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No. 3 Seed USC Hosts Eastern Washington For NCAA 1st Round
November 07, 2017 | Women's Soccer, Features
WEEKLY RELEASE (PDF)2017 NCAA BracketUSC_EWU LIVE STATSUSC-EWU LIVE STREAMGET TICKETSWATCH: Kickin' It With KeidaneWATCH: Selection Show Reaction
Defending national champs open the NCAA tourney against EWU for the second straight year.
THIS WEEK
The No. 9 Trojans (14-3-1) will begin their NCAA title defense this weekend at McAlister Field as they host a familiar face in Big Sky champ Eastern Washington (16-5-1) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday (Nov. 11) at 12 p.m. USC was awarded a No. 3 seed in the tournament and hosts EWU for the second straight year in the first round. Â
IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: FIRST ROUND
The Trojans are making their 16th NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth straight under head coach Keidane McAlpine. In the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, USC hosted Big Sky Tournament champions Eastern Washington at McAlister Field, defeating the Eagles 3-1. In 2015, the Trojans came back from both a 2-0 deficit and a 3-2 deficit to tie Cal State Fullerton, thanks to the only hat trick in USC postseason history by Morgan Andrews to take the game to overtime and then PKs with the score tied 3-3. The Trojans would later advance in penalty kicks. In 2014, the Trojans fell in PKs at Pepperdine in the first round. Though the score was tied 1-1, the Waves would go on to advance 4-2 in PKs.
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON
Eastern Washington (16-5-1) won the Big Sky Conference Tournament and is led in scoring by senior forward Chloe Williams with 11 goals and three assists. Senior goalie Emily Busselman has seven shutouts on the year. The Trojans are 3-0 all-time against EWU. This marks the second consecutive meeting between the two schools in the NCAA Tournament, with USC having hosted EWU last season in the opening round at McAlister Field as well. The Trojans and the Eagles also met in Sept. 2006 at McAlister Field, with the Trojans winning 2-0, and again in 2010 when they took a trip to Cheney, Wash., and won 5-1.
NCAA NOTESÂ
USC has won two national championships in program history (2007, 2016) and holds the distinction of being the first Pac-12 program to win an NCAA women's soccer title. Additionally, USC is the only Pac-12 school with two championships and is just one of four programs in the nation to hold multiple NCAA titles to its name. The first championship came in 2007 on the backs of All-Americans Amy Rodriguez and Kristin Olsen in goal. The Trojans shut out five of their six competitors during that run to the final in College Station, Texas, where they defeated Florida State 2-0. Nearly 10 years later, the Trojans found that winning magic once again and went on a tear in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. After hosting the first four rounds at McAlister Field, USC advanced to the Women's College Cup at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., after downing Auburn 1-0 in the NCAA quarterfinals. In the College Cup, the Trojans defeated two teams ranked above them—No. 5 Georgetown and No. 1 West Virginia—in the national semifinals and finals, respectively, to claim the program's second NCAA soccer championship. USC is a perfect two for two in NCAA College Cup Final appearances. The Trojans are 19-11-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.Â
THIS TIME LAST YEARÂ
USC earned a No. 2 seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, the highest seed in program history since earning a No. 2 seed in 2007. The Trojans had finished the regular season with a record of 14-4-1 (8-2-1 Pac-12) and hosted Big Sky Tournament champs Eastern Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at McAlister Field. After a 3-1 victory over EWU, a home win in the second round on penalty kicks (4-3) against Texas A&M, and a 1-0 Sweet Sixteen victory over Pac-12 foe Utah, the Trojans faced off against the visiting Auburn Tigers in the NCAA quarterfinal at McAlister Field again. A goal in the 4th minute by Alex Anthony would hold and propel the Trojans into the 2016 Women's College Cup for just the second time ever, where they would go on to defeat Georgetown at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., 1-0 thanks to a 60th minute finish by Katie Johnson. In the NCAA final, the underdog Trojans took on No. 1-ranked West Virginia. In an exciting championship match, USC used a goal by Morgan Andrews in the 2nd minute and a brace by Johnson in the second half to cap the 3-1 victory and the program's second national championship. With the win, head coach Keidane McAlpine became just the second African-American head coach to win an NCAA Division I women's college soccer title. Furthermore, the victory was also USC's 126th national championship.
RANKINGS
USC is ranked No. 9 this week in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the TopDrawer Soccer Poll. The Trojans started the season ranked No. 4 and have been ranked all season. USC has also been ranked for 27 straight weeks, dating back to Sept. 16 of 2016.
PROGRAM BEST
In going 14-1-1 in the first 16 games of 2017, USC set a new season-best start in program history since opening up 13-1-1 in 1997. Five of those wins were comeback efforts, including two comebacks with multiple goals in the last five minutes — at LMU and against Oregon.Â
IN THE NATION
The Trojans rank No. 12 in the nation in shots per game with 17.78. The team also ranks No. 16 nationally with a win-loss percentage of 0.806. The Trojans' RPI is currently sitting at 18.
