Lacrosse aim to continue winning streak


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USC women’s lacrosse finished a perfect 8-0 at home this season with their defense excelling. The Trojans are ranked 6th in the country in scoring defense, only allowing 8.31 goals per game. (Emma Silverstein | Daily Trojan)

The lacrosse team will look to extend its four-game winning streak against Arizona State this Friday. 

Overall, the Trojans are 13-3 on the year, earning them a No. 28 national ranking. USC has picked up the momentum after its slow start winning eight of their last nine games, all against Pac-12 opponents. The Trojans are currently ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12 standings, having split one game with Stanford, who is ranked second. 

With Arizona State coming up, Head Coach Lindsey Munday said the team is prepared to earn the top seeding in the Pac-12 tournament. 

“We want to focus on whoever we play, we’ll be ready,” Munday said. “All season it’s been about us, it’s not about focusing on the opponent. When we play our best, we can go against anybody.”

In their last matchup against ASU, the Trojans routed the Sun Devils in a 17-6 victory, improving their all-time record against them to 9-2. USC ranks first in shot percentage and caused turnovers in the Pac-12. 

The Trojans also boast the No. 1 defense in the Pac-12 with the fewest goals against. This effort has been led by junior goalie Kait Devir, who leads the conference in save percentage at 45.4% and average goals against at 7.9. 

Junior attack Shelby Tilton attributes the team’s chemistry as one of the main factors to the team’s competitive edge.

“We play other teams and you can tell they don’t really have good chemistry or good team culture and I think that’s a difference maker at points when it gets tough,” Tilton said. “Having your teammates back and supporting them instead of getting angry at each other, it’s just a difference maker for sure.”

Munday also held high regards for the team’s chemistry; she said USC has one of the best cultures in the country. Despite the team’s success, Munday said the team is still focused on improving in all aspects of the game. 

“I think our defense continues to hold themselves to a really high standard,” Munday said. “We don’t want to be complacent. Across the board, offensively, defensively, you know, and individually, we want to continue to get better.”

Sophomore attack Maddie Dora said that the support of her coaches and teammates is what has helped the team remain confident.

“This is a tough stretch of season because we’re in finals, going into Pac-12, but I think the coaches have just been reminding us about how hard we’ve been working for so long,” Dora said. “We have been telling ourselves and practicing every day, knowing that each team that we play is kind of fighting for their lives and trying to go against us because we’re the team to beat in the Pac-12 right now.”

The Trojans will travel to Tempe and face off against ASU at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium at 3 p.m. on Friday.