After a weekend of intense battles at Great Park Soccer Stadium, No. 4 USC fought into the quarterfinal of the NCAA tournament.

“We feel amazing, we are super proud of ourselves,” said senior forward BK Harris in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “Elite 8 is a big accomplishment … so we are super excited.”

Victory is the theme for the Trojans (18-1-3, 10-0-1 Big Ten) this week, beginning with a close game Friday. In this second-round matchup, USC and Saint Louis University (15-2-6, 7-0-3 Atlantic 10 Conference) went goal for goal. Senior forward Maile Hayes started the game off for USC with a goal in the first half, assisted by senior forward Kayla Colbert. 

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The Billikens did not find their answer until the second half, kicking off most of the action. Senior forward Simone Jackson took back the lead for the Trojans, and Saint Louis’s fifth-year defender Sophia Stram responded. Colbert and Stram then scored a minute apart from each other to take the match to extra time. 

After 97 minutes of play, Hayes dribbled into the box and drew a foul from Stram, giving Hayes a penalty kick that she used to seal the Trojans’ 4-3 win. 

“[Hayes] is just a very special character and personality,” said Head Coach Jane Alukonis in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “She plays how it is. She is going to outwork anybody … her teammates see that, and I think it rallies the group.”

In the round of 16 Sunday, USC faced Wisconsin (10-6-5, 5-3-3 Big Ten) for the second time this season, having previously defeated them 3-0 during conference play. After almost a full half, freshman forward Faith George crossed the ball into the box, instead hitting the hand of Wisconsin’s sophomore defender Ella Ottey. 

Harris buried the resulting penalty kick on the left side of the net. USC’s bench stepped onto the field during their celebration, which was met by shouts of disapproval from Wisconsin sophomore midfielder Erin Connolly. 

Much like Friday’s match, the second half increased in action. With tension high, Hayes was dropped in front of the Trojan bench, giving USC a free kick. No card was shown, to the dissatisfaction of teammates, as fans loudly vocalized their concern. 

Still, senior midfielder Helena Sampaio drove the freekick into the box, skipping past traffic and sliding into the bottom right corner of the net. More fouls and potential handballs followed, leaving Alukonis visibly frustrated. 

“Both teams were going to have some fatigue, mental and physical,” Alukonis said. “We anticipated fouls that, maybe, wouldn’t happen if a player was fresh.”

Despite the mental challenge of debatable calls and fouls, including a yellow card for Connolly, the Trojans maintained composure and extended their lead to three following a chip over the goalkeeper by Hayes. When asked about the team’s ability to stay focused during these situations, Harris attributed its success to the supportiveness of the group.

“We have an amazing bench energy, and the whole entire team is super confident in each other,” Harris said.

However, the Badgers would not let up easily, showing life in the final seven minutes with a goal from graduate midfielder Dara Andringa. To maintain hold on the lead, USC employed more defensive tactics, parking the bus and closing the game with a 3-1 victory.

Coming off of this weekend’s wins, Hayes retained her position as the team’s season leader with 11 total goals. Despite allowing three goals against Saint Louis, the most in any game for the Trojans this season, graduate goalkeeper Laurence Gladu maintained a save percentage of 50%.

“I told the team afterward it almost felt anti-climactic because I knew we would get here,” Alukonis said. “I have had a really good feeling about this team this year. We are going to keep doing what we do, refining the style that we like to play and know it comes down to taking care of our bodies.”

Moving on to the quarterfinal, USC will clash with the two seed, No. 3 Wake Forest (15-3-3, 7-2-1 ACC), Friday at 2 p.m. at Dignity Health Sports Park.