LAST WEEK
The Trojans dropped a close overtime contest to crosstown rival No. 5 UCLA in Westwood by a 3-2 score. Playing in front of an NCAA women's soccer regular season record crowd of 11,925 fans, the Trojans would take the lead just 11 minutes into the game after senior Nicole Molen scored on a header that was crossed into the box by sophomores Julia Bingham and Jalen Woodward. UCLA would later equalize in the 26th minute, but it was Molen who scored once again to reclaim the lead in the 34th minute after a scramble in the box. Her brace would hold heading into halftime, 2-1 in favor of the Trojans. In the second half, UCLA would equalize in the 65th minute and then score just 80 seconds into extra time to claim the victory. In all, USC wrapped the regular season tied for second in the Pac-12 with UCLA, sporting an 8-2-1 conference record. USC also finished the regular season at 14-3-1 — the same total win count the Trojans held at the close of the 2016 campaign before going on a tear to win the NCAA title.
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 on Oct. 24 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, and advanced to the NCAA Women's College Cup for the second time (also in 2007). During that historical run nearly ten years ago, the Trojans battled through Creighton (3-0), Missouri (1-0), Florida (1-0), and West Virginia (1-0) to advance to the Women's College Cup in College Station, Texas. In the national semifinals, USC was pitted against top-ranked and No. 1 seed UCLA. The Trojans came away with the thrilling 2-1 victory and showed their dominance in the final against Florida State, winning 2-0 at Aggie Soccer Complex and capturing the first NCAA women's soccer title for both the program and the Pac-12 conference. Fast forward to 2016 and the Trojans' road to the national title began with a 3-1 victory over Eastern Washington 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 4th minute goal by Alex Anthony held up as the Trojans won 1-0 and advanced to the 2016 Women's College Cup. In the national semifinal, USC defeated Georgetown 1-0 thanks to a 60th-minute finish by Katie Johnson. The Trojans then went on to face No. 1-ranked West Virginia in yet another thrilling NCAA final, where a trio of Trojan goals—one off a header by Morgan Andrews in the second minute (the fastest ever in College Cup history) and two more in the second half by Katie Johnson (including the game-winner in the 75th minute)—gave USC the 3-1 victory and the program's second national championship. Overall, USC is 19-11-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including going a perfect 6-0 in that 2007 run.
PRO TALK
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 to her 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 was reunited with teammate Andrews. Prudhomme was just one of three goalkeepers to be drafted. 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.  Four other USC alums were also active in the 2017 NWSP season: 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. 9 Trojans (14-3-1) will begin their NCAA title defense this weekend at McAlister Field as they host a familiar face in Big Sky champ Eastern Washington (16-5-1) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday (Nov. 11) at 12 p.m. USC was awarded a No. 3 seed in the tournament and hosts EWU for the second straight year in the first round. Â
IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: FIRST ROUND
The Trojans are making their 16th NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth straight under head coach Keidane McAlpine. In the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, USC hosted Big Sky Tournament champions Eastern Washington at McAlister Field, defeating the Eagles 3-1. In 2015, the Trojans came back from both a 2-0 deficit and a 3-2 deficit to tie Cal State Fullerton, thanks to the only hat trick in USC postseason history by Morgan Andrews to take the game to overtime and then PKs with the score tied 3-3. The Trojans would later advance in penalty kicks. In 2014, the Trojans fell in PKs at Pepperdine in the first round. Though the score was tied 1-1, the Waves would go on to advance 4-2 in PKs.
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON
Eastern Washington (16-5-1) won the Big Sky Conference Tournament and is led in scoring by senior forward Chloe Williams with 11 goals and three assists. Senior goalie Emily Busselman has seven shutouts on the year. The Trojans are 3-0 all-time against EWU. This marks the second consecutive meeting between the two schools in the NCAA Tournament, with USC having hosted EWU last season in the opening round at McAlister Field as well. The Trojans and the Eagles also met in Sept. 2006 at McAlister Field, with the Trojans winning 2-0, and again in 2010 when they took a trip to Cheney, Wash., and won 5-1.
