USC routs Oregon for third consecutive Pac-12 victory
The women’s soccer team defeated Oregon 4-0 on the road on Saturday.
The team improved to 5-1 in conference play after dismantling the Ducks. The Women of Troy posted their sixth shutout of the season while scoring a season-high four goals.
Jamie Fink opened the scoring in the 12th minute, giving the Women of Troy an early lead and setting the tone for the match. The veteran forward found the back of the net for the fourth time this season.
Nicole Molen doubled the lead with just minutes remaining in the first half. Scoring on the stroke of halftime can give a team a tremendous boost, which was certainly the case for USC on Saturday.
Molen finished off a corner kick for her second goal of the campaign. Her first goal of the season, which she scored against Oregon State, also came from a corner.
Molen once again proved what an asset she is on set pieces, as she has a knack for finding pockets of space inside the box.
The most dangerous lead in soccer is said to be 2-0, but USC was not about to let this game slip through their hands. The Women of Troy matched their solid first half with an equally impressive performance after the break.
The scoreboard stayed at 2-0 for quite some time in the second half, but with 14 minutes remaining Kayla Mills put the game to bed.
After scoring off of a set piece in the first half, USC took advantage of another dead ball situation late in the second half. Mills curled a free kick around the wall and past Ducks goalkeeper Lauren Holden.
Amanda Rooney added a fourth and final goal with just two minutes remaining, capping off a tremendous road win for USC.
Morgan Andrews was a major asset in the middle for the Women of Troy, logging six shots and two assists on the day. Her chemistry with Nicole Molen and Mandy Freeman continues to grow in what has become a dynamic midfield trio.
The Women of Troy have just four losses on the season but cannot crack the NSCAA top-25 rankings at the moment. USC’s strength of schedule, however, is off the charts.
In fact, the team’s only losses have come in contests against elite opponents Florida State, Duke, North Carolina and Washington.
These four losses must be put into context. The Seminoles are the reigning national champs. UNC is the No. 7 team in the country right now and is the most successful women’s soccer program in history. Duke has fallen out of the top-25 but plays in the grueling ACC along with FSU and UNC.
Washington is currently ranked the No. 18 team in the land and figures to make a major postseason push.
The Women of Troy lost all of those games by just one goal, and the team was on the road for those four matches. This USC team has challenged the best of the best and has looked like a legitimate national title contender in the process.
The team now prepares for upcoming home games against Pac-12 South opponents Utah and Colorado.
USC is riding a wave of momentum as it enters the business end of the season, with Stanford, Cal and UCLA also on the horizon.