No. 16 Trojans Hit Bay Area For Pac-12 Round Two

LOS ANGELES – No. 16 USC lacrosse (10-1, 5-0 Pac-12) takes a season-long seven-game winning streak into the back half of the Pac-12 schedule and hits the road for match-ups at California (5-7, 2-3) on Friday (March 29) and at No. 20 Stanford (7-3, 3-2) on Sunday (March 31). This streak is the Trojans' longest since a 12-game streak took them into the 2017 NCAA quarterfinals (March 26-May 14).

GAME #12 • Friday, March 29 • 5 p.m. PT
No. 16 USC (10-1, 5-0) at California (5-7, 2-3)
California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, Calif.
SERIES HISTORY: USC leads, 7-1 (.875) • STREAK: W7
LAST MEETING: W, 19-7 (Mar. 23, 2019 • McAlister Field)
STREAM: Pac-12+ Cal Stream
OPPONENT WEB: CalBears.com

GAME #13 • Sunday, March 31 • 1 p.m. PT
No. 16 USC (10-1, 5-0) at No. 20 Stanford (7-3, 3-2)
Cagan Stadium • Stanford, Calif.
SERIES HISTORY: Tied, 6-6 (.500) • STREAK: W1
LAST MEETING: W, 10-9 (Mar. 25, 2019 • McAlister Field)
TV: Pac-12 Bay Area (Troy Clardy)
OPPONENT WEB: GoStanford.com

CROSSExamination

USC is ranked No. 16 in the IWLCA coaches poll; the 48th consecutive week that the Trojans are ranked in the poll.
The Trojans' seven-game winning streak is a season long and the longest since a 12-game streak (March 26-May 14, 2017).
The Women of Troy are amidst a nine-day stretch during which they will play four games; with the back two on the road.
The Trojans are 8-3 all-time in the Bay Area. 3-0 at Cal; 2-0 at Saint Mary's College; 2-3 at Stanford; and 1-0 in neutral games (vs. Denver, 2016).
USC has beaten Cal by double-digit margins in five of the last seven meetings.
The Trojans and the Cardinal have had five one-goal final margins in 12 matchups including three times in the last four head-to-heads.
USC has held each of its Pac-12 opponents under 10 goals (5.80 gaa).
No. 20 Stanford is the fifth ranked opponent the Trojans face this season. USC owns 18 all-time wins over ranked foes (18-27).
Eight different Trojans have scored double-digit goals this season; nine players have scored five goals or more through 11 contests.
Seventh-year head coach Lindsey Munday is 89-39 all-time.

The Trojans lead the Pac-12 and are 12th in the NCAA with a plus-5.70 margin of victory. USC also leads the conference in goals-against average (9.00 gaa), goals per game (14.70 gpg), and shot percentage (.434). Eight Women of Troy have scored double-digit goals through 11 games including sophomore team leader Kelsey Huff who has 27 points on 23 goals and four assists. Sophomore Sophia Donovan has 28 points (21g, 7a). Junior Hope Anhut also has 28 points as the team's top distributor with 10 assists (18 goals). Senior Emily Concialdi (18g, 7a) has 25 points. Huff also has 17 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers. Junior Izzy McMahon also has 25 points (18g, 7a).

Junior midfielder Kerrigan Miller does a little of everything. She has 14 goals, 29 draw controls, 30 ground balls, and a team-high 20 caused turnovers. She ranks third in the Pac-12 for ground balls (2.80 gbpg). In goal, sophomore Riley Hertford leads the league with a 9.10 goals-against average and tops all players with 3.40 ground balls per game. In the center circle, senior Jackie Gilbert has 65 draw controls and leads the league at 6.10 per game. She also has 15 caused turnovers and 12 ground balls. Seventh-year head coach Lindsey Munday (89-39) leads an experienced and battle-tested squad into a quest for a fourth NCAA berth.

