No. 18 USC Lacrosse Grounded The Ducks Offense In The 14-4 Victory

Sunday, March 26

Los Angeles, Calif.

12:00 PM

USC

8-2, 3-0Pac-12

Oregon

3-6, 0-4Pac-12

Oregon

USC

Photo by: Yannick Peterhans

No. 18 USC Lacrosse Grounded The Ducks Offense In The 14-4 Victory

March 26, 2023 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Highlights

The Trojans surrendered only two goals in the first three quarters, as their defense did not allow Oregon to muster any offense while the starters were in

LOS ANGELES - The 18th-ranked USC Lacrosse program's defensive pressure proved too much for Oregon, as it dismantled the Ducks 14-4 at McAlister Field Mar. 26.

KEY PLAYERS:

Sophomore Maddie Dora claimed a game-high for goals with four and shared the game-high in points with five. Redshirt sophomore Isabelle Vitale also posted five points with two goals and three assists. In the past three games, Vitale has 18 points, with 12 of those points coming from assists. Senior Ella Heaney also posted a hat trick; it is her third this season and 14th in her career.
On the defensive end, sophomore Catherine Lord led the squad with two caused turnovers. Lord added two draw controls to her total stats, but that category was led by graduate Katie Ramsay, who posted 11. Ramsay also contributed two goals to the winning effort.
The goalie of decision was junior Kait Devir. Devir posted five saves and only allowed two goals in 45 minutes of work.
Oregon had four players with goals, as Haley Taylor contributed two points with a goal and an assist.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Ducks got the scoring underway on their first possession at 13:28, but that was all they would get before the Trojans took charge. USC would average nearly a goal a minute for five minutes, as it scored the first goal at 12:35 and the last of the five goals at 7:28. A big proponent in that run was Dora, who assisted junior Shelby Tilton on the first goal and posted a goal for herself at the 10:26 mark.
The defense played a major focal point in the success of the first half, as the Trojans only allowed two total goals, and the Ducks produced just two shots in the second quarter. With the defense dominating, the offense continued their field day by creating five goals in the second quarter.
Once again, the defense dominated, as they pitched a shutout in the third. Goalie Kait Devir propelled that movement as she snagged three saves in the quarter. Devir would exit the game after the third, as she only allowed two goals in her three-quarters of work.
USC outscored Oregon 14-2 in those three quarters, as the Trojans would go out scoreless after putting in the backups to finish the game. The third quarter gave USC four more goals, as Vitale assisted on three of the four, and Dora found the back of the net in two of the four.
The Duck's first fourth-quarter goal broke a scoreless streak of 26:14.

UP NEXT:
The Trojans get to spend some time away from home as they travel to the middle portion of California to battle California Friday (Mar. 31) and Stanford Sunday (Apr. 2).

GAME NOTES:

USC is 7-0 since 2016 when facing Oregon for the first time in a new season.
The Trojans are 38-8 in conference home games (19-5, Pac-12; 18-3, MPSF).
USC is 104-17 all-time versus unranked opponents.
The Trojans are 34-10 all-time in Pac-12 games.
Isabelle Vitale's three assists put her at 51 career assists, which ranks her fifth all-time in USC history.
Maddie Dora claimed her fourth career hat trick, and Ella Heaney now has 14 for her career, and it's her third of the season.