total), including seven-straight to set a new program record.Â
NWSL DRAFT
Five Trojans were taken in the 2017 NWSL College Draft, the most from any one program on the year. Midfielder Morgan Andrews, a New England native, headed hometown team, the Boston Breakers as the third overall pick and the highest a Trojan has ever been taken in the draft. The Trojans went back-to-back as defender Kayla Mills was the fourth overall pick to Sky Blue FC, while teammate Mandy Freeman rounded out the top 10, also drafted to Sky Blue FC. The three first round selections were the most of any program. Forward Katie Johnson was taken in the second round, 16th overall to the Seattle Reign, while goalkeeper Sammy Jo Prudhomme was taken in the fourth round, 31st overall to Boston, where she will be reunited with teammate Andrews. Prudhomme was just one of three goalkeepers to be drafted.Â
The only previous USC player to be drafted in an NWSL Draft was Elizabeth Eddy, who was drafted as the 33rd overall pick in the 2014 draft by Sky Blue FC. Eddy is still playing the NWSL, but for the North Carolina Courage (previously Western New York Flash, the reigning NWSL champion).Â
SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM
10 Trojans earned Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2016, headlined by Nicole Molen, who earned first team honors with a 3.92 GPA as a human biology major for the second-straight year. She also earned CoSIDA All-Academic District VIII First Team honors for the second-straight season, and represented the Trojans as an NCAA Elite 90 honoree, having the highest team GPA for the Trojans playing in the College Cup. Nine other Trojans earned honorable mention selections, including returners Sydney Sladek (2x honoree, communication major), Sydney Johnson (2x honoree, psychology major) and first time selections Amanda Rooney and Hailey Hite.Â
TROJANS IN THE PROS
In addition to the five drafted Trojans playing in the NWSL - Morgan Andrews, Sammy Jo Prudhomme (Boston Breakers), Mandy Freeman, Kayla Mills (Sky Blue FC), Katie Johnson (Seattle Reign), the Trojans also have four more alums competing in the league - Elizabeth Eddy (NC Courage), Samantha Johnson (Chicago Red Stars), Amy Rodriguez (Kansas City FC) and Caroline Stanley (Orlando Pride).  Two other Trojans are playing overseas professionally, Savannah Levin with Ko and Alex Quincey with Medkila in Norway.Â
Â
The No. 6 Trojans (11-1-1, 5-0-1 Pac-12) head back out on the road this weekend, visiting Washington and Washington State in two big road tests. First, the Trojans visit Washington (9-4-2, 2-2-2) for a 5 p.m. match on Thursday (Oct. 19). Then the Trojans travel across the state to face Washington State (7-5-2, 2-4-0) at 12 p.m. on Sunday (Oct. 22).Â
TV TIME
Thursday's game will be televised live on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Washington with Rich Cellini and Mark Rogandino on the call. Sunday's game at WSU will be televised on Pac-12 Washington with Elise Woodward and Temryss Lane on the call. Both games will have live streams available for Pac-12 Network subscribers at pac-12.com/live and on the Pac-12 Now app.
SCOUTING WASHINGTON
The Huskies, who are currently receiving votes the national polls, are 9-4-2 overall and 2-2-2 in Pac-12 play after being narrowly defeated by No. 1 Stanford 1-0 in their lone game last week in Palo Alto. Forward Kimberly Keever leads UW with five goals on the season, while goalkeeper Sarah Shimer has allowed seven goals total and only two during conference play. USC is 13-8-2 all-time vs. the Huskies. In Seattle, the Trojans are  2-6 all-time, with the last win coming in 2007 when the Trojans won 2-1. Under the direction of Keidane McAlpine, the Trojans are 2-1 against the Huskies. The last time the Trojans played in Seattle was Oct. 4, 2010, when the Trojans fell 1-0.Â
SCOUTING WASHINGTON STATE
WSU is 7-5-2 overall and 2-4-0 in Pac-12 play after a 2-0 loss to No. 18 Cal last weekend in Berkeley. Forward Morgan Weaver leads the Cougar attack with six goals. In goal, Ella Dederick has played in all 14 games for the Cougars and has allowed 12 goals. The Trojans are 12-7-3 all-time against the Cougars. Against his previous team, McAlpine is now 3-0, including two 1-0 wins in 2014 and 2015. The Trojans are 3-5-1 all-time against the Cougars in Pullman.Â
LAST WEEK
The Trojans used two quick first half goals to stymie the visiting Colorado Buffaloes at McAlister Field last Friday (Oct. 13). USC got off to a quick start in the match, taking a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute off a finish in the box by redshirt senior Alex Anthony. Assisting Anthony on the goal was freshman Tara McKeown, who is tied for the team lead in assists with five. The Trojans took a 2-0 lead in the 17th minute, as senior Sydney Sladek slotted a ball past the Buffs' keeper for her first goal of the year. Redshirt freshman Savannah DeMelo recorded the assist, giving her five on the season to share the team lead with McKeown. Throughout the remaining 73 minutes of the game, the Trojans continued to dominate the run of play, outshooting the Buffaloes 23-9 and tallying five corner kicks to the Buffs' three. DeMelo, Anthony, and junior Erika Okuma each recorded four shots. In goal, senior Julia Murphy made her first collegiate start and recorded a career-high three saves, helping USC record its sixth shutout of the season.
