University Southern California Trojans
Friday, August 24
Los Angeles, CA
3:00 PM
USC
vs
Cal Poly
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F/D
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F/D
/ Women's Soccer
Mid.
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's SoccerNo. 8 Trojans Host Cal Poly, Head to Pepperdine
August 21, 2018 | Women's Soccer, Features
THIS WEEK - The No. 8 USC women's soccer team plays its home opener on Friday at McAlister Field against Cal Poly and then will head to Pepperdine for another non-conference match on Sunday.
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GAME 2 - Â No. 8 USC (1-0) vs. Cal Poly (0-0-1) - Aug. 24, 3 p.m. (Los Angeles/McAlister Field)
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GAME 3 -Â No. 8 USC (1-0) at Pepperdine (0-2) - Aug. 26, 1 p.m. (Malibu, Calif./Tari Frahm Rokus)
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HOW TO FOLLOW - Friday's game will be streamed live via Pac-12.com and Sunday's game will be streamed on TheW.tv. Links to the broadcasts and live stats for both games will be available on the USC soccer schedule page at USCTrojans.com. Fans can also follow @USC_Wsoccer on Twitter for in-game updates all season long.
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SOCIAL MEDIA - Keep up with everything USC soccer this year by following the Trojans on all of their social media platforms. You can follow @USCWsoccer on Instagram and @USC_Wsoccer on Twitter, and like USC Women's Soccer on Facebook.
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LAST WEEK - The Trojans opened the season at UC Irvine last week, beating the Anteaters 1-0 thanks to a first-half goal from Natalie Jacobs. Kaylie Collins made three saves in the game to pick up her 8th career shutout.
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SCOUTING CAL POLY - The Mustangs played to a draw with Marquette in their opening game last week ... Cal Poly finished last year 7-9-3, 7th in the Big West ... USC is 0-3 all-time against the Mustangs, with the teams last playing in 1995.
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SCOUTING PEPPERDINE - Pepperdine is 0-2 after dropping games at Kansas and Texas Tech last week ... The Waves were No. 18 in the preseason poll and are currently receiving votes ... Pepperdine is coming off back-to-back WCC titles and finished last year 15-3-3 with a run into the second round of the NCAA Tournament ... USC is 7-6-1 all-time against the Waves
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PRESEASON EXHIBITION - USC traveled up to UC Davis this preseason for an exhibition game on Aug. 11, beating the Aggies 4-0 in a dominant early-season performance. Four different Trojans scored in the game, with Leah Pruitt getting things going in the first half and Madeline Vergura adding a goal just before the break. Natalie Jacobs and Megan McCashland each scored in the second half.
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DYNAMIC DEBUT - Natalie Jacobs scored the game-winner in her first game in a Trojan uniform (Aug. 16 vs. UC Irvine), which also happened to fall on her 21st birthday. Jacobs was Notre Dame's leading scorer last year before transferring back to her home state of California to play at USC.
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LAST YEAR - The Trojans are coming off a 15-3-2 season in which they made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Baylor in penalty kicks. USC finished tied for second in the Pac-12 after losing only to UCLA and Stanford, and drawing with Utah, during conference play. The Trojans hosted Eastern Washington in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, advancing with a 2-1 win.
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2018 ROSTER AT-A-GLANCE - USC brings back a pair of All Pac-12 first-teamers in senior Ally Prisock and sophomore Savannah DeMelo, along with All Pac-12 second team honoree Leah Pruitt. DeMelo was also named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team along with fellow returners Tara McKeown and Kaylie Collins. The Trojans added the second-ranked recruiting class in the nation this offseason and bring in four highly-experienced transfers as well in Natalie Jacobs (Notre Dame), Megan McCashland (Notre Dame), Alea Hyatt (North Carolina) and Jessie Holmes (Florida).
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ROSTER BREAKDOWN
PRESEASON HONORS - Several Trojans garnered preseason recognition heading into the 2018 season, most notably Ally Prisock and Savannah DeMelo, who were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list. Prisock and Natalie Jacobs were also named to Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Best XI second and third teams respectively.
