Women’s soccer will take on tough teams at home

After starting its season with two commanding victories over Hawaii and San Francisco, the No. 5 USC women’s soccer team returns to Los Angeles Thursday for its first home game of the season against the Florida Gators in “The Battle at the Banc.”

The Trojans will then go on to face defending national champion Florida State on Sunday, giving them the opportunity to avenge last year’s loss in the Sweet 16.

Although USC faces a relatively quick turnaround between playing Florida Thursday and FSU Sunday, senior midfielder Jalen Woodward noted that the team is in great shape and that the players are both physically and mentally prepared.

The Trojans have not allowed a single goal in their first two games, adding two shutouts to the resume of redshirt junior goalkeeper Kaylie Collins. The defense has made Collins’ job easy so far, allowing just nine total shots. 

Forwards sophomore Penelope Hocking and junior Tara McKeown have been a successful pair up front. McKeown has started the year off especially strong with two goals and an assist to her name.

“Tara has always been good, but she’s been exceptional so far this season,” head coach Keidane McAlpine said. “You can tell that she’s come back fitter than ever before and has a new focus, and it has shown in her production.”

The Trojans will hope to continue their streak of shutouts against Florida, but this will be no easy task. The Gators are coming in with momentum after upsetting No. 18 South Florida with a 2-0 shutout of their own. Florida will face one of the most difficult schedules in the nation but look to have a tough team with players that have a chip on their shoulder.

Defensively, the Trojans will need to stop junior forward Deanne Rose, who has started her 2019 campaign at a blazing pace with three goals and an assist in just two games.

“[Rose] is very, very patient,” McAlpine said. “The key is going to be staying connected with her, knowing where she is and trying to get her receiving balls facing negative as much as possible.”

McAlpine will look to the defensive duo of seniors Ashleigh Plumptre and Julia Bingham to hamper Rose. However, Rose will not be the only player the Trojans have to worry about, as the well-rounded Florida squad has been posting solid offensive numbers as a unit.

“They are a really great position team,” Woodward said. “They can move the ball really well. I think that one thing that we’ve been really focusing on this preseason is working on our defensive strategies.”

On offense, the team must capitalize on a Florida defense that has a tendency to concede many shots. The Gators have already allowed 30 shots in their first two games, and if this trend continues, it could prove advantageous to the Trojan offense.

“The game plan is to try to exploit them with our two forwards primarily getting behind the defense and making the centerbacks work,” McAlpine said.

So far, USC has produced a high number of shots against its opponents, including 23 shots on goal. The combination of numerous scoring opportunities and high shooting percentage could overwhelm Florida’s defense if USC executes well.

Ultimately, this game will be USC’s first real test against a tough opponent. Florida could easily jump into the Top 25 after its win against South Florida and can only improve with a win against the Trojans.

Although Florida is a challenging opponent, the Trojans will face an even tougher test in their rematch against Florida State. The No. 1-ranked team in the nation has also gotten off to a strong start with two shutouts against two solid teams in TCU and No. 16 Wisconsin. In their most recent match against Wisconsin, though, the Seminoles struggled to score and failed to capitalize until overtime.

FSU will field a less explosive offense than some other top-ranked teams, but its defense has played well so far, allowing just 11 shots in both games. It will be important for Hocking and McKeown to create shot opportunities against the Seminoles’ tough back line.

FSU also boasts four Hermann watch list candidates, along with a number of returners from the 2018 National Championship team.

The Trojans kick off against Florida 8 p.m. Friday at Banc of California Stadium and face Florida State 2 p.m. Sunday at UCLA’s Wallis Annenberg Stadium.