Thursday, October 26
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Photo by: John McGillen
No. 5 USC Hosts Two Ranked Teams At McAlister Field
October 24, 2017 | Women's Soccer, Features
WEEKLY RELEASE (PDF)USC-CAL LIVE STATSUSC-CAL LIVE STREAMUSC-STANFORD LIVE STATSUSC-STANFORD LIVE STREAM
The Trojans face No. 16 Cal on Thursday before taking on No. 1 Stanford on Senior Day this Sunday.
THIS WEEK
The No. 5 Trojans (13-1-1, 7-0-1 Pac-12) have a big home stand with potential Pac-12 title implications on the line as conference rivals California and Stanford come to town. The Trojans will take on No. 16 Cal (13-2-1, 6-1-1) at McAlister Field for a 2:30 p.m. tilt on Thursday (Oct. 26), followed by a 3 p.m. bout with No. 1 Stanford (15-1-0, 8-0-0) on Sunday (Oct. 29). Prior to Sunday's matchup with the Cardinal, USC will honor its eight-Trojan senior class in a Senior Day ceremony at McAlister Field.
TV TIME
Thursday's home game against Cal will be televised live on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Bay Area with Mark Rogondino and Tracey Bailey on the call. Sunday's home matchup against Stanford will be televised on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Bay Area with Christian Miles 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.Â
RANKINGS
USC is ranked No. 5 this week in the United Coaches Poll and the TopDrawer Soccer Poll. 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 WINNING MODE
At 13-1-1 overall, USC matches its best start in program history since opening up 13-1-1 in 1997. A win or a tie on Thursday versus Cal would mark a new program-best start.  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
The Trojans rank No. 11 in the nation in shots per game with 18.27. The team also ranks No. 5 nationally with a win-loss percentage of 0.900. The Trojans' RPI is currently sitting at 23.
IN THE PAC-12
USC is currently ranked second in the Pac-12 with 21 points and a 7-0-1 conference record. USC ranks No. 3 in the Pac-12 with 29 goals over 15 games and No. 4 in the conference for assists per game with 1.93 per game (29 assists in 15 games). Individually, senior Alex Anthony is ranked No. 10 in points per game with 1.23 (16.0 through 13 games) and No. 7 in total goals (7), while ranking fifth in the conference for game-winning goals (3). Freshman goalkeeper Kaylie Collins ranks No. 5 in the Pac-12 for shutouts with 6 over 14 games.Â
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA
The Golden Bears are currently ranked No. 16 in the United Coaches Poll poll and No. 19 in the TopDrawer Soccer Poll, sporting a 13-2-1 overall record (6-1-1 Pac-12) after a pair of home wins against Oregon State and Oregon last week. Sophomore forward Abi Kim leads Cal with seven goals on the season, while senior goalkeeper Emily Boyd is now third all-time in Pac-12 women's soccer history after recording her 36th career clean sheet against the Ducks on Sunday. USC is 11-9-2 in the series against Cal having lost 1-0 at McAlister Field last season on a goal in the 86th minute. USC is 4-4-1 all-time on their home field against Cal. The last victory at McAlister came in 2010, with the Trojans downing the Golden Bears 5-4 in overtime.
SCOUTING STANFORD
The top-ranked Cardinal is 15-1-0 on the season with an 8-0-0 record in Pac-12 play. Last weekend, Stanford scored a combined 10 goals against the Oregon schools in two shutout wins (4-0 vs. Oregon, 6-0 vs. Oregon State). Freshman Catarina Macario and junior Kyra Carusa lead Stanford with 12 goals each. Sophomore goalie Lauren Rood has recorded shutouts in seven of her last eight starts, while the last goal Stanford allowed came in the Pac-12 opener against Washington State (Sept. 21). The Trojans are 5-16-3 all-time against the Cardinal after winning decisively last season at McAlister Field, 3-0. That win would be the program's first-ever against a top-ranked team, and the three goals conceded were the most given up by Stanford since 2005. At McAlister, USC is 1-1-3 all-time against Stanford.
