Soccer victorious against Florida schools

The USC women’s soccer team is now 4-0 after two impressive wins over Florida and No.1-ranked Florida State last weekend.

The Trojans picked up a commanding win Friday, defeating Florida 3-1 at Banc of California Stadium. Junior forward Tara McKeown opened scoring in the 30th minute with a goal off a deflected free kick from junior midfielder Alea Hyatt. 

Just six minutes later, junior midfielder Arlie Jones extended the Trojans’ lead to 2-0 after freshman forward Savianna Gomez’s shot was blocked by the keeper. The goals snapped a long scoreless period featuring several missed opportunities for the Trojans, including a blown three-on-one breakaway.  

Late in the first half, Florida answered with its own goal off a strike from senior midfielder Alex Stubblebine to cut the Trojans’ lead to one. However, McKeown struck back in the 60th minute with another goal off an assist from sophomore forward Penelope Hocking. 

The goal was McKeown’s second of the game and fourth of the season, as she has put up points at an impressive pace early on.  

“If they came out in a five back, then the two outside backs would be high,” McKeown said. “Me and [Hocking] knew those spaces would be wide [open], and we just tried to exploit those as much as we could.”

McKeown was the star of the night, but head coach Keidane McAlpine also attributed the team’s success to the team’s other upperclassmen.

“They know what it takes and they know how gritty they have to play,” McAlpine said. “They can organize the rest of the group in front of them, and they do a fantastic job of that.”

For the most part, USC appeared to have full control over the pace of the game, winning 50-50 balls and limiting Florida’s possession time. The Trojan defense did a great job of slowing down junior forward Deanne Rose, who entered the night with 7 points in just two games. She was subbed out early in the second half after missing a shot on goal and coming up limping. 

“We know they like to get out and run,” McAlpine said of the Gators. “We know they like to play patiently, so we were really aggressive in terms of our pressure and it paid off.”

USC’s defense had to overcome the absence of injured starting goalkeeper Kaylie Collins. Sophomore Anna Smith came in for her first start of the season and had five saves, limiting the Gators to just 1 goal.

“I thought she played fantastic,” McAlpine said of Smith.  “She played calm and composed and made a couple of very nice saves out there.”

The performance against Florida primed the team perfectly for its contest with No. 1-ranked Florida State. In an outstanding overtime effort, the Trojans outlasted FSU 3-2 after another shining 2-goal performance from McKeown, who now has 6 goals in the season’s first four games.  

McKeown’s newfound offensive prowess may be explained by her change in position. 

“Last season, I was playing more of an outside-mid role,” she said. “So this season, being more up top, I’ve developed more knowledge of the forward role.”

McKeown started scoring immediately against FSU, netting the first goal less than a minute into the game off another assist from Hocking. The two form an unstoppable duo that has taken USC’s offense to the next level.  

The Seminoles evened the game just 10 minutes later off a strike from freshman forward Jenna Nighswonger, but McKeown quickly put the Trojans back up with another goal in the 18th minute. The action-packed start then simmered down, and the Trojans entered halftime up 2-1, but FSU netted another equalizer early in the second half.  

With the score tied at 2-2, the game went into overtime for the third straight matchup between the two teams. In the first overtime period, McKeown shredded the FSU defense before finding her partner in crime, Hocking, for the game-winning goal.  

The Trojans had been long awaiting their rematch with FSU, and both the offense and defense contributed to the win. Again filling in for Collins, Smith held her ground in her second straight start, picking up six saves on the game.  

Although these two wins are certainly exciting for the Trojans, McKeown said the team must stay focused on the path ahead. 

“I think as a team we need to keep our head steady,” she said. “We can’t get too low or high, and we have to take every game with the right mentality. Every game is a new game.”

The Trojans will look to stay undefeated against Northern Arizona at McAlister Field Friday.