University Southern California Trojans
Photo by: Bryce Dechert
USC Lacrosse Set to Open 2026 Season
February 03, 2026 | Women's Lacrosse
The Women of Troy seek to make their mark in their sophomore campaign in the Big Ten Conference.
LOS ANGELES — The USC lacrosse team will open the 2026 season against California on Sunday (Feb. 8) in its brand new home Rawlinson Stadium. First draw is set for noon PT with the Trojans leading the all-time series 18-1 over the Golden Bears. In the teams' last meeting, USC defeated Cal, 17-6, on Feb. 14, 2025.
Veteran head coach Lindsey Munday enters her 14th season with the Women of Troy and is 8-5 in season openers. Munday owns a 171-77 (.690) overall record and is 88-29 (.752) in conference games (Pac-12 and Big Ten).
"They're excited, but they're hungry," said Munday when asked about the keys to success this season. "They're ready for this first game. We have a lot of opportunities for people to step into bigger roles and the team is ready for that."
The 2026 Trojans are led by midfielders and team captains Kate Gerrity and Hannah Barron. 22 players return with collegiate experience at USC to this year's roster and are joined by nine freshmen and two transfers. The Trojans will need to replace formidable departures on both ends of the field in attackers Maddie Dora and Isabelle Vitale, and defender Alexis Niblock.
Barron, a redshirt junior, pinpoints the moment she's looking forward to the most: "The moment when I actually get to shake the other coach's hand, run over to stand with my teammates and see my family in the stands. I'm really excited for that before the game. When we actually start playing—just like every other game—it's going to be a lot of energy. Once the whistle blows, it'll all settle down, and we'll play our game."
USC will kick off its season with a three-game slate at home. The Trojans then hit the road for a trio of nonconference opponents. USC returns to Rawlinson for a four-game run of home games where they'll host Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's Niagara for a first-ever meeting on March 8.
The Trojans open conference play at home against Penn State (Mar. 12) and Michigan (Mar. 15) and then will head to Maryland to face Johns Hopkins (Mar. 19) and the Terrapins (Mar. 22) on the road. USC returns home to host Rutgers (Mar. 28) in a game that will be shown nationally on Big Ten Network and then takes on Northwestern on the road (Apr. 4) in another Big Ten Network contest.
USC meets first-time foe Central Michigan on the road and then returns home for Senior Day as host to Ohio State (Apr. 11). The team faces Oregon in Eugene for its last regular season game on April 18. The 2026 Big Ten Women's Lacrosse Tournament will be held Apr. 22-26 at Michigan's UM Lacrosse Stadium.
Four of USC's opponents are inside the IWLCA Coaches Preseason Top 10, with conference foe and NCAA runner-up Northwestern sitting at No. 2. A total of eight teams on the Trojans' schedule appear in the preseason top 25.
"The Big Ten is one of the best, if not the best conference, in lacrosse," said Munday. "We have to come ready to play. The level of intensity, the physicality, and the speed is at an all-time level. We need to be able to match that and have people on their heels."
In 2025, the Trojans finished 10-7 overall and were 3-5 in the Big Ten. USC finished sixth in the Big Ten and fell to No. 12 Michigan in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.
For more information on the USC lacrosse team, please visit USCTrojans.com/lax. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCTrojansLax on X and Instagram.
Veteran head coach Lindsey Munday enters her 14th season with the Women of Troy and is 8-5 in season openers. Munday owns a 171-77 (.690) overall record and is 88-29 (.752) in conference games (Pac-12 and Big Ten).
"They're excited, but they're hungry," said Munday when asked about the keys to success this season. "They're ready for this first game. We have a lot of opportunities for people to step into bigger roles and the team is ready for that."
The 2026 Trojans are led by midfielders and team captains Kate Gerrity and Hannah Barron. 22 players return with collegiate experience at USC to this year's roster and are joined by nine freshmen and two transfers. The Trojans will need to replace formidable departures on both ends of the field in attackers Maddie Dora and Isabelle Vitale, and defender Alexis Niblock.
Barron, a redshirt junior, pinpoints the moment she's looking forward to the most: "The moment when I actually get to shake the other coach's hand, run over to stand with my teammates and see my family in the stands. I'm really excited for that before the game. When we actually start playing—just like every other game—it's going to be a lot of energy. Once the whistle blows, it'll all settle down, and we'll play our game."
USC will kick off its season with a three-game slate at home. The Trojans then hit the road for a trio of nonconference opponents. USC returns to Rawlinson for a four-game run of home games where they'll host Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's Niagara for a first-ever meeting on March 8.
The Trojans open conference play at home against Penn State (Mar. 12) and Michigan (Mar. 15) and then will head to Maryland to face Johns Hopkins (Mar. 19) and the Terrapins (Mar. 22) on the road. USC returns home to host Rutgers (Mar. 28) in a game that will be shown nationally on Big Ten Network and then takes on Northwestern on the road (Apr. 4) in another Big Ten Network contest.
USC meets first-time foe Central Michigan on the road and then returns home for Senior Day as host to Ohio State (Apr. 11). The team faces Oregon in Eugene for its last regular season game on April 18. The 2026 Big Ten Women's Lacrosse Tournament will be held Apr. 22-26 at Michigan's UM Lacrosse Stadium.
Four of USC's opponents are inside the IWLCA Coaches Preseason Top 10, with conference foe and NCAA runner-up Northwestern sitting at No. 2. A total of eight teams on the Trojans' schedule appear in the preseason top 25.
"The Big Ten is one of the best, if not the best conference, in lacrosse," said Munday. "We have to come ready to play. The level of intensity, the physicality, and the speed is at an all-time level. We need to be able to match that and have people on their heels."
In 2025, the Trojans finished 10-7 overall and were 3-5 in the Big Ten. USC finished sixth in the Big Ten and fell to No. 12 Michigan in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.
For more information on the USC lacrosse team, please visit USCTrojans.com/lax. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCTrojansLax on X and Instagram.
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