Soccer hosts Stanford in battle of elite teams


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Don’t overlook sophomore forward Penelope Hocking, whose 7 goals tie junior forward Tara McKeown for the team lead so far this season. (Ling Luo | Daily Trojan)

No. 3 USC women’s soccer faces rival No. 2 Stanford Saturday in one of the most anticipated Pac-12 matchups of the season.

USC is coming off a 2-2 overtime tie at Baylor. While Stanford has one loss and the Trojans are still undefeated, Stanford came away from last week with two solid wins over UC Santa Barbara and Santa Clara, pushing the Cardinal ahead of USC in the rankings.

For the past several years, Stanford has dominated the Pac-12 and the NCAA as a whole, winning the last four Pac-12 titles. In that time, USC has only beaten Stanford once; it came in 2016, the same season the Trojans won the national championship.  

“I think the people who have been here for a few years have really thought about the games in the previous years, and last year was really tough because we lost in overtime,” sophomore forward Penelope Hocking said. “I think we will all have that in the back of our heads … [We will] use that as motivation.”

This matchup will be critical later on in determining who will win the Pac-12 title this season. Both USC and Stanford have yet to get into the brunt of their schedule, but both have already been tested. So far, Stanford has come away with hard-fought wins over two solid teams in Penn State — who had the No. 1 recruiting class — and West Virginia, while USC defeated former No. 1 Florida State.  

Although the win against the Seminoles was certainly an important one for the Trojans, head coach Keidane McAlpine emphasized the significance of the team’s first Pac-12 match.

“There is always an excitement when you start conference season, and there’s definitely an excitement when we play Stanford, knowing that historically they’ve been at the top of the conference,” McAlpine said.

Stanford’s offense has been carried by the outstanding play of junior forward Catarina Macario, who already has 10 goals and six assists this year, including four multi-goal games. Along with USC junior forward Tara McKeown, Macario has been one of the frontrunners for the Pac-12 Player of the Year.

McAlpine said the team needs to limit Macario’s opportunities for shots on goal.

“If you can keep [Macario] playmaking instead of being the one on the [receiving] end of the ball … then you’ve got a chance to be really successful on the day,” McAlpine said.

With 7 goals and three assists already this season, Hocking will look to rival Macario’s offensive output on Saturday. She is currently on pace to top her 14-goal total from last season.

“I just have to stay true to what I know and stay confident in my own play,” Hocking said. “I have to work off my teammates and work with [McKeown] to get goals.”

McAlpine also noted that Stanford and USC match up well player-to-player position-wise. Stanford has consistently dominated opponents by overwhelming them with its offense, while USC has notched four shutouts this year.

McAlpine emphasized USC’s need to turn defense into offense.

“I like our discipline and defending, and I think that’s going to give us a chance to score goals,” McAlpine said. “It’s about limiting goals and limiting opportunities.”

USC’s backline has allowed few goals this season, but it can’t lapse like it did against Baylor, when USC allowed two goals in a five-minute period. Stanford is too good for the Trojans to make mistakes. The team must play a clean, consistent game to snap its two-year losing streak against the Cardinal.