Lacrosse looks to keep perfect season alive


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The women’s lacrosse team will face Dartmouth at McAlister Field at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Women of Troy (7-0) have continued to impress after storming out of the gates to a 4-0 home record. The team hosted a tough Stony Brook team and notched a 14-10 win. Despite the fact that USC-Stony Brook may not exactly qualify as a rivalry game, there was a sense of retribution in this game.

The Seawolves (4-3) downed the Women of Troy in New York last season, 7-4. This time around, USC pulled away from the visitors as the first half wore on. The Women of Troy claimed an 11-5 score at the break and continued to dominate in the second half.

This somewhat fast start carried over to the team’s road trip to Berkeley and Moraga. The Women of Troy crushed Cal 15-2 before downing St. Mary’s 20-3.

At this point, the Women of Troy have proven their elite status not only at McAlister Field but also on the road. The ability to win — let alone destroy opponents — away from the cozy confines of home is one of the marks of a great team. While the season is still young, and there is plenty of lacrosse waiting to be played, the team’s early performances have shown just how poised this team is.

Junior attacker Michaela Michael is averaging four goals per game, tied for second-best in the NCAA along with Stony Brook’s Courtney Murphy. Murphy logged 5 goals against the Women of Troy but was unable to lead her team to victory, as USC’s defenders continued to play stifling defense.

This group’s high-powered offense has been a joy to watch, but the defense has been equally consistent. USC has the best scoring defense in the nation and is still the only team conceding fewer than 5 goals per contest.

In last year’s clash with Dartmouth in New Hampshire, the defense came up huge in a 9-7 win. Dartmouth standout Jaclyn Leto bagged 2 goals in that game, as the midfielder was kept relatively quiet by the USC defense. Leto is a potent scorer who scored 98 goals in her first three years in Hanover. Head coach Lindsey Munday will need to ensure her game plan includes how to slow the senior Leto, who is just behind Michael in the goals-per-game statistical category.

This Dartmouth team has already played a tough slate of games, including a road game against Florida. Dartmouth lost that game 16-6, but the Big Green’s 8-6 win over Denver last Sunday can certainly be considered a quality win.

USC lost to Stony Brook last season but responded with a win in 2016. It is safe to say that Dartmouth will have this kind of hunger to beat the Women of Troy after losing a close one at home a year ago.