USC dominates Oregon during weekend sweep

The No. 18 ranked Trojans finished off their second leg of Pac-12 games this past Sunday with a 14-4 win over Oregon. USC women’s lacrosse is now on a four-game win-streak and stands at 8-2 overall and 3-0 in Pac-12 play. 

Following a win against the Colorado Buffaloes Friday, where the Trojans let up in the fourth quarter, Head Coach Lindsey Munday stressed the importance of playing hard in all four quarters. 

“Collectively, this was a huge team win, and [a key] coming in was just a full 60-minute game, which is what we did today,” Munday said. 

After an early goal from Oregon, USC took full control of the game. The Trojans scored seven unanswered goals until mid-way through the second quarter when Oregon senior Alyssa Wright scored to make it 7-2. The Trojans then ripped off three more goals and led 10-2 at halftime, outmuscling the Ducks who seemingly had no answer for the Trojans. 

One major key for the Trojans was their ability to consistently win on draw controls. Graduate student midfielder Katie Ramsay secured 11 draw controls and, overall, USC won 16 draw controls to Oregon’s five. This development encouraged Munday, following the Colorado win where she believed the Trojans were not as successful in draw controls.

“On Friday, we struggled a bit on the draw controls, so I think Katie Ramsey and the crew around her stepped up today, and I think if you really dominate the draw you can get more possessions and it hurts [Oregon] offensively because [they] got less touches,” Munday said. 

USC was efficient with those opportunities too, scoring 14 goals on 16 shots on goal compared to Oregon, who scored 4 on 10 shots on goal. The Trojans attacked the Ducks from all sides, with eight different Trojans registering a goal or an assist. 

Sophomore attacker Maddie Dora and redshirt sophomore attacker Isabelle Vitale led the way for the Trojans, as each had 5 points, with Dora scoring four goals. Senior attacker Ella Heaney added a hat trick as USC piled goal upon goal. 

“Oregon went in and out of a zone and we all needed to make sure we were spaced out and communicating throughout the whole [game], and I think everyone did a good job of just following the game plan whether they were in man or zone,” said Dora following the game.  

USC did not score in the final quarter, but they didn’t need to. They scored four more goals in the third quarter to the beat of a 12-goal lead. 

USC’s defense was just as impressive, forcing eight turnovers and limiting Oregon’s ability to get off clean shots. Junior goalkeeper Kait Devir secured five saves while allowing just two goals in 45 minutes of play. 

USC has solidified its first place position in the Pac-12 with wins against Arizona State, Colorado and, now, Oregon. The Trojans have steadily improved throughout the season, and Munday is happy with her team’s mentality.

“Our focus all year has just been getting better. I think it does not matter how you are in February, but how you are in March, April, May, if you have the opportunity,” Munday said. “This team has done a good job being happy with wins and getting excited about that because that’s important, but also looking in the mirror and getting at it the following week to continue to get better.” 

The Trojans will travel up north next weekend with games at Berkeley and Stanford Friday and Sunday, respectively. They’ll look to further the gap in the Pac-12 as they enter the second half of their season.