Women’s lacrosse keeps perfect season alive

The women’s lacrosse team improved to 9-0 on the season after routing Oregon 17-4 at McAlister Field on Sunday.

The Ducks threatened the Women of Troy early on, jumping out to an early 2-1 lead. Oregon’s attack looked menacing, as freshman attacker Shannon Williams opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game. Williams and her fellow attackers showed promising signs in the first few minutes, starting off with a strong pace.

However, USC’s offense started clicking, as the Women of Troy turned a 2-1 deficit into a 7-2 lead over the course of just 20 minutes. USC head coach Lindsey Munday attributed the turnaround to discipline by her group, particularly at the defensive end.

“Oregon had some long possessions early on in the game, and we didn’t change anything that we’ve been doing for the entire season,” Munday said.

Munday praised her team for being patient and warding off the early danger with composure. The team stayed patient and then attacked. While Munday felt the chemistry between all seven attackers was a strong factor, she also noted how crucial sophomore goalie Gussie Johns’ performance was.

Johns stood tall between the pipes and made some fine saves.

“Just the improvement that we’ve seen in Gussie has been phenomenal,” Munday said.

She explained that the sophomore has not only been stopping shots but also leading the defense.

“[Johns is] just a tremendous leader,” Munday said. “She’s a really hard worker, and she’s never satisfied with where she’s at — she wants to continue to get better.”

Johns made seven saves on the afternoon and continued to frustrate the visitors. But despite the lopsided score line, Oregon challenged Johns and the USC defense.

“I think Oregon came in really prepared for this game,” Johns said. “They did a great job of making a game plan against us.”

But USC’s dominant win can be attributed to something simple in theory but potentially tricky in reality: The group stuck to the game plan.

“We try to just think about ourselves every single time,” Johns said.

She added that this defensive unit sticks to its keys on and works well as a unit.

With stifling defense, USC limited Oregon to meager offensive output. This has been a storyline all season for the Women of Troy, who have allowed just 13 goals in the last four games.

While junior attacker Michaela Michael and senior attacker Caroline deLyra combined for 12 goals in the rout over Oregon, there is more to this team than a versatile offense. Likewise, this team is more than a defensive machine.

In addition to success on the field, the team tries to enjoy the time they spend together off the field.

“We make everything fun before games, not to take things too seriously,” deLyra said.

DeLyra is visibly locked in when she is playing, but she feels the team’s jovial mood is a real asset on game day. Whether they are dancing during warm-ups or breaking down opposing defenses, the Women of Troy clearly have excellent camaraderie and it shows when they dominate teams on a regular basis.

The team visits Fresno State on Thursday at 5 p.m.