IN WINNING MODE
At 11-1-1 overall, USC is off to the best start since opening up 12-1-1 in 2008. Five of those wins were comeback efforts. The Trojans are 5-1 in games that they are down this season, including two comebacks with multiple goals in the last five minutes — at LMU and against Oregon.Â
RANKINGS
The Trojans are ranked No. 6 this week in the United Coaches Poll for the third straight week and remain No. 6 in the TopDrawer Soccer Poll for the second-consecutive week. The Trojans, who started the season ranked No. 4, are working their way back to the top. They have been ranked all season and have been ranked for 22 straight weeks, dating back to Sept. 16 of 2016.Â
IN THE PAC-12
USC ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 in total shots with 246 over 13 games. The Trojans also rank No. 3 with 1.92 goals per game (25 goals in 13 games). Individually, freshman Tara McKeown is tied for No. 9 in points per game (13 points through 13 games), while tying at No. 9 with fellow freshman Savannah DeMelo in total assists (5) and assists per game (0.38). During conference play to date, the Trojans are No. 2 in shots (109) and No. 3 in goals (11) and points (34). USC is tied for No. 2 in the Pac-12 with just two goals allowed. Erika Okuma also ranks No. 1 in assists per game (1.00) and No. 3 in total assists (3). DeMelo ranks No. 2 in conference matches for assists (4), while Anthony is tied at No. 1 in game-winning goals (2).Â
NCAA RANKINGS
The Trojans rank No. 7 in the nation in shots per game, with 18.92 per game. The team also ranks No. 7 nationally with a win-loss percentage of 0.885. The Trojans' RPI is currently sitting at 30.
PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior defender Erika Okuma was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week after tallying three assists in two victories vs. the Oregon schools, including assisting on both of the Trojan goals in the last four minutes of play in a comeback 2-1 victory over Oregon. She also helped the Trojans to their fourth shutout of the season vs. Oregon State and shut down the Oregon offense after an early goal, keeping the game within striking distance for the last-minute comeback.Â
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Savannah DeMelo, who redshirted last fall after playing with the U.S. U-20 Women's National Team in the World Cup, has tallied four goals on the season already. Those four goals scored by a freshman are the most since Elizabeth Eddy tallied five in 2010. The freshman USC record is nine goals, set by Amy Rodriguez in 2005. DeMelo tallied three assists in USC's 4-0 victory over Oregon State, tying USC's single-game mark for assists by one player in a match. Her three assist game is also tops in the conference this year. Â
TOP HONORS FROM TOPDRAWER
Senior defender/midfielder Nicole Molen was named to the TopDrawer Team of the Week on Sept. 11 after playing two outstanding road matches, including tallying an assist on Leah Pruitt's game-tying goal at LMU. September also saw junior defender Ally Prisock named the 25th best collegiate player by TopDrawer Soccer. This month, Prisock's status was upgraded in the new set of rankings, with the junior standing at No. 18 on the top-100 list as of Oct. 5.
PRESEASON BEST XI
Junior defender Ally Prisock was named to the TopDrawer Soccer Preseason Best XI Third Team, while freshman midfielder Savannah DeMelo was named to the TopDrawer Soccer Preseason Freshmen Best XI.
WATCH LIST SEASON
Junior defender Ally Prisock, a lockdown defender on last season's team that boasted the lowest goals against average in the conference, and tallied new program highs in total shutouts (12) and shutouts in a row (7), was named to the watch list for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy Award. Last season senior midfielder Morgan Andrews became the first Trojan in program history to be named a finalist for the award.
