USC postseason ends in penalty shootout defeat against Penn State


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Senior forward Penelope Hocking dribbles the ball down the wing.
Senior forward Penelope Hocking dribbles the ball down the wing in USC’s penalty-shootout loss to Penn State Friday. (Vincent Leo | Daily Trojan)

Women’s soccer ended its NCAA tournament run in a penalty shootout loss at the hands of Penn State after finishing 2-2 during regulation at home. Despite clawing back from a deficit twice during the match, the Trojans bounced out of the postseason’s second round. 

USC conceded the opening goal in the 20th minute when senior Kerry Abello reached the end of the byline before lobbing the ball to redshirt junior forward Ally Schlegel who scored from a first-time strike ebbed away to the goal. 

The Trojans responded four minutes into the second half when senior forward Penelope Hocking received a pass from freshman forward Simone Jackson, cut outside of the box and chipped a strike past the goalkeeper. Hocking notched her 12th goal of the season and third since coming back from injury against UCLA. 

The Nittany Lions promptly responded eight minutes later when senior midfielder Sam Coffey headed a pass into Schlegel who sprinted past the defense before converting her brace. Schlegel, who scored Penn State’s goals, added to her 8 goals on the season. 

USC mustered a late equalizer in the 85th minute when Jackson collected a pass from junior midfielder Croix Bethune and swiftly belted a shot toward the far post that successfully evaded Penn State’s goalkeeper. The All-Pac-12 second team and All-Freshman forward added to her impressive rookie season as she converted her fifth goal of the season. 

The Trojans bowed out of the NCAA tournament on penalty kicks after missing their first penalty and eventually lost 5-3 to the Nittany Lions after regulation time and two overtime periods. 

“I thought we were dangerous. I thought we were active. I thought we put [Penn State] on the backheel for much of the game,” said Head Coach Keidane McAlpine in a postgame interview. “I thought we created enough to win the game.”

The Trojans were backed by fans at the Soni McAlister Field who were energized by Jackson’s equalizer in the final minutes of the second half. 

“I can’t thank the fans enough for coming out today. I wish we had moments like this more often,” McAlpine said. “As the season grew, we had more fans come, and I think that is a testament to the way the team plays and the energy they play with. People enjoyed watching this group play, and I’m proud of that, I’m glad for that and, hopefully, we created fans that will be back a lot more.” 

USC’s regular season set program records with an 11-game win streak and 15-game unbeaten run. The Trojans finished second in Pac-12 standings with an 8-1-2 record and remained undefeated until the last fixture against UCLA. 

“You talk a lot about building something that’s sustainable, building something that has a standard to it, and we’re still climbing,” McAlpine said. “This group really set a new bar, really knocked down a couple of barriers that we’ve had as a program … I’m really proud of this team and this season.”