Trojans shine in international competition

The USC women’s lacrosse team may have endured a frustrating end to the 2017 campaign, losing to Boston College in a NCAA quarterfinal after entering the tournament with a 10-game winning streak.

For associate head coach Devon Wills and senior goalie Gussie Johns, however, the offseason brought a memorable rebound.

The USC duo was named to the Team USA squad in January, and the team traveled to Guildford, England, in July to compete in the FIL Women’s World Cup. The U.S. ran riot across the pond, posting a perfect 8-0 record en route to an eighth world championship, and Wills anchored her side in net throughout, posting a .420 save percentage with 24 saves on 57 shots. Johns backed up her collegiate coach in her first senior national tournament, and she made four saves on eight shots across five games.

Johns was a stalwart in the Trojan goal last season. Her presence was central in USC’s undefeated campaign in MPSF play (10-0) as she set a new career high in saves (142) and recorded a .460 save percentage on 306 shots.

In the final at Surrey Sports Park, Wills and Johns triumphed over Team Canada, 10-5, beating out two fellow Trojans, senior defender Lydia Sutton and junior defender Avery Hogarth, for the gold medal. It was Johns’ first career gold and Wills’ third, while Hogarth and Sutton — a third-team IWLCA All-American — won silver medals in their first tournament with Team Canada. With the victory, Team USA improved its record to 60-6-1 all-time in World Cup games.

Wills and Johns then flew to Wroclaw, Poland, for The World Games, where lacrosse was making its first appearance. Much like the World Cup, the U.S. dominated the inaugural tournament, once again beating Canada in the gold medal game to win the first-ever World Games championship. Johns, Wills, Sutton and Hogarth all earned their second medal in a month.

After sitting behind her coach in England, Johns manned the cage throughout the World Games. She tallied eight saves across four full contests while conceding 19 goals. With Johns in net, Wills anchored the backline in defense. The U.S. edged Canada, 11-8, in the final game after outscoring opponents 52-11 through the first three games.

The next World Cup and World Games will take place in 2021. The World Games come to Birmingham, Ala., in four years with the hope that both men’s and women’s lacrosse will be featured — and with an eye toward eventual Olympic involvement.

July likely marked Wills’ final appearance for Team USA (she will be 37 in 2021). Johns, Sutton and Hogarth, however, will hope to find themselves in international competition again soon, possibly alongside other fellow Trojans. But for now, following an 18-4 season at USC, they will set their sights on bringing the program its first national title.