Lacrosse beats Arizona State for Pac-12 Title


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Graduate midfielder Kelsey Huff drives down field during USC’s matchup against Arizona State in March. Huff had 6 goals in the victory.
Graduate midfielder Kelsey Huff drives down field during USC’s matchup against Arizona State in March. Huff had 6 goals in the victory. (Bradley Brown | Daily Trojan)

USC secured the joint Pac-12 regular-season title after defeating Arizona State 15-13 Friday in Tempe. 

The Trojans entered the game at No. 17 in the IWLCA poll against the Sun Devils at No. 23. This game was one of the most important of the season as the winner not only secured a share of the Pac-12 regular-season crown but also a bye in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament. 

Sophomore midfielder Madison Waters and sophomore attackers Shelby Tilton and Claudia Shevitz led USC with 3 goals each. Senior defender Kaleigh Brennan picked up four ground balls and caused one.

Brennan spoke on the team’s morale coming off the win. 

“[We’re] feeling super excited and super good about where our team is going into our last game,” said Brennan in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “Everyone is just super excited to get prepared for our last game and the tournament.”

Both teams displayed high intensity throughout all four quarters. Although the Trojans outshot Arizona State 37-16, the teams were 16-16 in the center circle and USC just barely had the edge in ground balls at 26-21. 

Although USC played a dominant first quarter, leading 6-3, the Sun Devils had a strong run in the second quarter and tied up the game 7-7 at the half. USC emerged in the second half with renewed energy and went on a 5-1 run in the third quarter. 

Head Coach Lindsey Munday credits the team’s poise and composure coming into the second half. 

“We do a really good job at not getting too rattled and [we] understand the mistakes we made and that we just have to get back to the way we play,” she said. “Just really proud of the poise we have and the ability to kind of let things go.” 

This on-field maturity was apparent in the fourth quarter. Although Arizona State went on another run, the Trojans pulled ahead by two goals, ran the clock out and secured the vital victory. 

USC’s last regular-season game will also be its senior day. Munday shows clear love and appreciation for the seniors who contributed on and off the field. 

“We have fifth-year seniors who decided to come back. We have people who chose to come to USC, whether it was a transfer or midyear. It’s really special,” she said. “The success we’ve had this season is because of leadership. They’ve welcomed our 12 freshmen and three transfers with open arms and have created a culture where it’s team first.”

Brennan said the senior class savors their final moments.

“We’re all super excited but emotional. We’ve all become super close with this group. Obviously, we have a lot of young players, and we’ve just been able to connect with them so much,” she said. “We’re so excited to have another opportunity with the team and to have a special day with them.”

The Trojans’ regular season Pac-12 championship was their second all-time and first since 2019 when they won the Tournament too.  

USC will play their final regular-season home game against UC Davis Saturday at 1 p.m.