Soccer defeats No. 6 TCU in 3-0 shutout
Women’s soccer defeated No. 6 Texas Christian University 3-0 in their home opener on Thursday.
With fans scurrying for shade in the Los Angeles heat, USC swiftly went ahead of the current Big 12 Champions. Early on, the team jumped into first gear with numerous touches and great networking among the midfield. This rapid touch and move system implemented by head coach Jane Alukonis led to the afternoon’s first goal.
With a sense of good luck and grit to continue fighting for the ball, the first goal for the Trojans came only three minutes after the starting whistle. Sophomore forward Simone Jackson pushed through the left flank with only the goal in her sight. Her run past three defenders led her to an open shot at goal, which she converted into the 1-0 lead for the Trojans. Senior forward Croix Bethune would end up with the assist for that action after passing Jackson the ball outside the box.
The Horned Frogs would later get their chances at goal with 4 corner kicks in the first half, but that would not be enough to stop the Trojan attack. Before the end of halftime, the referee issued the Trojans a foul outside the TCU 18-yard box. Without hesitation, Bethune planted the ball on the spot and scored the second goal past TCU’s junior goalkeeper Lauren Kellet. Bethune would later close off the night with a third goal, securing her brace.
“It feels great especially [because] we didn’t start off as hot or as well as we wanted to,” Bethune said. “Having our first home game and coming in and destroying our opponent 3-0, it’s a great start to what we have in the future going on.”
Bethune praised the team for embracing new coaching staff and acclimating to a new gameplan.
“We pretty much have the same team with a couple of people that have left, but same team, different coaches,” Bethune said. “We just bring them in as they’re our own family and adjust to their mindset and their plan. Adversity always happens, so that’s one thing you have to be, you have to adapt to adversity.”
Coach Alukonis showed excitement after achieving her second win as USC head coach and first on home soil.
“It feels awesome. It was kind of funny getting my footing out here because even though I have been at UCLA, we never played here, so we were always at a neutral site,” Alukonis said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “I knew that being on our home field, our players would turn up and give the best that they possibly could for their families, for the program and for the team. I’m just very proud.”
Alukonis said that her gameplan stayed true to the traditional USC offensive-heavy mindset, but with a focus on keeping the Horned Frogs off the scoreboard.
“I think in the DNA of the Trojans, it’s always the slogan ‘Fight on!,’ hardworking players with a lot of grit,” Alukonis said. “We want to sustain that, we want to keep up our attacking firepower that goes with the history of the program, but I think we tightened up defensively a bit. We really really wanted a shut-out, we want all shut-outs moving forward, but I felt like every player stayed focused for 100% of the game.”
Alukonis and her team hope to continue their winning mentality in their upcoming away match against California State University, Northridge Thursday. Kick-off is at 7 p.m.