Women’s lacrosse is flourishing


A year ago, just being there was special enough. Making it to the next step in the journey, the NCAA tournament, was enough. Winning a first-round playoff game and making it to a second-round matchup against powerhouse Duke was icing on the cake. The expectation wasn’t to come away with a win, but merely some program experience.

One offseason later, those expectations changed.

On Saturday, the USC women’s lacrosse team earned a rematch with those Duke Blue Devils. In a program-defining 11–5 upset win, the Women of Troy earned the program’s most significant victory in its short four-year history. It’s a remarkably good sign for what is potentially to come from this upstart program, as well as validation for the outgoing athletic department head who placed so much faith in it.

In its fourth official season as an NCAA Division I program, the USC women’s lacrosse team has joined the ranks of the top national programs. In its inaugural 2013 season, the team experienced some understandable growing pains and didn’t quite burst onto the national scene right out of the gate. A year later, while still growing, the Women of Troy have established themselves as a legitimate player in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference.

Last year, the Trojans nearly had its moment in the early season spotlight. Hosting national power Northwestern in the Coliseum, the Women of Troy mounted a serious upset bid against the Wildcats. Unfortunately, the upset was thwarted, and the Wildcats eventually came back to win in overtime. The Women of Troy fought hard all season to get into the national rankings, and they eventually authenticated a season of progress by making the NCAA tournament. A first round playoff win served as extra validation and earned the second round matchup with Duke. But the Blue Devils were too much for the Trojans at the time and eventually made it to the national semifinals after beating USC.

The Trojans did have the benefit of a home field in the rematch. Instead of flying across the country, the Women of Troy merely had to take a bus down to Orange County to meet the Blue Devils, who had to take the long cross-country flight this time. Nonetheless, a stifling defensive performance against the fifth-ranked Blue Devils proves that this Women of Troy team can truly beat anyone in the country.

When looking at the USC coaching staff, it’s no shock that the program has ascended to the top. As head coach, Lindsey Munday leads the Women of Troy, and is also the team captain of the women’s national team. With great facilities and a top-ranked school academically, USC has brought in some of the top recruits in the nation who may want to escape the ice cold weather typical at usual East Coast lacrosse powerhouses. The sky is the limit for this program — it helps being able to see that clear blue sky about 280 days a year — and the Trojans could legitimately win the national title sometime in the next five years.

Lacrosse is still a relatively obscure sport on campus despite the recent success. Like all non-revenue teams, it won’t dominate the headlines, even if it goes on a national championship run.

Nonetheless, it is a sign of how strong the overall athletic program at USC has become under athletic director Pat Haden. It won’t be as important as head football coach Clay Helton winning a national championship in his USC tenure, but Haden’s involvement in the success of the women’s lacrosse team shows that he knocked the ball out of the park with at least one program hire.

Though their success may not bring out thousands of fans like the football team’s spring game will, the Women of Troy’s success is certainly something to follow. The season is just getting started, but the team has already set a new standard for success going forward.

Luke Holthouse is junior majoring in policy, planning and development and broadcast and digital journalism. His column, “Holthouse Party,” runs on Wednesdays.