Though USC soccer still had to get through a tough rivalry bout with crosstown rival No. 20 UCLA later in the day, it had already received a bit of salvation Sunday afternoon as its disappointing second season in the Big Ten neared a close. 

Heading into the final day of the regular season, three conference foes — Nebraska (8-5-5, 3-5-3 Big Ten), Michigan (6-8-4, 3-4-4) and Indiana (5-6-6, 2-4-5) — were in position to leapfrog USC (7-6-3, 4-5-2) in the Big Ten standings with a win. However, after the Cornhuskers and Hoosiers lost and the Wolverines settled for a draw, the Trojans were guaranteed to finish no lower than 10th in the conference, ensuring them a spot in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.

With a postseason bid secured, USC battled against a relentless attack from UCLA (10-4-3, 6-2-3) to escape Westwood with a scoreless draw in the final game of the regular season. Despite the Bruins dominating possession for much of the match, the Trojans managed to hold them off with a career-best performance from graduate goalkeeper Bella Grust, who recorded a season-high seven saves in the shutout.

Grust puts on show to save USC from defeat

The 2025 season has been defined by inconsistency for Grust; after starting the year with three shutouts in USC’s first four games, Grust struggled in conference play, recording the third-lowest save percentage among Big Ten starting goalies. She entered Sunday’s matchup having given up five goals in her past two games, a trend the Trojans desperately needed her to break if they hoped to outscore a UCLA squad with the country’s best defense.

While the Bruins brought the same defensive prowess they’ve displayed all year, notching their 12th clean sheet of the season, Grust stole the show with a match for the ages. Her seven saves — six of which came in the second half — are tied for a season high, and mark her most without allowing a goal in her five-year collegiate career.

Grust set the stage for a dominant display early on, showing her physicality in the 19th minute with a diving stop at the feet of UCLA sophomore forward Kara Croone. Croone, who led the Bruins with six shots, found herself charging toward the goal unmarked on multiple occasions in the second half; each time, however, Grust was there to stop her, putting her body on the line to prevent the ball from reaching the net at any cost.

Though the Trojans’ defense was locked in, the offense left much to be desired, mustering just six shots all game — none of which were on goal. USC was nearly incapable of creating opportunities to score, giving the ball away at seemingly every turn. 

Junior forward Maribel Flores was once again a leader on offense, taking half of the team’s shots, but even the Trojans’ top scorer couldn’t break through a Bruin defense that has allowed just five goals all season.

By the time the clock struck 90 minutes, USC had been outshot 19-6; yet, thanks to Grust’s heroics, it managed to come out unscathed. While the Trojans will need to be far more effective on offense if they want to succeed in postseason play, they will certainly take more of the same on the goalkeeping end.

Trojans set to face Northwestern in first round

USC now turns its attention to the Big Ten Tournament, where it will compete in an unfamiliar position: After winning the regular-season Big Ten title and earning a No. 1 seed in last year’s tournament, the Trojans find themselves with a No. 10 seed in the 2025 bracket, giving them perpetual underdog status for as far as they make it — and an extra game to get through.

As the lowest-ranking team in the field, USC will be one of four squads without a bye to the quarterfinals; it must first get through 7th-seeded Northwestern (8-3-7, 4-2-5) in a first-round matchup.

The Trojans and Wildcats have yet to face off this season, with their first and only historical meeting so far resulting in a 2-1 USC victory last year. Then-freshman midfielder Ines Derrien lifted the Trojans in the second half of that match, converting a successful penalty kick for the first goal of her collegiate career.

This time around, Northwestern will be without then-senior defender Emma Phillips, who scored the Wildcats’ only goal in last season’s matchup and ranked second on the team in goals overall. However, USC will see two familiar faces in sophomore forward Kennedy Roesch and senior midfielder Caterina Regazzoni, who took three shots each in the 2024 contest.

After pacing Northwestern with six goals last season, Roesch has taken her game to another level, scoring nine goals to lead her team once more and tie with Flores for the second-most among Big Ten players. Regazzoni is the only other Wildcat with more than two goals, having picked up five goals and three assists so far.

In front of the net, freshman goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson took over in the absence of Reiley Fitzpatrick, who served as Northwestern’s primary goalie in 2024 before graduating in the spring. Most of Nelson’s stats rank middle of the pack with respect to Big Ten starting goalkeepers, but she is coming off a streak in which she allowed just two goals total across the Wildcats’ last four games.

The road ahead isn’t easy for the Trojans; even if they can handle Northwestern, they will move on to face 2nd-seeded Michigan State (10-3-5, 7-1-3) — a team that crushed them 4-0 back in September — in the quarterfinals. 

However, a semifinal appearance would likely involve a rematch with UCLA, which USC proved itself capable of handling after Sunday’s match, and the top teams on the other side of the field suddenly look beatable after 1st-seeded Washington (11-2-5, 8-1-2) fell in its most recent showing to an Oregon (3-10-5, 1-6-4) team that hadn’t previously won a single conference game. 

The path to a conference championship is narrow, but it does exist — and the Trojans may need to win that championship in order to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

USC and Northwestern will face off in West Lafayette, Indiana, on Thursday at 4:30 p.m., both squads fighting to play another day.