USC picked third in preseason MPSF poll

USC women’s lacrosse was picked to finish third going into its second season in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation by the conference’s head coaches. After finishing fourth in the MPSF last year, the Women of Troy return nearly every major contributor from their inaugural 2013 campaign in which they finished 8-10 overall and 5-3 in conference play.

Leading the charge · Sophomore midfielder Caroline de Lyra led USC with 51 goals last season, its first year as a Division I program. The team added a top-10 recruiting class to its already-strong roster going into 2014. – Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan

Sophomores Caroline de Lyra (attack/midfield), Amanda Johansen (midfield), Caroline Cordrey (attack) and Paige Bonomi (attack) all scored more than 40 points in 18 games in 2013. Furthermore, sophomores Haleigh Dalmass (midfield), Liz Shaeffer (goalie), Courtney Tarleton (defense) and Kelsey Dreyer (defense) started 15 games or more in their freshman seasons.

After starting a lineup of almost entirely freshmen from its first recruiting class as a Division I program in 2013, USC is predicted to improve on its first year finish in league play. The Women of Troy will host six consecutive home games at McAlister Field before spring recess, including five nonconference games against East Coast opponents along with one MPSF matchup against UC Davis.

USC opens the season Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. against the Marist Red Foxes. Both teams fell short of an automatic NCAA Tournament bid last season in their respective conference tournaments. Princeton presents a difficult test to cap off the homestand on March 19 before the Women of Troy travel to Amherst, Mass. to attempt to avenge last season’s 18-9 defeat to the Minutewomen of Massachusetts.

The Women of Troy are scheduled for three television appearances this season, including conference games against Colorado on the road and Stanford in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum airing on Pac-12 Networks. USC will also appear on the Big Ten Network on April 26 against national powerhouse Northwestern in the first ever lacrosse game played at Wrigley Field in Chicago. USC’s Pac-12 Networks web portal will stream the remaining home games live on USCTrojans.com.