USC women’s soccer is off to a hot start.

The Trojans began the year with a 2-2 draw against a formidable New Mexico State University team (3-0-1) when forward Maile Hayes and midfielder Maria Alagoa each scored. USC followed that up by coming out on top of their next two matches against California Baptist University (1-0-3) and Pepperdine University (2-1-2), bringing their record to 2-1-0. The Trojans will now head north to Oregon, where they’ll face the Portland Pilots (2-2-1), a squad that’s also off to a similarly strong beginning to the year.

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For the Trojans, the opponent’s records don’t matter. The mentality is always the same for Head Coach Jane Alukonis’ squad.

“For us, it’s always play how we want to play, outwork the opponent, making sure we show up especially strong in the first 25 minutes,” Alukonis said. “Kind of assert dominance over the match.”

That mentality was put to the test against the Waves, as the Trojans found themselves down a goal just two minutes in. The rest of the first half went goalless, but USC got on the board after freshman forward Faith George rocketed a shot through the keeper’s hands. George’s first goal of her college career gave the Trojans all the momentum they needed as they notched a 3-1 win.

While USC doesn’t want to have to battle back the way it did on Sunday, Alukonis learned a lot about the roster she has this year.

“Sometimes coaches enjoy those types of matches because you get to see the true character of a group,” Alukonis said. “We went into halftime down and feeling a little down, but it was super important for us to get everybody on the same page as coaches and as leadership groups or individuals within the team, and just to make sure that we looked at everything objectively.”

The Trojans’ victory over Pepperdine not only proved that the team can recover from a deficit but that the handful of newcomers have already started to develop chemistry. Hayes is just one of many transfers who joined the squad during the offseason, resulting in a team that has a ton of veterans with playing experience at every level of competition. 

USC didn’t just gain transfers, though. Alukonis and Co. added 10 freshmen to the roster, ranking as the No. 8 class in the nation. George was a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school and has already performed well for the Trojans with one goal and two assists this season. Freshman midfielder Ines Derrien has one assist on the year and provided solid midfield support in her 49-minute stint Sunday for the Trojans.

The level of play from the freshmen, transfers and returners creates a team with a lot of depth. Alukonis said that throughout three seasons at the helm, she feels that this year’s roster is one of the deepest.

“[Depth] is important for a lot of reasons, but definitely in terms of load management, I would say compatibility and teamwork,” Alukonis said. “I don’t want to say maturity, but overall unity within the team. This is a team that works together and is the most selfless team that I’ve been a part of.”

Maturity and unity will go a long way this year, with construction ongoing for what will be Rawlinson Stadium, as well as the Trojans’ transition to the Big Ten Conference. Though there’s potential for all of that to be distracting, the women’s soccer program views the change as a huge step in the right direction. 

“We look at everything as a major positive. We are going to have the best stadium in the country, and for that we have a little bit of a price to pay,” Alukonis said. “Our facility that is ‘home’ this year is very nice, and USC and Dignity Health have done a really nice job of making that feel like home.”

The Trojans are now entering the latter half of their non-conference schedule, with the University of San Francisco (3-0-2) and Stanford (4-0-0) on the calendar following the University of Portland. The Trojans’ first “home game” will not be played until Sept. 26 when they face Minnesota.

USC will play Portland at 4 p.m. on Saturday.