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UNITED SOCCER COACHES PRESEASON POLL - The Trojans finished last year at No. 13 in the national poll, moving up one spot in this year's preseason rankings. USC was one of four Pac-12 teams in the preseason Top 25, with Stanford ranked No. 1, UCLA ranked No. 2 and Washington State ranked No. 21. California, Colorado and Arizona were also receiving votes in the coaches poll. Stanford is the reigning National Champion after beating UCLA in last year's title game, with the Cardinal receiving 34 of 35 first-place votes, and the Bruins picking up the other.
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PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL - Stanford and UCLA again came in at No. 1 and 2 in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll after playing in last year's title game. The Trojans were picked third with a total of 98 points in the poll. Stanford had 121 points and 11 first-place votes, while UCLA had 109 points and one first-place vote. Coming in behind USC was California with 90 points and then Colorado rounded out the top five with 74 points.
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STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE - The Preseason Top 25 was littered with Trojan opponents this season, with three conference opponents and three non-conference opponents ranked coming into the season. Pac-12 teams Stanford (No. 1), UCLA (No. 2) and Washington State (No. 21) were all ranked, along with the three receiving votes (Cal, Colorado and Arizona). Also in the preseason rankings were No. 7 Florida, No. 10 Florida State and No. 18 Pepperdine.
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U-20 WORLD CUP - Four Trojans played for their U-20 National Teams at the U-20 World Cup this summer, with Savannah DeMelo, Tara McKeown and Penelope Hocking representing the U.S., and Ashley Soto playing for Mexico. DeMelo scored four times in three starts for the U.S., including a hat trick against Paraguay. McKeown got one start against Paraguay and Hocking appeared as a sub against Paraguay and Spain. Soto started all three games on the backling for Mexico.
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TROJANS IN THE PROS - Trojan alums currently playing in the NWSL include Morgan Andrews (Seattle Reign), Sammy Jo Prudhomme (Houston Dash), Mandy Freeman, Katie Johnson (Sky Blue FC), Elizabeth Eddy (NC Courage), Samantha Johnson and Amy Rodriguez (Utah Royals FC). Several other Trojans are playing overseas professionally, Savannah Levin with Ko in Sweden, Alex Quincey with Medkila in Norway and Nicole Molen with MTK Hungary.
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GAME 2 - Â No. 8 USC (1-0) vs. Cal Poly (0-0-1) - Aug. 24, 3 p.m. (Los Angeles/McAlister Field)
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GAME 3 -Â No. 8 USC (1-0) at Pepperdine (0-2) - Aug. 26, 1 p.m. (Malibu, Calif./Tari Frahm Rokus)
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HOW TO FOLLOW - Friday's game will be streamed live via Pac-12.com and Sunday's game will be streamed on TheW.tv. Links to the broadcasts and live stats for both games will be available on the USC soccer schedule page at USCTrojans.com. Fans can also follow @USC_Wsoccer on Twitter for in-game updates all season long.
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SOCIAL MEDIA - Keep up with everything USC soccer this year by following the Trojans on all of their social media platforms. You can follow @USCWsoccer on Instagram and @USC_Wsoccer on Twitter, and like USC Women's Soccer on Facebook.
Â
LAST WEEK - The Trojans opened the season at UC Irvine last week, beating the Anteaters 1-0 thanks to a first-half goal from Natalie Jacobs. Kaylie Collins made three saves in the game to pick up her 8th career shutout.
Â
SCOUTING CAL POLY - The Mustangs played to a draw with Marquette in their opening game last week ... Cal Poly finished last year 7-9-3, 7th in the Big West ... USC is 0-3 all-time against the Mustangs, with the teams last playing in 1995.
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SCOUTING PEPPERDINE - Pepperdine is 0-2 after dropping games at Kansas and Texas Tech last week ... The Waves were No. 18 in the preseason poll and are currently receiving votes ... Pepperdine is coming off back-to-back WCC titles and finished last year 15-3-3 with a run into the second round of the NCAA Tournament ... USC is 7-6-1 all-time against the Waves
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PRESEASON EXHIBITION - USC traveled up to UC Davis this preseason for an exhibition game on Aug. 11, beating the Aggies 4-0 in a dominant early-season performance. Four different Trojans scored in the game, with Leah Pruitt getting things going in the first half and Madeline Vergura adding a goal just before the break. Natalie Jacobs and Megan McCashland each scored in the second half.