LAST WEEK
It was a successful weekend in the Evergreen State as the Trojans tacked on two wins against the Washington schools to remain undefeated in Pac-12 play. Against Washington, a brace by redshirt senior Alex Anthony was all the Trojans needed to stop the Huskies in Seattle as the USC defense recorded its third shutout in four games. Anthony, the team's leading scorer, added to her total in the fifth minute as she fired a shot off a feed from sophomore Jalen Woodward. The Trojans then got another goal in the 34th minute of play after Anthony scored on a ball played in by junior Leah Pruitt. Thursday's 2-0 victory improved USC's record to 14-8-2 all-time against the Huskies. It was another fast start for USC against Washington State on Sunday, this time with Anthony assisting Pruitt on a goal that slipped past the WSU keeper in the 8th minute. The Cougars equalized in the 26th minute off a goal from Elyse Bennett, but the game-winner would come off the foot of sophomore Ashleigh Plumptre, who received a long pass from Pruitt in the corner and tapped the ball over the keeper and into the net. That goal, the first of Plumptre's career, was the difference as the Trojans held on for the 2-1 victory in Pullman.Â
PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Junior defender Erika Okuma was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 26 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 USC to its 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.  A month later, junior Ally Prisock picked up honors as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week following' two key road wins. Prisock and the USC back line shut out host Washington and allowed just three shots by the Huskies in the Trojans' 2-0 win in a rainy contest in Seattle. Days later at Washington State, Prisock helped anchor a 2-1 win in Pullman to keep the Trojans' undefeated run through Pac-12 play alive and well. USC held the Cougars scoreless through the last 64 minutes of action to secure the road sweep.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 USC freshman record is nine goals, set by Amy Rodriguez in 2005. DeMelo also 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.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 HS to a 21-3-1 record and the Class 4A Sunset Region Tournament semifinals. She was also named an NSCAA high school All-American 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, and 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 McKeown 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 also 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 as upperclassmen with plenty of experience over their careers. 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. Pruitt, the only Trojan named to the College Cup All-Tournament team, returns as a starting forward.Â
LAST SEASONÂ
The Trojans won the program's second national title in their 15th tournament appearance. They earned a two seed (USC's highest-ever seeding) for the second time in program history, the previous time being in 2007 when the Trojans went on to win their first NCAA title. USC is 19-11-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including going 6-0 in that 2007 run. Under head coach Keidane McAlpine, the Trojans are 5-1-3 in the postseason (three years). 2016 marked just the second time that USC advanced to the NCAA Women's College Cup, with the previous time coming in 2007. That year, the Trojans defeated crosstown rival UCLA 2-1 in the semifinals and Florida State 2-0 in the title match in College Station, Texas to win the program and the Pac-12 their first NCAA women's soccer title. In 2016, the Trojans' road to the national title began with defeating Eastern Washington 3-1 in the first round, followed by a win in the second round on penalty kicks (4-3) after a 0-0 double-overtime tie against Texas A&M. In the third round, the Trojans defeated Pac-12 foe Utah 1-0 with a 73rd minute goal by Leah Pruitt to push USC into the NCAA quarterfinal against Auburn, where a fourth minute goal by Alex Anthony held up as the Trojans won 1-0 and advanced to the 2016 Women's College Cup. In the semifinal, USC defeated Georgetown 1-0 thanks to a 60th-minute finish by Katie Johnson. The Trojans then went on to defeat No. 1-ranked West Virginia 3-1 in the final. A goal headed in in the second minute by Morgan Andrews gave USC the early lead. The Mountaineers would equalize, only to have Katie Johnson take over the game with two second-half goals, including the eventual-game winner assisted by Pruitt in the 75th minute.Â
THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the team loses anchor Mandy Freeman but returns Ally Prisock and Julia Bingham, who were 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 injury, as she brings a wealth of experience to the line. In addition, USC boasts sophomore Ashleigh Plumptre and newcomers Jessica Haidet and Tara McKeown, providing great depth.
