Surging USC looks to upset No. 1 UCLA

It all comes down to this. After traveling to the Pacific Northwest and beating two ranked conference foes, the USC women’s soccer team faces its biggest challenge of the year this Friday night: hosting the No. 1 UCLA Bruins.

 

The crosstown showdown will be played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this year, a fitting stage for what should be a huge matchup between two of the top three teams in the Pac-12 standings. On one side, UCLA (17-0-2, 9-0-1 Pac-12) is one win away from an undefeated season, while the Women of Troy (12-5-2, 6-4) are vying for an upset and an NCAA tournament berth.

A win against the best team in the country would almost certainly clinch USC a spot in the national tournament, and though they have a solid chance to get in no matter what happens on Friday night, a victory would give the Women of Troy immense confidence heading into the postseason.

USC’s confidence may already be surging, however. The squad showed its resilience when it responded to a three-game losing streak by traveling to Oregon and Washington the past two weekends and coming back home with wins in all four games. The two sweeps were crucial to the team’s postseason hopes, especially given the magnitude of this final home match.

“Coming from the downward frame we were on, I thought finding results was absolutely imperative,“ head coach Keidane McAlpine said. “We needed to find victories and that was big for us.”

Those victories not only gave the Women of Troy a confidence boost ahead of this match, but also a much-needed boost in the Pac-12 rankings, where they jumped from 10th place all the way up to third place in a matter of two weeks.

“Any time you get wins in this league, you gotta think you’ve done something big,” McAlpine said. “It’s a huge step, and a huge positive toward the postseason.”

In their most recent trip this past weekend, the Women of Troy triumphed over two top-25 teams in then-No. 17 Washington and then-No. 22 Washington State. Now, they’ll need to do the same against the top-ranked team in the nation if they want to defend their home pitch.

The Bruins are one of the most dominant teams in NCAA soccer history. Not only have they progressed through their entire season undefeated, but they have also outscored their opponents 52-4 through 19 games. The team is riding a nine-game winning streak — taking place over the course of an entire calendar month — in which goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland has only allowed a single goal.

On the other side of the ball, the Bruins are fueled by the remarkable play of midfielder Sam Mewis. Mewis is responsible for 25 of her team’s 52 goals, with 11 assists and 14 scores of her own. Also fueling UCLA’s attack are forward Taylor Smith and midfielder Sarah Killion, who have each slotted in seven goals.

USC’s offense, on the other hand, has woken up since its three-game losing streak and has found the net six times in the last four matches. The Women of Troy are led by senior midfielder Alex Quincey, who has sparked the team off the bench with 10 goals. USC’s other scoring leaders include junior midfielder Jamie Fink and junior forward Katie Johnson.

The Women of Troy undoubtedly know the stakes and what this rivalry entails, and even first-year coach McAlpine knows and understands the hype and excitement surrounding the Crosstown Cup.

“Whenever you get a chance to play the No. 1 team in the country — UCLA aside — that’s an opportunity that you cherish,” McAlpine said. “It just happens to be UCLA and that just adds a little more to it.”

Still, McAlpine says that both he and the team are still focused on their main goal from the beginning of their season. No matter who their final rival may be, they’re keeping their eyes on the real prize.

“Our goal still stays the same — it was to get to the NCAA’s and to do well in the NCAA’s,” McAlpine said. “That’s our focus in this game, and it’s one more game to prepare us for that.”

This rivalry match will kickoff under the Coliseum lights this Friday night at 7:30 p.m.