NEVADA STATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Trojans boast two Gatorade Nevada State Players of the Year in 2016-17, with freshman Arlie Jones joining the ranks with senior Sydney Sladek earning the honor in 2013-14  Jones tallied 32 goals and 13 assists this past season to earn the honor, leading Bishop Gorman High School to a 21-3-1 record and the Class 4A Sunset Region Tournament semifinals. She was recently named a high school All-American by the NSCAA and participated in the High School All-American Game. Sladek, who earned the honor in 2013, holds the Nevada single season scoring record with 78 goals, the Nevada career goals record with 207, the Nevada single game scoring record with 10 goals in one match.Â
NATIONAL TEAM EXPERIENCE
Many of the Trojans boast national team experience, but the depth and experience representing their country runs deep for Trojan freshman. Savannah DeMelo would have been a Trojan freshman in 2016, but redshirted due to competing for the U.S. in the U-20 Women's World Cup in November. Most recently DeMelo joined fellow freshmen Tara McKeon and Arlie Jones in the U-20 training camp in Europe in July. Prior to that DeMelo participated in training camp with the U-19 team this past June in the Czech Republic. Junior Ally Prisock saw action with the U-19 and U-20 squads last year as well. Ashleigh Plumptre, a native of England, has also suited up for her home country in the youth team circuit over the last few months.Â
THIS YEAR'S MIX
The Trojans return five regular starters from last season's national championship squad, including six who started in the national championship game vs. West Virginia (Julia Bingham, Taylor McMorrow, Ally Prisock, Alex Anthony, Amanda Rooney and Nicole Molen). In addition, three other impact players in Leah Pruitt, Sydney Sladek and Sydney Johnson return all as upperclassmen with a lot of experience over their career. Sophomore midfielder Jalen Woodward is expected to see more action this season and be a mainstay as a holding midfielder for the Trojans. The team does need to replace a lot, however, including Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year Sammy Jo Prudhomme, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Mandy Freeman, and all Pac-12 selections Morgan Andrews, Savannah Levin and Kayla Mills. The only Trojan who was named to the College Cup All-Tournament team returning in 2017 is junior forward Pruitt.Â
LAST SEASONÂ
The Trojans won the program's second national title in their 15th tournament appearance. They earned a two seed for the second time in program history. The previous time was in 2007 when they went on to win the NCAA title. It was the highest seeding the program had ever seen. The Trojans are 19-11-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including going 6-0 in 2007 to win the NCAA title. Under head coach Keidane McAlpine the Trojans are 5-1-3 in the postseason (three years). 2016 was just the second time the Trojans advanced to the NCAA Women's College Cup, with the previous time coming in 2007. That year on Nov. 30 the Trojans defeated crosstown rival UCLA 2-1 in the semifinals and Florida State 2-0 in the finals in College Station, Texas to win the program and the Pac-12 their first NCAA women's soccer title. The Trojans road to the national title began with defeating Eastern Washington 3-1 in the first round, advancing in the second round 4-3 in penalty kicks after a 0-0 double-overtime tie against Texas A&M. Then the Trojans defeated Pac-12 foe Utah 1-0 with a 73rd minute goal by Leah Pruitt to advance the Trojans to the NCAA quarterfinal against Auburn, where a fourth minute goal by Alex Anthony held up as the Trojans won 1-0 to advance to the Women's College Cup. The Trojans then defeated Georgetown 1-0 thanks to a 60th-minute goal by Katie Johnson. The Trojans then defeated No-1-ranked West Virginia (second time in the season the Trojans took down a top-ranked team this season after defeated then-No. 1 Stanford) 3-1 in the final, with an early goal by Morgan Andrews, but then the Mountaineers equalized, only to have Katie Johnson take over the game with two second-half goals, including the eventual-game winner assisted by Pruitt.Â
THE DEFENSE
Defensively the team loses anchor Mandy Freeman, but returns Ally Prisock and Julia Bingham, who was a part of the back line in 2016 that set a team-record 12 shutouts, including seven in a row. The Trojans are also excited about the return of Dominique Randle from a knee injury, as she is a voice with experience to help out the line. In addition to those two, the Trojans boast sophomore Ashleigh Plumptre and newcomers Jessica Haidet and Tara McKeown, providing depth at the position.Â
