Pac-12 title hopes at risk after road trip

After a 1-1 draw against the University of Colorado, the Trojans returned to Los Angeles without a win from their Rocky Mountain road trip. 

USC entered the weekend No. 15 in the AP Poll and just one win behind UCLA and Stanford in the Pac-12 standings, but a pair of disappointing draws against Utah and Colorado has left their conference title hopes in jeopardy.

Coming off a stale 0-0 result in Salt Lake City, USC hoped to get their attack firing in Boulder but ultimately tied 1-1. 

“We were happy to come back and at least take the tie instead of the loss, but [we] still feel pretty poorly about it,” said Head Coach Jane Alukonis. 

The Trojans dominated possession for most of the match, progressing the ball into final third with ease. Once in position to create chances, though, USC struggled to make their possession count.

Sophomore midfielder Aaliyah Farmer had the first semi-threatening shot of the match, striking a shot low into the left post from inside the 18-yard box. Minutes later, sophomore midfielder Helena Sampaio followed up Farmer’s effort with a well-placed free kick towards the back post, which ricocheted off of a couple Colorado defenders and provoked a goal-line clearance from the Buffaloes. 

Once Colorado staved off the initial pressure, they settled into the match and began to threaten on the counterattack. In the 13th minute, Colorado junior forward Shyra James—who has 11 goals so far this season—thought she broke the deadlock with a well-placed header, but the linesman deemed her offside.

USC continued to play the ball quickly into Colorado’s half, only to find that they didn’t like the options once they arrived. Sampaio, Farmer, sophomore forward Simone Jackson and senior midfielder Croix Bethune cycled the ball around Colorado’s box, trying to make something happen to no avail. At one point, Sampaio unleashed a ball over Colorado’s backline for sophomore forward Kayla Colbert to track down. Colorado’s goalkeeper, sophomore Bella Grust, rushed off her line to clear Sampaio’s pass, but Grust scuffed the kick, creating a nervy moment for Colorado’s center backs. Colbert wasn’t able to reclaim the loose ball and shoot, allowing Colorado to clear.

Moments later, Colorado’s senior midfielder Jade Babcock-Chi received the ball in transition, dancing around multiple USC midfielders and surging into the open space. Babcock-Chi played the ball into senior forward Civana Kuhlmann’s feet, who took a touch to create space then struck a clean shot with her left foot from outside the box. The ball flew past USC’s graduate goalkeeper Anna Smith to give Colorado the lead. It was Kuhlmann’s 11th goal of the season. 

For the rest of the first half and most of the second, USC worked for a goal tirelessly. By halftime, USC had outshot Colorado 11 to 3, a trend that continued for the rest of the match. Senior defender Nicole Payne had multiple surging runs into Colorado’s half but didn’t have the accompanying runs around her to create a real chance.

Around the 63rd minute, USC started to challenge Grust with shots on target. Jackson had two opportunities in quick succession, rolling a left-footed shot into Grust’s grasp, then a right-footer that Grust saved with her feet in the next possession. Grust appeared to be in considerable pain after Jackson’s second shot and stayed down on the field, but she decided to continue playing and waved towards the crowd to rile them up. Everything appeared to be going the Buffaloes’ way. 

With USC’s constant pressure, though, Colorado’s defense finally cracked in the 75th minute. Graduate defender Brandi Petersen lofted a ball into Colorado’s 18-yard box that Buffaloes fifth-year defender Hannah Sharts deflected back into the air, allowing Farmer to head the ball into the net for the tying goal.

Once the score was even, both teams chased the winning goal, but neither side had the execution or gas left in the tank necessary to pull ahead. USC subbed Jackson back onto the field but the ball never reached her feet for a scoring chance. 

Speaking after the game, Head Coach Jane Alukonis noted that “[Colorado] saw Utah have success in a five-back against us and they were comfortable sitting in a bit, but they always kept two forwards high… and one punished us.” 

Results aside, Coach Alukonis was still pleased with the number of chances the team created, even if it did not translate to a win. “We’ve been trying to talk to the team about expanding the width and creating more options in the attack and I think we created, we just didn’t finish.”

Coach Alukonis singled out sophomore defender Brooklyn Courtnall and Farmer for their strong individual performances. 

USC heads back to Los Angeles with a slim chance of winning the Pac-12 regular season title. Crosstown rivals UCLA also traveled to Colorado and Utah over the weekend, winning their two games by a combined 9-0 score and exiting the weekend tied for first place with Stanford. Both teams own a 7-1-0 in-conference record.

Looking towards the end of the season, Coach Alukonis said she’s looking for “goal-scoring and sticking to our principles” for the last few matches. “Nothing brand new, just sharpening what we already do.”

The Trojans will be looking to bounce back with a win against Washington at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Soni McAlister Field.