NCAA NOTESÂ
USC has won two national championships in program history (2007, 2016) and holds the distinction of being the first Pac-12 program to win an NCAA women's soccer title. Additionally, USC is the only Pac-12 school with two championships and is just one of four programs in the nation to hold multiple NCAA titles to its name. The first championship came in 2007 on the backs of All-Americans Amy Rodriguez and Kristin Olsen in goal. The Trojans shut out five of their six competitors during that run to the final in College Station, Texas, where they defeated Florida State 2-0. Nearly 10 years later, the Trojans found that winning magic once again and went on a tear in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. After hosting the first four rounds at McAlister Field, USC advanced to the Women's College Cup at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., after downing Auburn 1-0 in the NCAA quarterfinals. In the College Cup, the Trojans defeated two teams ranked above them—No. 5 Georgetown and No. 1 West Virginia—in the national semifinals and finals, respectively, to claim the program's second NCAA soccer championship. USC is a perfect two for two in NCAA College Cup Final appearances. The Trojans are 19-11-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.Â
THIS TIME LAST YEARÂ
USC earned a No. 2 seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, the highest seed in program history since earning a No. 2 seed in 2007. The Trojans had finished the regular season with a record of 14-4-1 (8-2-1 Pac-12) and hosted Big Sky Tournament champs Eastern Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at McAlister Field. After a 3-1 victory over EWU, a home win in the second round on penalty kicks (4-3) against Texas A&M, and a 1-0 Sweet Sixteen victory over Pac-12 foe Utah, the Trojans faced off against the visiting Auburn Tigers in the NCAA quarterfinal at McAlister Field again. A goal in the 4th minute by Alex Anthony would hold and propel the Trojans into the 2016 Women's College Cup for just the second time ever, where they would go on to defeat Georgetown at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., 1-0 thanks to a 60th minute finish by Katie Johnson. In the NCAA final, the underdog Trojans took on No. 1-ranked West Virginia. In an exciting championship match, USC used a goal by Morgan Andrews in the 2nd minute and a brace by Johnson in the second half to cap the 3-1 victory and the program's second national championship. With the win, head coach Keidane McAlpine became just the second African-American head coach to win an NCAA Division I women's college soccer title. Furthermore, the victory was also USC's 126th national championship.
RANKINGS
USC is ranked No. 9 this week in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the TopDrawer Soccer Poll. The Trojans started the season ranked No. 4 and have been ranked all season. USC has also been ranked for 27 straight weeks, dating back to Sept. 16 of 2016.
PROGRAM BEST
In going 14-1-1 in the first 16 games of 2017, USC set a new season-best start in program history since opening up 13-1-1 in 1997. Five of those wins were comeback efforts, including two comebacks with multiple goals in the last five minutes — at LMU and against Oregon.Â
IN THE NATION
The Trojans rank No. 12 in the nation in shots per game with 17.78. The team also ranks No. 16 nationally with a win-loss percentage of 0.806. The Trojans' RPI is currently sitting at 18.
LAST WEEK
The Trojans dropped a close overtime contest to crosstown rival No. 5 UCLA in Westwood by a 3-2 score. Playing in front of an NCAA women's soccer regular season record crowd of 11,925 fans, the Trojans would take the lead just 11 minutes into the game after senior Nicole Molen scored on a header that was crossed into the box by sophomores Julia Bingham and Jalen Woodward. UCLA would later equalize in the 26th minute, but it was Molen who scored once again to reclaim the lead in the 34th minute after a scramble in the box. Her brace would hold heading into halftime, 2-1 in favor of the Trojans. In the second half, UCLA would equalize in the 65th minute and then score just 80 seconds into extra time to claim the victory. In all, USC wrapped the regular season tied for second in the Pac-12 with UCLA, sporting an 8-2-1 conference record. USC also finished the regular season at 14-3-1 — the same total win count the Trojans held at the close of the 2016 campaign before going on a tear to win the NCAA title.
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 on Oct. 24 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, and advanced to the NCAA Women's College Cup for the second time (also in 2007). During that historical run nearly ten years ago, the Trojans battled through Creighton (3-0), Missouri (1-0), Florida (1-0), and West Virginia (1-0) to advance to the Women's College Cup in College Station, Texas. In the national semifinals, USC was pitted against top-ranked and No. 1 seed UCLA. The Trojans came away with the thrilling 2-1 victory and showed their dominance in the final against Florida State, winning 2-0 at Aggie Soccer Complex and capturing the first NCAA women's soccer title for both the program and the Pac-12 conference. Fast forward to 2016 and the Trojans' road to the national title began with a 3-1 victory over Eastern Washington 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 4th minute goal by Alex Anthony held up as the Trojans won 1-0 and advanced to the 2016 Women's College Cup. In the national semifinal, USC defeated Georgetown 1-0 thanks to a 60th-minute finish by Katie Johnson. The Trojans then went on to face No. 1-ranked West Virginia in yet another thrilling NCAA final, where a trio of Trojan goals—one off a header by Morgan Andrews in the second minute (the fastest ever in College Cup history) and two more in the second half by Katie Johnson (including the game-winner in the 75th minute)—gave USC the 3-1 victory and the program's second national championship. Overall, USC is 19-11-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including going a perfect 6-0 in that 2007 run.
PRO TALK
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 to her 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 was reunited with teammate Andrews. Prudhomme was just one of three goalkeepers to be drafted. 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.  Four other USC alums were also active in the 2017 NWSP season: 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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Thursday, September 25
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