Soccer prepares for home stretch


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Nicole Payne dribbles past a Stanford defender.
Senior defender Nicole Payne scored a brace against Stanford. She has totaled three goals on the season, her other goal coming in the Trojans’ 2-0 victory over CSUN. (Tomoki Chien | Daily Trojan)

Returning home after USC’s two games in Oregon, soccer  looks to dominate the pitch against the University of Arizona Thursday. With two away game victories in Oregon, the Trojans have extended their winning streak to four games. The team, which started the season off strong with 3 straight conference wins, has continuously exceeded expectations and capitalized on game-winning moments. 

The away series in Oregon further proved the team as a force to be reckoned with. USC played Oregon State last Thursday. With relentless goal scoring, the Trojans earned a 5-1 win. Sophomore midfielder Simi Awujo was first on the scoreboard with a goal in the 21st minute. 

This success was repeated three days later on Sunday against the University of Oregon, where USC shut out the Ducks 4-0.

“The team really has momentum,” said Head Coach Jane Alukonis. “I think we are in good form in terms of being able to manage the load on players and rotate as we need.” 

Senior midfielder Croix Bethune is a player to watch in the upcoming matchup, as she has scored 5 goals and added 7 assists this season. Bethune is undoubtedly heating up, scoring 3 goals and notching 3 assists in the previous two games. 

“[Bethune] scans the field and finds areas where she can be effective,” said Alukonis. “She’s just different. She just always finds pockets, spaces and ways to create super nicely.” 

Her immense contributions to the team’s past two wins has earned her the title of Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. 

Sophomore forward Simone Jackson has also been a key player in the Trojans’ attack. With 4 goals and 2 assists, Jackson has consistently helped the team gain momentum throughout the season. 

With 3 goals and 1 assist, sophomore midfielder Aaliyah Farmer has proven to be a crucial player in the Trojan lineup. Farmer is coming off of an impressive performance against University of Oregon with 1 goal and 1 assist.

Now with a notable 7-1-1 record overall and a 3-0-0 conference record, USC finds themselves at the top of the Pac-12 standings, tied only with their crosstown rivals. 

Stepping into Thursday’s matchup, Arizona is seeking a much-needed win after losing their past three games against Utah, Stanford and UC Berkeley . The Wildcats have not scored a goal since Sept. 23 at Ute Field, which was earned by sophomore midfielder Gianna Christiansen.

For Arizona, playing USC will be the first of their two Los Angeles matchups as the team faces UCLA on Sunday, Oct. 9. The Wildcats are currently ranked 12th in the Pac-12 standings and have a chance to knock off the two top teams in the conference. Freshman midfielder Sami Baytosh, is a player to watch on Thursday as she leads the team in goals and assists, earning two of each so far this season.

Looking ahead to Thursday’s game, Alukonis said she feels “really good going into the week, and the team is absolutely full of talent as long as we turn up and work hard. I’m always super confident with this group.”

The Trojans will face the Wildcats at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6, at Soni McAlister Field.