No. 4 USC Women's Soccer Hosts Portland

THIS WEEK - The No. 4 USC women's soccer team hosts nonconference opponent Portland at Rawlinson Stadium this week. The match on Thursday will be under the lights at 7 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW - The match on Thursday will be broadcast live on BTN+. Links for the broadcast and live stats can be found on the women's soccer schedule page at USCTrojans.com. In-game updates will also be available on X (formerly Twitter) by following @USC_Wsoccer.

SOCIAL MEDIA - Keep up with everything USC women's soccer this year by following the Trojans on all of their social media platforms. You can follow @USCWsoccer on Instagram, @uscwomenssoccer on Tik Tok @USC_Wsoccer on X, and like USC Women's Soccer on Facebook.

RAWLINSON STADIUM - USC made a big investment in the women's soccer program with the construction of Rawlinson Stadium. The $38 million project was announced in 2023 and broke ground on April 9, 2024, with construction finishing this summer. The stadium was built over the site of the former McAlister Field and has a maximum capacity of 2,500 fans. USC held a ribbon cutting ceremony prior to Sunday's season opener against CBU.

DOMINANCE AGAINST NM ST. - On Sunday afternoon the Trojans took care of business against New Mexico State, picking up a 4-0 victory for the second time this season. USC owned a 35-2 shot advantage and 6-1 corner kick edge in the shutout win. Pressure from the Trojan offense was early and often, with the scoring opening in the 3rd minute. A steal by Jaiden Anderson then found Ines Derrien who found Faith George and beat the keeper one-on-one. Five and half minutes later Jaiden Anderson got a goal of her own, assisted by Derrien and Alison Hou. In the 34th minute Hana Mizumoto fired one into the back of the net to give the Trojans a 3-0 advantage. Derrien got a goal of her own in the second half, for her fourth point of the day, as well as Jaiden Anderson recording an assist for her fourth point of the game. Bella Grust was perfect in goal with her second shutout and third win.

THRILLING WIN VS PEPPERDINE - On Thursday night the Trojans won an absolute thriller under the lights against Pepperdine, 3-2. After an early score for the Waves, Maribel Flores scored her first goal of the game, driving up the sideline, cutting to the top of the area, and rocketing home a shot. After the break, the Waves were awarded a PK which was originally saved by Bella Grust but would score on the rebound. Faith George found the equalizer four minutes later, with assists from Jaiden Anderson and Ines Simas. Just over four minutes later, Flores scored what ended up being the game-winner, curling in a shot from the left side of the area. After another PK was awarded to the Waves, Grust came up huge with a save to keep the Trojan advantage in the 60th minute. USC owned a 14-7 shots advantage and 5-2 corner kick edge.

SEASON OPENER VS CBU - In the first ever game at the brand-new Rawlinson Stadium, USC put on a dominant performance against California Baptist, taking down the Lancers 4-0. Jaiden Anderson opened the scoring, converting a PK from the spot in the first half and four minutes later, Ines Derrien scored her first goal off a long pass from Tanna Schornstein to give the Trojans a 2-0 lead at halftime. Derrien added a second goal in the second half after Maribel Flores delivered a corner kick that was headed by Schornstein to Derrien, who buried a one-timer. Flores got a goal of her own five minutes later to cap off the scoring. Bella Grust made three saves to pick up the shutout win. USC held a ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to the game and then played in front of a sold-out crowd that evening.

LAST SEASON - USC won the regular season Big Ten Championship in the program's first season in the conference last year, going 10-0-1 in league play and 18-1-4 overall on the season. The Trojans earned their first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, playing into the quarterfinals before narrowly falling to Wake Forest. The team's .870 winning percentage was the best in program history and the Trojans' undefeated conference record was also a first for the program. USC finished the year ranked No. 5 in the final coaches poll.

HEAD COACH JANE ALUKONIS - Alukonis led the Trojans to one of the best seasons in program history in just her third year at the helm for USC and her third overall season as a collegiate head coach in 2024. She now owns a career coaching record of 43-9-10 and was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading USC to a conference championship.

COACHES POLL - USC started the season at No. 5 in the Preseason Coaches Poll and after going 3-0 over the first two weeks, moved into a tie for No. 4 this week. The Trojans are tied with TCU and are the highest ranked Big Ten squad.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. PORTLAND - The Trojans own an even 3-3 record against the Pilots. USC won the first ever meeting in 1999 in a nuetral site game at the Nebraska Fila Tournament. The most recent meeting came last year in Portland, where the Trojans won 2-1 behind a first-half strike from Kayla Colbert and a second-half penalty kick from Maile Hayes. Current Trojan Jaiden Anderson recorded her first career point in the game with an assist on the first Trojan goal.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE - The Trojans again play one of the most challenging schedules in the country, with 10 of USC's 16 opponents making last year's NCAA Tournament, seven winning at least one game in the tournament and one (Stanford) making the College Cup last year. Six of USC's opponents finished least year ranked in the Top 25 of the Coaches' Poll: No. 4 Stanford, No. 12 Iowa, No. 14 Michigan State, No. 17 Minnesota, No. 18 UCLA, No. 19 Wisconsin.

2025 PLAYER NOTES:

Maribel Flores has been impressive for the Trojans, scoring three goals in three games. In 190 minutes played she has also notched an assist. Her 1.00 goals per game is 1st in the Big Ten Conference and 23rd nationally. Flores' 7 points are tied for 2nd on the team.
Ines Derrien began her season with 2 goals against CBU. She added a goal and 2 assists against New Mexico State. Her 8 total points are the most in the conference with her 2.67 points per game being 15th in the nation.
Jaiden Anderson scored the first ever goal in Rawlinson Stadium history, converting on a PK in the season opener against CBU. The sophomore notched her first assist of the season in the Trojans win against Pepperdine, and scored her second goal of the season against NM State. Her 7 points are tied for 2nd on the team.
Faith George has 2 goals and an assist so far this season. Her first goal was the equalizer on Thursday night against Pepperdine, with her assist coming in the 4-0 opening night victory. Her most recent goal came as the eventual game winner against New Mexico State.
Bella Grust has been stellar for the Trojans in goal to start the year. The graduate student posted an opening night shutout against CBU, which was just the second time in 6 seasons a Trojan goalie has began the season with a shutout. In Thursdays game against Pepperdine, Grust was tested and responded with 4 saves, 2 PK saves, and the win. She added a combined shutout and third win on Sunday against New Mexico State.
Edra Bello leads all USC field players in minutes played as a freshman. Bello has started all three games on the back line, playing 241 minutes. She has one assist and has helped lead USC to two shutouts.

No. 4 USC Women's Soccer Hosts Portland

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Players Mentioned

Jaiden Anderson

Edra Bello

Kayla Colbert

Ines Derrien

Maribel Flores

Faith George

Bella Grust

Maile Hayes

Alison Hou

Hana Mizumoto

Tanna Schornstein

Ines Simas

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