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DYNAMIC DEBUT - Natalie Jacobs scored the game-winner in her first game in a Trojan uniform (Aug. 16 vs. UC Irvine), which also happened to fall on her 21st birthday. Jacobs was Notre Dame's leading scorer last year before transferring back to her home state of California to play at USC.
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LAST YEAR - The Trojans are coming off a 15-3-2 season in which they made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Baylor in penalty kicks. USC finished tied for second in the Pac-12 after losing only to UCLA and Stanford, and drawing with Utah, during conference play. The Trojans hosted Eastern Washington in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, advancing with a 2-1 win.
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2018 ROSTER AT-A-GLANCE - USC brings back a pair of All Pac-12 first-teamers in senior Ally Prisock and sophomore Savannah DeMelo, along with All Pac-12 second team honoree Leah Pruitt. DeMelo was also named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team along with fellow returners Tara McKeown and Kaylie Collins. The Trojans added the second-ranked recruiting class in the nation this offseason and bring in four highly-experienced transfers as well in Natalie Jacobs (Notre Dame), Megan McCashland (Notre Dame), Alea Hyatt (North Carolina) and Jessie Holmes (Florida).
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ROSTER BREAKDOWN
- Returners: 16 / Newcomers: 11 (4 Transfers, 7 Freshmen) / Players lost: 11
- By class - GRAD: 2 / SR: 3 / JR: 5 (1 RS) / SO: 9 (3 RS) / FR: 8 (1 RS)
- By position - GK: 4 / DEF: 10 / MF: 9 / FWD: 7 (3 players listed at multiple positions)
- By home state - Calif: 19 / Wash: 2 / Nev, Mass, Colo, Neb, Ga: 1 / England: 1
PRESEASON HONORS - Several Trojans garnered preseason recognition heading into the 2018 season, most notably Ally Prisock and Savannah DeMelo, who were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list. Prisock and Natalie Jacobs were also named to Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Best XI second and third teams respectively.
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UNITED SOCCER COACHES PRESEASON POLL - The Trojans finished last year at No. 13 in the national poll, moving up one spot in this year's preseason rankings. USC was one of four Pac-12 teams in the preseason Top 25, with Stanford ranked No. 1, UCLA ranked No. 2 and Washington State ranked No. 21. California, Colorado and Arizona were also receiving votes in the coaches poll. Stanford is the reigning National Champion after beating UCLA in last year's title game, with the Cardinal receiving 34 of 35 first-place votes, and the Bruins picking up the other.
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PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL - Stanford and UCLA again came in at No. 1 and 2 in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll after playing in last year's title game. The Trojans were picked third with a total of 98 points in the poll. Stanford had 121 points and 11 first-place votes, while UCLA had 109 points and one first-place vote. Coming in behind USC was California with 90 points and then Colorado rounded out the top five with 74 points.
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STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE - The Preseason Top 25 was littered with Trojan opponents this season, with three conference opponents and three non-conference opponents ranked coming into the season. Pac-12 teams Stanford (No. 1), UCLA (No. 2) and Washington State (No. 21) were all ranked, along with the three receiving votes (Cal, Colorado and Arizona). Also in the preseason rankings were No. 7 Florida, No. 10 Florida State and No. 18 Pepperdine.
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U-20 WORLD CUP - Four Trojans played for their U-20 National Teams at the U-20 World Cup this summer, with Savannah DeMelo, Tara McKeown and Penelope Hocking representing the U.S., and Ashley Soto playing for Mexico. DeMelo scored four times in three starts for the U.S., including a hat trick against Paraguay. McKeown got one start against Paraguay and Hocking appeared as a sub against Paraguay and Spain. Soto started all three games on the backling for Mexico.
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TROJANS IN THE PROS - Trojan alums currently playing in the NWSL include Morgan Andrews (Seattle Reign), Sammy Jo Prudhomme (Houston Dash), Mandy Freeman, Katie Johnson (Sky Blue FC), Elizabeth Eddy (NC Courage), Samantha Johnson and Amy Rodriguez (Utah Royals FC). Several other Trojans are playing overseas professionally, Savannah Levin with Ko in Sweden, Alex Quincey with Medkila in Norway and Nicole Molen with MTK Hungary.
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