THE MIDFIELD
The Trojans return the most in the midfield from their 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. USC also returns 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-teamer 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) 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, USC also finished second in the Pac-10 and took a two seed in the NCAA Tournament.Â
LOCKDOWN DEFENSEÂ
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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The No. 5 Trojans (13-1-1, 7-0-1 Pac-12) have a big home stand with potential Pac-12 title implications on the line as conference rivals California and Stanford come to town. The Trojans will take on No. 16 Cal (13-2-1, 6-1-1) at McAlister Field for a 2:30 p.m. tilt on Thursday (Oct. 26), followed by a 3 p.m. bout with No. 1 Stanford (15-1-0, 8-0-0) on Sunday (Oct. 29). Prior to Sunday's matchup with the Cardinal, USC will honor its eight-Trojan senior class in a Senior Day ceremony at McAlister Field.
TV TIME
Thursday's home game against Cal will be televised live on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Bay Area with Mark Rogondino and Tracey Bailey on the call. Sunday's home matchup against Stanford will be televised on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Bay Area with Christian Miles 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.Â
RANKINGS
USC is ranked No. 5 this week in the United Coaches Poll and the TopDrawer Soccer Poll. 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 WINNING MODE
At 13-1-1 overall, USC matches its best start in program history since opening up 13-1-1 in 1997. A win or a tie on Thursday versus Cal would mark a new program-best start.  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
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IN THE NATIONThe Trojans rank No. 11 in the nation in shots per game with 18.27. The team also ranks No. 5 nationally with a win-loss percentage of 0.900. The Trojans' RPI is currently sitting at 23.
IN THE PAC-12
USC is currently ranked second in the Pac-12 with 21 points and a 7-0-1 conference record. USC ranks No. 3 in the Pac-12 with 29 goals over 15 games and No. 4 in the conference for assists per game with 1.93 per game (29 assists in 15 games). Individually, senior Alex Anthony is ranked No. 10 in points per game with 1.23 (16.0 through 13 games) and No. 7 in total goals (7), while ranking fifth in the conference for game-winning goals (3). Freshman goalkeeper Kaylie Collins ranks No. 5 in the Pac-12 for shutouts with 6 over 14 games.Â
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA
The Golden Bears are currently ranked No. 16 in the United Coaches Poll poll and No. 19 in the TopDrawer Soccer Poll, sporting a 13-2-1 overall record (6-1-1 Pac-12) after a pair of home wins against Oregon State and Oregon last week. Sophomore forward Abi Kim leads Cal with seven goals on the season, while senior goalkeeper Emily Boyd is now third all-time in Pac-12 women's soccer history after recording her 36th career clean sheet against the Ducks on Sunday. USC is 11-9-2 in the series against Cal having lost 1-0 at McAlister Field last season on a goal in the 86th minute. USC is 4-4-1 all-time on their home field against Cal. The last victory at McAlister came in 2010, with the Trojans downing the Golden Bears 5-4 in overtime.
SCOUTING STANFORD
The top-ranked Cardinal is 15-1-0 on the season with an 8-0-0 record in Pac-12 play. Last weekend, Stanford scored a combined 10 goals against the Oregon schools in two shutout wins (4-0 vs. Oregon, 6-0 vs. Oregon State). Freshman Catarina Macario and junior Kyra Carusa lead Stanford with 12 goals each. Sophomore goalie Lauren Rood has recorded shutouts in seven of her last eight starts, while the last goal Stanford allowed came in the Pac-12 opener against Washington State (Sept. 21). The Trojans are 5-16-3 all-time against the Cardinal after winning decisively last season at McAlister Field, 3-0. That win would be the program's first-ever against a top-ranked team, and the three goals conceded were the most given up by Stanford since 2005. At McAlister, USC is 1-1-3 all-time against Stanford.
