No. 6 USC Lacrosse Set For Midwest Road Tests

LOS ANGELES – The sixth-ranked USC lacrosse team (1-1) heads to the Midwest for a pair of tough tests against ranked opponents this week. First, the Women of Troy face USC's traditional intersectional football rival No. 18 Notre Dame (2-1) on Friday (Feb. 23) in South Bend, Ind. The teams will play at the Loftus indoor field with first draw set for 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT). In a budding collegiate lacrosse rivalry, the Trojans then head to Chicago to take on No. 15 Northwestern (3-1) on Sunday (Feb. 25) at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Ill., at noon CT (10 a.m. PT).

Back-to-back road games against ranked opponents extend the Trojans' treacherous non-conference schedule. USC comes off a tough 14-10 loss to No. 2-ranked Stony Brook and began the season with an 11-5 win over Virginia Tech on the road. When the Women of Troy finally open their home schedule, they must face a top-10 ranked Boston College at McAlister Field (March 7).

The last time USC made this same Midwest trip, the Trojans defeated Notre Dame, 5-4, and claimed a 14-11 win over Northwestern in 2016. USC is 13-20 all-time against ranked opponents and has won 39 of its last 45 overall contests. All six losses were road or neutral games against ranked foes.

USC returns a pair of senior defensive anchors in IWLCA All-American defender Lydia Sutton (4ct, 3gb) and All-Region goalie Gussie Johns (9.50gaa, .525). Midfielder Kerrigan Miller (2g, 2a, 2dc) brings back her all-around game to lead the Trojans' attack. After graduating over 200 goals from a season ago, USC will turn to midfielder Kaeli Huff (3g, 1a), attacker Gabbi Klein (4a, 2gb, 2ct), and a host of underclassmen and transfers to power the offense. Kelsey Huff (5g, 1a) and Maeve McMahon (5g, 2a, 6dc) have made immediate impacts. Defender Jackie Gilbert runs the center circle (16dc) for the Trojans. Sixth-year head coach Lindsey Munday owns a 70-31 overall record at the helm for the Women of Troy.

GAME #3
No. 6 USC (1-1) at No. 18 Notre Dame (2-1)
Loftus Sports Center • South Bend, Ind.
Friday, Feb. 23 • 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT)
Series History: USC leads, 1-0 (1.000) • Streak: W1
Last Meeting: W, 5-4 (Apr. 18, 2016 • South Bend, Ind.)
TV: ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN
Opponent Web: UND.com

GAME #4
No. 6 USC (1-1) at No. 15 Northwestern (3-1)
Martin Stadium • Evanston, Ill.
Sunday, Feb. 25 • 12 p.m. CT (10 a.m. PT)
Series History: USC trails, 2-3 (.400) • Streak: W2
Last Meeting: W, 11-10 OT (Feb. 18, 2017 • Torrance)
TV/Web Stream: FloLive.tv
Opponent Web: NUSports.com

CROSSExamination

USC is ranked a season-high No. 6 in the IWLCA poll.
The Trojans play their second and third consecutive ranked opponents this week. USC is 13-20 all-time against ranked teams.
USC is 11-12 in all-time games played in the Eastern Time zone.
The Trojans are 39-6 in their last 45 contests.
USC was picked to finish first in its inaugural Pac-12 season.
Northwestern is the only non-conference opponent the Trojans have faced in each of the program's five years in existence.
USC has played in five overtime games all-time. Two were against Northwestern with one loss (2015) and one win (2017).
The Trojans are 1-1 in games played in the state of Illinois and 1-0 in Indiana.

SCOUTING NO. 18 NOTRE DAME: The Fighting Irish (2-1) opened the season with a 13-11 loss to conference foe Boston College but have since produced big road wins over Jacksonville (17-6) and Stetson (21-7). Notre Dame is led by Nikki Ortega (10g, 4a) and Andie Aldave (6g, 5a, 21dc). In goal, Samantha Giacolone has 28 saves in three games and leads the team with 10 ground balls. USC is 1-0 all-time against the Irish and earned a 5-4 victory over the Irish at Arlotta Stadium in 2016 (April 18).

