Women of Troy buying in to new coach


Coming off a losing 2013 season that culminated in the firing of head coach Ali Khosroshahin, USC’s women’s soccer team appeared to be reeling a bit heading into the offseason last winter. Despite starting 3-0-1, the Women of Troy would go on to finish 8-10-2. Of the 10 losses, eight were by just one goal, including five by a score of 1-0, resulting in feelings of frustration and disappointment for the Women of Troy. To add insult to injury, the rival UCLA Bruins went on to win the NCAA Division I Championship, leaving a bitter aftertaste to what started as a very promising season.

Sharp shooter · Junior forward Katie Johnson scored five goals in 20 games for the Women of Troy last season. She was often the opposing goalie’s nightmare, putting a team-high 27 shots on goal in 2013. - Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan

Sharp shooter · Junior forward Katie Johnson scored five goals in 20 games for the Women of Troy last season. She was often the opposing goalie’s nightmare, putting a team-high 27 shots on goal in 2013. – Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan

Perhaps the most frustrating part of last season for the team is the fact that, on paper, the Women of Troy appeared to have outplayed the opposition in multiple areas: USC outscored opponents 31-27 on the season and outshot opponents on goal 140-108 (350-199 in overall shots).

Although the 2013 season did not end well for the Women of Troy, the aforementioned feelings of frustration and disappointment only lingered briefly, as the mid-December hiring of new head coach Keidane McAlpine marked an upswing in the outlook and morale of the team.

McAlpine, coming to USC from Washington State, boasts an impressive résumé: in two seasons as head coach, he led the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances and a second-place finish in the Pac-12 last season — the best ever for the Cougars.

Now at USC, McAlpine has wasted no time in redefining the culture and attitude of the program, and the players have responded, says senior captain and goalkeeper Caroline Stanley.

“There has definitely been a huge change since Keidane took over,” Stanley said. “The program is moving towards a much more family-oriented culture. … Everyone has a voice, everyone has a role and the importance of each individual player buying into their role and contributing to the team has really been emphasized.”

Clearly, Stanley and her teammates have bought in to the changes being made by McAlpine and his coaching staff. The confidence that the women have in their coach is sky high, and that confidence has been reciprocated by coach McAlpine himself toward the team that he now calls his own.

“This team has a lot of talent and athletic ability, and the girls arrived at workouts in better shape than I expected,” McAlpine said. “A key is confidence, especially after a season like last year, where this team was in a bit of a slump. But if we focus on the little details, form the right habits and buy into the family aspect of playing harder not for oneself but for one another, we will be successful.”

Much of the success that the coaches and players are looking to achieve will be dependent on some of the younger players on the team. With just four seniors on the roster, there is a lot riding on the ability of the younger players to rise to the occasion when their number is called. But as seniors and captains, Stanley and Jessica Musmanno aren’t worried about the state of the team.

“There are plenty of younger players that are going make an impact for us,” Musmanno said.

Stanley provided equally positive praise of her teammates.

“At the end of the day, when you step onto the field, you have to trust deep down that each girl on your left and right is capable of getting the job done. And I truly feel that way about all the girls on this team,” she said

From top to bottom, this team is building a level of trust and confidence in one another that will almost certainly pay dividends when regular season matches begin.

There will be plenty of opportunities for the Women of Troy to prove their prowess during the season: five of the nine non-conference games this year will be played against teams that finished with records over the .500 mark last season.

The always-challenging Pac-12 conference season kicks off on Sept. 26 at Arizona, and will feature key games against Colorado, California, Washington State, Stanford and top-ranked UCLA.

Despite the tough schedule, the players are optimistic.

“I have high expectations for this team,” Stanley said. “The girls on this team are tired of losing by one goal. We are ready to win. And we know that some of the Pac-12 may not currently see us as a team to worry about. But it’s clear to me and the rest of the girls on this team that when we step out onto the field and face our opponents, they will see that we are a threat.”

The Women of Troy kick off their season on Aug. 22 against Long Beach State.