No. 9 USC faced No. 15 Ohio State and No. 16 Penn State this weekend, taking home wins against the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions. The Trojans first faced the Buckeyes at BMO Stadium Thursday night, clenching a 1-0 win in the final 10 minutes of the game. 

They went on to defeat Penn State 2-1 Sunday, with the winning goal scored in the final seconds of the game. With UCLA (13-2-3,8-0-2 Big Ten) beating Ohio State, the Big Ten conference title will be decided this Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park. 

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Against Ohio State, the game stayed close, with both teams battling hard to come out victorious at the MLS’ Los Angeles F.C. and NWSL’s Angel City’s home pitch. Among USC players, the energy was high all game, as one of the largest crowds of the season came to cheer them on. The turnout contrasted last weekend’s games against Illinois (7-8-2, 3-6-1) and Northwestern (6-9-3, 1-7-2), where USC lacked energy in comparison. 

“We just played a full 90-minute game. I think we [need to] make sure that we’re locked in. Last week was last week, and we just moved over, we just let it go,” said graduate goalkeeper Laurence Gladu. “This was a new week. We knew this was going to be a tough game, but we knew we wanted to shut out and win.” 

The Trojans got that game-winning goal from senior forward Simone Jackson in the 83rd minute of the Ohio State match. Jackson was fouled in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for USC. 

Jackson stepped up to take the shot and sent in a low and hard ball that was saved but deflected by the Ohio State junior goalkeeper Molly Pritchard. The deflection ended up back at Jackson’s feet, and she capitalized on the exchange, sending it into the back of the net. 

“Knowing that we’re good — we’re so good — brings that confidence,” Jackson said. “We need to step up on the field and display that from the start.” 

USC (13-1-2, 9-0-1) had a much better defensive game against Ohio State (10-4-3, 5-3-2) than against Northwestern or Illinois. The Trojans have had a hard time stopping counterattacks this season, but they quelled every counterattack by the Buckeyes on Thursday. 

“What [the coaching staff] expressed to the team at halftime was, we need to keep the ball for longer periods of time so that when the opponent has it, hopefully, they’re a little bit tired in their intent,” said Head Coach Jane Alukonis. “We did a little bit of a better job of keeping it. Therefore, when the opponents had it, we were able to shut them down.”

In USC’s penultimate game against Penn State (11-4-3, 5-3-2) the Trojans secured a huge win. Drawing the biggest crowd seen at Dignity Health Sports Park this season, fans from both USC and Penn State came to cheer on their teams. Despite the blazing sun at Sunday’s game, the Trojans brought spirit and stamina through the final minutes of the game. 

The first half was hard fought as both teams leveled considerable attacks. USC, however, scored first from the cleats of senior midfielder Aaliyah Farmer, who was assisted by senior forward BK Harris. 

Harris crossed the ball to Farmer, who got her head on it and almost scored a goal before Penn State’s redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress saved the shot, deflecting it back to Farmer. Upon the ball’s return, Farmer was able to slam the ball into the back of the net. This was Farmer’s first goal of the season and her first goal since the 2022 season. 

After conceding that goal, the Nittany Lions came back with a vengeance, waging back-to-back attacks on USC, both of which almost ended in a goal. The Nittany Lions would continue to fight hard, but the Trojans fought harder. The half ended with USC up 1-0 over Penn State. 

In the second half, the teams were just as evenly matched, with no team pulling away as the controller of the game. As the clock marked the final three minutes, it seemed USC would take the win over Penn State. That was until USC fouled redshirt senior forward Kaitlyn MacBean inside the 18-yard box at the 87th-minute mark. 

The referee called a penalty, and everyone at Dignity Park held their breath as Gladu set up on her line in preparation for the penalty kick. Gladu gave her dive away early, allowing graduate midfielder Rowan Lapi to tie up the match.

With only a few minutes left in the game, USC fans appeared dejected and defeated, whereas Penn State fans seemed pleased with the draw. That was until Penn State fouled senior midfielder Helena Sampaio outside the 18-yard box, and USC would have an opportunity to score again. Sampaio stepped up to the plate, taking the free kick. 

Sampaio had a perfect shot, curving over the defenders and goalie into the back of the net. The USC crowd erupted, and the bench rushed the field. The Trojans had just guaranteed that they would compete for the conference title next Sunday against UCLA. 

USC will host UCLA at Dignity Health Sports Park at 12 p.m. Sunday. The Battle for L.A. will determine who comes out Big Ten conference champions.