USC looks to continue strong mid-season play against SDSU


senior midfielder Kelsey Huff lobs the ball to a teammate down the field.
Senior midfielder Kelsey Huff has 20 goals on the season. (Ling Luo | Daily Trojan)

USC women’s lacrosse will take on San Diego State this weekend in their first home game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 2017. The Trojans hold a 7-4 record while the Aztecs are 3-6 on the season. 

Coming off a road trip where the Trojans lost to Colorado and defeated Oregon, USC plans to take care of a struggling Aztec team that has lost four of their last five games.

The Trojans aim to repeat their season-opening performance where they dominated the Aztecs 20-6, outscoring them 12-1 in the second half. Although they handled business easily in their first meeting, USC cannot afford to take SDSU lightly. The Aztecs have gone 3-2 against Pac-12 opponents since that season-opening loss. 

Head coach Lindsey Munday discussed what she wants to see from her team as they inch closer to the postseason.

“I think right now the biggest thing for us is the small details, the non-stat sheet plays,” Munday said. “We are really focusing on the details, discipline across the board, especially defensively with fouls and not giving up 8-meter opportunities. Offensively, it’s making sure we don’t have unforced turnovers and just focusing on the basics of everything and not getting complacent with them.”

On the offensive side, senior midfielder Kelsey Huff continues to be one of the key contributors for the Trojans. Against Oregon on Sunday she recorded her fourth hat trick of the season, upping her goal total to 20 on the season. The 2019 First Team All Pac-12 player has scored over 100 goals in her collegiate career so far. 

Huff described how coronavirus regulations have changed the team’s dynamics.

“This is one of the closest teams I’ve ever been on in my entire life,” Huff said. “So for us having to separate and not being able to see each other when our houses are across the street it stinks only being able to wave from our porches instead of actually spending time together.” 

Huff also looks forward to the opportunity to play at the Coliseum, a venue the Trojans haven’t been able to play at for four years due to major renovations. 

“Being in the Coliseum is going to be an awesome opportunity,” Huff said. “I can’t even imagine the feeling we are going to get when we walk onto that field, so a lot of us are pretty excited about that.” 

The last time the Trojans played at the historic Coliseum was April 14, 2017 when they beat Colorado 11-5.

Currently sitting behind Stanford in the Pac-12 standings with three conference games left on their schedule, the Trojans look to make a push for the regular-season title and continue their strong play heading into the conference tournament.

The Trojans will take on the Aztecs at noon Friday.