On Sunday afternoon, the Trojans traveled to Maloney Field to play the No. 1 Stanford Cardinal. This marked their first meeting since both teams left the Pac-12 and USC’s first loss to Stanford since 2019. USC fell to Stanford 2-1 on the road. While it was the Trojans’ first loss of the season, they did not go down without a fight.

As they have all season, USC (4-1-1 Big TenBig Ten) started the match off slow, allowing Stanford (7-0-0 ACC ACC) to control possession in the first half. The Cardinal scored the game’s first goal just five minutes in when junior forward Andrea Kitahata delivered a nimble cross to the head of sophomore midfielder Mia Bhuta, who knocked it into the back of the net.

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The Trojans seemed one step behind the Cardinal the entire first half of the match. Stanford got off eight shots, compared to USC’s two, in the first half. Due to this imbalanced volume of opportunity, Stanford capitalized on its dominance for a second time during the 42nd minute when it scored off a one-touch finish by freshman midfielder Eleanor Klinger. 

Graduate forward Samantha Williams contributed to the play as she crossed the ball from the touchline into the 18-yard box barely above the 6-yard box, allowing Klinger to get the first goal of her collegiate career. Not to be discouraged by the Cardinal’s early goal, USC stayed in the game.

USC went into halftime trailing Stanford 2-0 but came into the second half with a vengeance. The Cardinal would no longer have a clear victory as the Trojans came out determined to compete and reclaim possession of the ball. 

The Trojans quickly capitalized on this newfound tempo, scoring at the 49-minute mark — only four minutes into the second half. The score came as senior midfielder Helena Sampaio crossed the ball from the bottom of the 18-yard box into the 6-yard box, where the ball was deflected off a Stanford defender and into the back of the net. The Stanford defender’s error was forced by the positioning of USC senior forward Simone Jackson when she challenged hard to finish Sampaio’s cross. 

USC nearly tied the game up in the 86th minute, but the potential game-defining play was quickly over after the assistant referee’s flag alluded to an offside. The center referee reviewed the play via video assistance refereevideo assistance referee and threw out the Trojans’ would-be equalizer. 

USC did not have another viable play for a goal after the devastating offside call. Tensions ran high in the final minutes of the game, especially when Stanford rang off one last shot in the 90th minute to finish the match. 

The Trojans’ loss to their rival Stanford was a disappointing and disheartening way for the team to end its four-game win streak. However this does not mean disaster for the debut season in the Big Ten, as USC was missing two of its key players. Both Canadian sophomore forward Florianne Jourde and Mexican sophomore forward Maribel Flores missed the game to represent their countries in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The Trojans are sure to have a stellar season as these two stars rejoin the USC lineup after their international duties have concluded. 

Next, USC will face Washington at Husky Soccer Stadium Thursday at 6:30 p.m.