SCOUTING NO. 15 NORTHWESTERN: The Wildcats (3-1) suffered their only loss in a narrow 9-8 defeat at Duke last week. NU already owns a win over Pac-12 opponent Colorado (15-8). Selena Lasota (12g, 6a, 14dc, 7gb) and Julie Krupnick (7.00gaa, .475) lead the Cats. NU is the only non-conference opponent USC has played every year of its program history. The Trojans are 2-3 all-time against the Wildcats but have won each of the last two games. Two of USC's five all-time overtime games were against Northwestern: a 12-11 loss at the LA Coliseum (2015) and an 11-10 win in Torrance, Calif. (2017).

TRACK THE TROJANS: Fans of USC lacrosse can follow the Trojans on Twitter and Instagram. For a behind-the-scenes look at the program, scores, and news updates, follow @USCTrojansLax. USC is scheduled to appear in three Pac-12 Networks broadcasts this spring. Home games against Colorado (Mar. 16), California (Mar. 30), and Stanford (Apr. 1) will be on the networks' national and regional channels. Pac-12 championship games will also be televised on the Networks. The Trojans faced Virginia Tech (Feb. 10) on ACC Network Extra and will appear on the same platform against Notre Dame (Feb. 23). USC's non-broadcast league games are shown on the Pac-12+ platform.

LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy suffered a 14-10 loss to No. 2-ranked Stony Brook at LeBard Stadium in Costa Mesa, Calif., as part of the Orange County Lacrosse Showcase. USC played two thirds of the game without the services of sophomore midfielder Kerrigan Miller who was not permitted to return after she received her second yellow card. Miller finished with two assists and a draw control. Despite facing a 9-4 deficit at the half, the Trojans battled back and pulled within three goals thanks to a pair of hat-trick performances from freshman midfielder Kelsey Huff and graduate attacker Maeve McMahon. In goal, senior Gussie Johns put up 12 saves and picked up six ground balls as part of the Trojans' defensive effort.

PAC IT UP: USC won the 2016 and 2017 MPSF (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) championships but will play under the banner of the Pac-12 Conference in 2018. Women's lacrosse became the 13th women's sport sponsored by the Pac-12 when it was added for 2018. With the addition of Arizona State, the Pac-12 reached the minimum of six teams to receive an automatic qualifier bid into the NCAA championship. The first-ever Pac-12 Lacrosse Championship will be held April 26-29 at Prentup Field at University of Colorado. USC has won 18 consecutive conference games dating back to the end of 2015. The Trojans were undefeated in the MPSF in 2016 (9-0) and 2017 (8-0).

EAST COAST BIAS: USC has played 23 games on the East Coast (in the Eastern time zone) and holds an 11-12 overall record in those games. The Trojans own wins over Stetson, Dartmouth (2), LIU Brooklyn, Marist, Florida, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech in true road games. USC defeated James Madison at a neutral location in the 2015 NCAA first round in Durham, N.C.; beat Ohio State in a game played in New Jersey; and took down Jacksonville in Gainesville, Fla., in the first round of the 2017 NCAA tournament.

POLL POSITION: The Trojans opened the season ranked No. 8 in the IWLCA Coaches' preseason poll. USC has spent 31 consecutive weeks ranked in the IWLCA poll (including 26 straight in the top 10) dating back to a No. 19 ranking in the 2016 preseason poll. The Trojans are 9-12 against teams ranked in the top 10 of the poll and 2-8 against teams ranked among the top five.

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Players Mentioned

Jackie Gilbert

Kaeli Huff

Kelsey Huff

Gussie Johns

Gabbi Klein

Maeve McMahon

Kerrigan Miller

Lydia Sutton