LAST WEEK
It was a successful weekend in the Evergreen State as the Trojans tacked on two wins against the Washington schools to remain undefeated in Pac-12 play. Against Washington, a brace by redshirt senior Alex Anthony was all the Trojans needed to stop the Huskies in Seattle as the USC defense recorded its third shutout in four games. Anthony, the team's leading scorer, added to her total in the fifth minute as she fired a shot off a feed from sophomore Jalen Woodward. The Trojans then got another goal in the 34th minute of play after Anthony scored on a ball played in by junior Leah Pruitt. Thursday's 2-0 victory improved USC's record to 14-8-2 all-time against the Huskies. It was another fast start for USC against Washington State on Sunday, this time with Anthony assisting Pruitt on a goal that slipped past the WSU keeper in the 8th minute. The Cougars equalized in the 26th minute off a goal from Elyse Bennett, but the game-winner would come off the foot of sophomore Ashleigh Plumptre, who received a long pass from Pruitt in the corner and tapped the ball over the keeper and into the net. That goal, the first of Plumptre's career, was the difference as the Trojans held on for the 2-1 victory in Pullman.Â
PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Junior defender Erika Okuma was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 26 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 USC to its 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.  A month later, junior Ally Prisock picked up honors as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week following' two key road wins. Prisock and the USC back line shut out host Washington and allowed just three shots by the Huskies in the Trojans' 2-0 win in a rainy contest in Seattle. Days later at Washington State, Prisock helped anchor a 2-1 win in Pullman to keep the Trojans' undefeated run through Pac-12 play alive and well. USC held the Cougars scoreless through the last 64 minutes of action to secure the road sweep.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 USC freshman record is nine goals, set by Amy Rodriguez in 2005. DeMelo also 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.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 HS to a 21-3-1 record and the Class 4A Sunset Region Tournament semifinals. She was also named an NSCAA high school All-American 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, and 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 McKeown 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 also 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 as upperclassmen with plenty of experience over their careers. 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. Pruitt, the only Trojan named to the College Cup All-Tournament team, returns as a starting forward.Â
LAST SEASONÂ
The Trojans won the program's second national title in their 15th tournament appearance. They earned a two seed (USC's highest-ever seeding) for the second time in program history, the previous time being in 2007 when the Trojans went on to win their first NCAA title. USC is 19-11-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including going 6-0 in that 2007 run. Under head coach Keidane McAlpine, the Trojans are 5-1-3 in the postseason (three years). 2016 marked just the second time that USC advanced to the NCAA Women's College Cup, with the previous time coming in 2007. That year, the Trojans defeated crosstown rival UCLA 2-1 in the semifinals and Florida State 2-0 in the title match in College Station, Texas to win the program and the Pac-12 their first NCAA women's soccer title. In 2016, the Trojans' road to the national title began with defeating Eastern Washington 3-1 in the first round, followed by a win in the second round on penalty kicks (4-3) after a 0-0 double-overtime tie against Texas A&M. In the third round, the Trojans defeated Pac-12 foe Utah 1-0 with a 73rd minute goal by Leah Pruitt to push USC into the NCAA quarterfinal against Auburn, where a fourth minute goal by Alex Anthony held up as the Trojans won 1-0 and advanced to the 2016 Women's College Cup. In the semifinal, USC defeated Georgetown 1-0 thanks to a 60th-minute finish by Katie Johnson. The Trojans then went on to defeat No. 1-ranked West Virginia 3-1 in the final. A goal headed in in the second minute by Morgan Andrews gave USC the early lead. The Mountaineers would equalize, only to have Katie Johnson take over the game with two second-half goals, including the eventual-game winner assisted by Pruitt in the 75th minute.Â
THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the team loses anchor Mandy Freeman but returns Ally Prisock and Julia Bingham, who were 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 injury, as she brings a wealth of experience to the line. In addition, USC boasts sophomore Ashleigh Plumptre and newcomers Jessica Haidet and Tara McKeown, providing great depth.
THE MIDFIELD
The Trojans return the most in the midfield from their 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. USC also returns 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-teamer 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) 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, USC also finished second in the Pac-10 and took a two seed in the NCAA Tournament.Â
LOCKDOWN DEFENSEÂ
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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