USC Womens Soccer Hits the Road Against Michigan, Michigan State

THIS WEEK - The USC women's soccer team plays on the road for the first time this season, continuing Big Ten Conference play at Michigan on Thursday followed by Michigan State on Sunday.

HOW TO FOLLOW - Both matches this week will be broadcast live on BIG+. Links for the broadcasts 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.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MICHIGAN - The Trojans are a perfect 6-0 against the Wolverines in the all-time series. The first ever matchup came in 2000, where the No. 17 Trojans beat No. 21 Michigan, 2-1, in the Sun Devil Classic in Tempe, Arizona. Trojan legend Isabelle Harvey scored both goals for USC. The most recent matchup came as the season opener in 2023, where a 22nd-minute Simone Jackson goal was the difference in a 1-0 win for No. 22 USC in Los Angeles. The Trojans are 3-0 when traveling to Ann Arbor, with their last trip coming in 2021. The Trojans beat No. 24-ranked Michigan with an overtime goal by Aaliyah Farmer in that last matchup.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS MSU - This will be the first ever meeting between the Spartans and Trojans. Against shared opponents in 2024, the Trojans went 8-0-1, the Spartans went 4-2-3.

THURSDAY VS WASHINGTON - USC held 67% of the possession, but were unable to create the chances necessary against Washington, falling 1-0 last week in their Big Ten opener. A breakaway goal in the 29th minute was the difference in the match. USC had a 9-4 corner kick advantage.

DOMINANCE AGAINST NMST - The Trojans cruised to a 4-0 win, outshooting NM State 35-2. 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. Soon after, Jaiden Anderson scored, assisted by Derrien and Alison Hou. Hana Mizumoto added one before halftime, and Derrien capped it in the second half. Derrien and Anderson each posted four points, while Grust tallied her second shutout.

THRILLING WIN VS PEPPERDINE - The Trojans won an absolute thriller under the lights against Pepperdine, 3-2. Maribel Flores score twice, including the fame-winner in the 58th minute, while Faith George scored the equalizer. Bella Grust came up big, saving a penalty kick in the 60th minute to preserve the lead. USC held a 14-7 shot and 5-2 corner kick advantage.

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. 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 currently owns a career coaching record of 44-10-11 and was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading USC to a conference championship.

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 so far, scoring 3 goals and also notching two assists. Flores' 8 points are tied for second 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 second most on the team, and her 1.33 points per game are 7th in the conference.
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 New Mexico State. Her most recent score came against Stanford. Her 9 points are most on the team, with her 1.50 points per game 3rd in the conference.
Faith George has 2 goals and an assist so far this season. Her first goal was the equalizer against Pepperdine, with her assist coming in the 4-0 opening night victory. Her most recent goal was the eventual game-winner against NM State.
Bella Grust has been excellent 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 begun the season with a shutout. Against Pepperdine, Grust was tested and responded with 4 saves, 2 PK saves, and the win. She added her 2nd shutout and 3rd win on Sunday against New Mexico State, followed by her 3rd shutout (2nd solo) against Portland.
Edra Bello leads all USC field players in minutes played as a freshman. Bello has started all five games on the back line, playing 497 minutes. She has 1 assist and has helped lead USC to 3 shutouts.

USC Womens Soccer Hits the Road Against Michigan, Michigan State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jaiden Anderson

Edra Bello

Ines Derrien

Aaliyah Farmer

Maribel Flores

Faith George

Bella Grust

Alison Hou

Simone Jackson

Hana Mizumoto

Tanna Schornstein

Trojans footer

University Southern California Trojans