No. 17 USC Lacrosse Completes Two-Game Sweep on the East Coast With a Win Over Villanova

Sunday, February 11

Villanova, Pa.

9:00 AM

USC

2-0

Villanova

0-1

USC

Villanova

Photo by: Ben Amps

No. 17 USC Lacrosse Completes Two-Game Sweep on the East Coast With a Win Over Villanova

February 11, 2024 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Highlights

Three Trojans posted hat tricks, as the Women of Troy bested the Wildcats 12-11 on the road

VILLANOVA, Pa. - No. 17 USC lacrosse (2-0) survived a late-game surge by Villanova (0-1), besting the Wildcats 12-11 on Sunday, Feb. 11, at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pa.

KEY PLAYERS:

Redshirt junior Isabelle Vitale produced four assists during the game. Her second assist on the day put her in elite company, as she now ranks second in program history for assists in a career at USC (74).
The Women of Troy had three players accumulate a hat trick as graduate student Ella Heaney posted her second on the season; that brings her to nine goals in two games for USC. This is her 17th career hat trick, which puts her in sole possession of the fifth most in a USC career. Heaney also added two assists to give her five total points. Senior Claudia Shevitz had four goals, which gives her 11 career hat tricks. That total moves her in a tie for 11th most in program history. Senior Shelby Tilton's hat trick is similar to Shevitz's as she has 11 for her career, which puts the two in a tie for 11th all-time.
On the defensive side, junior Catherine Lord had a team-high four ground balls, and sophomore Kate Gerrity had two caused turnovers.
From the circle, freshman Anna Regan continued her success. In her second outing, she had eight draw controls, for a total of 19 for her first two games.
Senior Kait Devir posted four saves on the afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The first quarter saw Heaney's emergence again and a defensive effort that limited the Wildcats to just one goal. Most of that success came as the Women of Troy shut out Nova in the circle, leading 4-0 in draw controls. Regan was at the forefront of that, as she secured three of those draw controls and has been a force to start the season. Heaney has also been a force but on the offensive side, as she posted two goals in the first, including one with less than a second left in the quarter.
On the flip side, the Wildcats owned the second quarter, as they outscored the Women of Troy 3-1. Nova placed four shots on goal in the second, and three of those made their way into the net. On the defensive side, the Wildcats outdrew the Women of Troy 4-1 and forced six turnovers in the second quarter. The lone highlight of the second was Tilton, as she scored a goal to tie it up at four goals each with 2:55 left in the quarter.
The third quarter saw the Women of Troy take advantage of various player-up situations, as USC scored three goals in those moments. There was more to the story though, as the Women of Troy won the quarter, outscoring Nova 6-0 in the third. Vitale posted a passing hat trick in that quarter, assisting on three of the six goals. Four of those goals came from two players: Shevitz had two (her third goal gave her a hat trick at :18), and Tilton had two. Heading into the fourth, USC led 10-4.
The fourth quarter was owned by the Wildcats, as they put together a late-game surge that almost erased the Trojans' early lead. Nova produced seven goals compared to USC's two in the quarter. A goal put the lead to just one (12-11) in that run with 1:16 left on the clock. In the most pivotal moment in the matchup, junior Christina Gagnon was in the circle and got the ball over to Lord, giving the Trojans their final offensive possession. USC would turn the ball over, but Vitale continued to impress, as she immediately forced the final turnover to give the Trojans their second win.

UP NEXT:
The Women of Troy host their first home game of the young season when Hofstra comes to town at noon on Feb. 17 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.

GAME NOTES:

USC is now 113-18 against unranked teams all-time.
The Women of Troy have played 39 games in the Eastern Time Zone and is 19-20 overall.
USC is 2-0 all-time versus Villanova and now 1-0 on the road against the Wildcats.
The Women of Troy are playing in Pennsylvania for the first time and are now 1-0 in the state.
With Isabelle Vitale's second assist at 10:47 in the third, she moved into the second spot in program history for the most assists (72) in a career.
Heaney's hat trick is her second straight, putting her at nine goals through two games this season.