SCOUTING REPORT - CALIFORNIA: The Golden Bears (5-7, 2-3 Pac-12) split games last week with their loss to the Trojans and a 12-11 overtime victory at Arizona State. The win over the Sun Devils snapped a three-game skid. Cal has five players in double-digit goals led by Kirsten Swanson and Caroline Corzel who have 25 and 23 goals respectively. Eliza Christman leads the team with 58 draw controls. Christman (21), Susie Ropp (18), and Marisa Kuberra (17) are the Bears' other three top scorers. In goal, Jenny Wilkens leads the team with 37 ground balls and has a .421 save percentage with a 12.75 goals-against average. The Trojans are 7-1 all-time against California and have won seven straight in the head-to-head series with five double-digit victories.

SCOUTING REPORT - NO. 20 STANFORD: The Cardinal (7-3, 3-2 Pac-12) took down Arizona State but fell in a narrow 10-9 final to USC in its trip to the Southern Pac-12 teams. Two of Stanford's three losses are by a single goal and were suffered following last-second chances to tie. The Cardinal took a home loss to Colorado, 20-13, on March 8, but owns a big road win over No. 10 Stony Brook. Ali Baiocco leads Stanford in goals (28) and assists (14). Daniella McMahon (21, 9a) and Katherine Gjertsen (19g, 7a) are the Cardinal's other leading point scorers. In goal, Trudie Grattan has a 10.23 goals-against average and a .511 save percentage. USC is 6-6 in 12 all-time meetings with the Cardinal but 2-3 on The Farm. The Trojans and the Cardinal have had five one-goal decisions between them including three of the last four meetings.

TRACK THE TROJANS: For a behind-the-scenes look, fans of USC lacrosse can follow the Trojans on Twitter and Instagram at @USCTrojansLax. USC will appear in four live Pac-12 Networks broadcasts this spring. Home games against Stanford (Mar. 25), Colorado (Apr. 5), and Oregon (Apr. 7); and a road game at Stanford (Mar. 31) will be shown on the Networks' national and regional channels. Pac-12 tournament games will also be carried on the network's channels. All non-broadcast league games will be shown on the Pac-12+ stream platform.

LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy extended to a season-long seven-game winning streak and completed the front half of the Pac-12 schedule undefeated (5-0) with a 19-7 win over California and a hard-fought 10-9 victory over No. 20 Stanford at McAlister Field. The two wins brought the program's all-time record at McAlister Field to 40-10. Izzy McMahon (4) and Kaeli Huff (3) had hat tricks against the Bears to mark the fifth time that two different Trojans had hat tricks in the same game this season. Jackie Gilbert matched her career high with 12 draw controls against Cal. Riley Hertford posted a new career best and matched the second-highest total in school history with 17 saves in the one-goal win over the Cardinal. Kelsey Huff provided the firepower against Stanford and notched her 10th-career hat trick.

LET'S GET IT STARTED: USC improved to 4-3 all-time in season openers following its 15-10 win over Hofstra (Feb. 9). The Trojans started the year 3-0 before suffering a loss; the second-best start in school history. The program record for consecutive wins to open a season is 20 when USC blazed a trail into the 2016 NCAA quarterfinals with a 20-0 record. The Trojans are also 7-0 in all-time league openers (5-0 in the MPSF and 2-0 in the Pac-12).

FRESH RECORDS: In USC's game against Hofstra, freshman attacker Katie Ramsay became the first Trojan freshman to record a hat trick in her first collegiate game since 2013 (Maggie Mawhinney vs. Presbyterian; Feb. 13). She scored the first goal of the game, which marked only the third time that a freshman scored the Trojans' first goal of the season. Ramsay joined Kelsey Huff (2018 at Virginia Tech) and Amanda Johansen (2013 vs. Northwestern).

NET VALUE: Sophomore goalie Riley Hertford's win on Feb. 9 vs. Hofstra marked just the second time that a USC netminder has earned a victory in her first-career start. The other was Cassandra Collins (April 24, 2016) in her senior game start against UC Davis. Hertford's then-career high 11 saves against Jacksonville (Feb. 24) made her just the third USC goalie to collect double-digit saves in a game.

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Players Mentioned

Hope Anhut

Emily Concialdi

Sophia Donovan

Jackie Gilbert

Riley Hertford

Kaeli Huff

Kelsey Huff

Izzy McMahon

Kerrigan Miller

Katie Ramsay