The Trojans will head to Washington to play the Huskies Thursday at 6:30 p.m. This will be their first meeting since these former Pac-12 teams became members of the Big Ten. 

USC (4-1-1) is looking to defeat Washington (3-2-1) in its Big Ten debut. Soccer will pave the way for USC Athletics as this match will be the first conference game in the Big Ten of any USC team. Both teams intend to set the tone not only for this season, but for their legacy in their new conference. With the Trojans’ loss to Stanford, USC still sits just outside the top 25.

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Sunday’s loss against Stanford ended the Trojans’ four-game win streak. However, it highlighted the strengths of the team, as the game exemplified that the Trojans could compete with the best of the best despite missing two of their key players. USC moved the ball effectively around the field, allowing it to break Stanford’s streak of three consecutive shutouts. 

The Trojans look to continue this scoring trend against the Huskies. USC is the dominant force in this matchup, as it has not lost to Washington since 2019. In the overall series, USC also leads, with 13 wins, two draws and only four losses against the Huskies. Last season’s matchup against the Huskies went in the Trojan’s favor, as they won 3-0. 

All three of the goal scorers from last season’s matchup are still with the Trojans this season. Senior forward Izzy Kimberly scored the first goal of last season’s matchup, with sophomore forward Florianne Jourde and senior midfielder Helena Sampaio hitting the back of the nets as well. While Jourde is on leave to play with her national team, Sampaio and Kimberly will likely be present. 

Coming into this match the Trojans are still out-scoring their opponents, with an average of 1.83 goals to one. While the Trojan scoring differential has shrunk since the Stanford game, this puts the Trojans ahead of their opponents on average. USC has had a total of 80 shots with 32 shots on goal, increasing their shot on goal percentage to 40%. 

Senior forward Maile Hayes is the Trojans’ top scorer, with three goals under her belt already. Hayes’s last goal came in Portland, where the Trojans won 2-1. Freshman forward Faith George still leads the team in assists with a total of three, with Sampaio coming in a close second with two assists this season. 

USC’s strong offense is supported by a great defensive line, ending with graduate student goalkeeper Laurence Gladu in goal. So far, Gladu has had a great debut season with the Trojans after she transferred from UPenn. So far this season, she has 17 saves in six games, with four saves alone against Stanford. 

Compared to the Trojans, the Huskies have a weaker offense coming into the matchup. Washington has a shots on goal percentage of 33.8%, considerably lower than the Trojans’ 40% hold. While both teams have a shots per game average of 13.3, the Huskies allow their opponents to have an average of 10.8 shots a game compared to the Trojans only allowing 8.5 shots per game.

Regardless of the outcome of this matchup, both teams will be making their mark on the Big Ten as they set out to make a name for themselves. USC hopes to start a legacy at Husky Stadium Thursday at 6:30 p.m.