THE MIDFIELD
The Trojans return the most in the midfield from the national championship squad, led by seniors Nicole Molen, Sydney Sladek, Amanda Rooney and sophomore Jalen Woodward. The Trojans also add some exciting pieces in Savannah DeMelo, who was away in 2016 playing in the U-20 World Cup with the U.S. National Team and freshman Arlie Jones, who is a versatile and technical player who can also play up top.Â
THE FORWARDS
The Trojans lost 55 percent (22-of-49) their goals scored last year to graduation (Katie Johnson 10, Morgan Andrews 10, Savannah Levin, 2). However, the Trojans return bonafide scorers in Alex Anthony (tied for the team lead in 2016 with 10 goals, sixth-best goal scoring output in one season at USC) and Leah Pruitt with four. Pruitt also led the team in 2016 with eight assists. They also return dangerous goal scorer Sydney Johnson. Â
HONORS IN 2016
The Trojans boasted eight All-Pac-12 honorees last season, the most in program history. Returning in 2017 is second-team honoree Alex Anthony, while defender Julia Bingham was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. Anthony also earned NSCAA All-Pacific Region honors. Â
WINS IN 2016
 The Trojans' 19 wins in 2016 (19-4-2) season were the second-most in program history, with the most coming during the 2007 national championship season when they went 20-3-2. That year the Trojans also finished second in the Pac-12 and were a two seed in the NCAA Tournament.Â
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
The 2016 Trojan defense was the stingiest in the Pac-12 in 2016, allowing just nine goals over 19 games in the regular season. The team tallied a program-high 12 shutouts in the regular season (16 total), including seven-straight to set a new program record.Â
NWSL DRAFT
Five Trojans were taken in the 2017 NWSL College Draft, the most from any one program on the year. Midfielder Morgan Andrews, a New England native, headed hometown team, the Boston Breakers as the third overall pick and the highest a Trojan has ever been taken in the draft. The Trojans went back-to-back as defender Kayla Mills was the fourth overall pick to Sky Blue FC, while teammate Mandy Freeman rounded out the top 10, also drafted to Sky Blue FC. The three first round selections were the most of any program. Forward Katie Johnson was taken in the second round, 16th overall to the Seattle Reign, while goalkeeper Sammy Jo Prudhomme was taken in the fourth round, 31st overall to Boston, where she will be reunited with teammate Andrews. Prudhomme was just one of three goalkeepers to be drafted.Â
The only previous USC player to be drafted in an NWSL Draft was Elizabeth Eddy, who was drafted as the 33rd overall pick in the 2014 draft by Sky Blue FC. Eddy is still playing the NWSL, but for the North Carolina Courage (previously Western New York Flash, the reigning NWSL champion).Â
SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM
10 Trojans earned Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2016, headlined by Nicole Molen, who earned first team honors with a 3.92 GPA as a human biology major for the second-straight year. She also earned CoSIDA All-Academic District VIII First Team honors for the second-straight season, and represented the Trojans as an NCAA Elite 90 honoree, having the highest team GPA for the Trojans playing in the College Cup. Nine other Trojans earned honorable mention selections, including returners Sydney Sladek (2x honoree, communication major), Sydney Johnson (2x honoree, psychology major) and first time selections Amanda Rooney and Hailey Hite.Â
TROJANS IN THE PROS
In addition to the five drafted Trojans playing in the NWSL - Morgan Andrews, Sammy Jo Prudhomme (Boston Breakers), Mandy Freeman, Kayla Mills (Sky Blue FC), Katie Johnson (Seattle Reign), the Trojans also have four more alums competing in the league - Elizabeth Eddy (NC Courage), Samantha Johnson (Chicago Red Stars), Amy Rodriguez (Kansas City FC) and Caroline Stanley (Orlando Pride).  Two other Trojans are playing overseas professionally, Savannah Levin with Ko and Alex Quincey with Medkila in Norway.Â
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Women's Soccer - USC 3, Maryland 0: Highlights (09/25/2025)
Thursday, September 25
Women's Soccer - USC 2, Michigan 1: Highlights (09/18/2025)
Thursday, September 18
Women's Soccer - USC 0, Washington 1: Highlights
Thursday, September 11
Women’s Soccer - USC 0, Portland 0 : Highlights (08/28/25)
Thursday, August 28
