Women of Troy hit their stride in Texas

Upset by the University of San Diego in its season opener, the USC women’s soccer team was able to rebound last weekend to earn a 1-0 road victory against the TCU Horned Frogs (1-2-0) and a hard-fought 1-1 tie against the Texas Longhorns (2-0-1). Improving to 1-1-1 on the season, the Women of Troy relied on the heroics of Ashli Sandoval, who scored both goals this weekend.

After an arduous year of rehabbing her knee, Sandoval checked in at the 32nd minute of the TCU game, making her season debut. Sparing no time to assert herself, she quickly authored two scoring chances before finally capitalizing in the 40th minute on a shot taken 25 yards from goal. Ricocheting off a lunging defender, the ball changed direction too sharply for TCU goaltender Kelsey Walters to readjust before it found the back of the net.

Not to be overshadowed by the headlining return of Sandoval, the many freshmen who are being indoctrinated by fire this season played strong games. Aided by fellow freshmen defenders Mia Bruno and Allie Harrison, Shelby Church made six saves to record the first shutout of her career. In addition, freshman midfielder Elizabeth Eddy teamed with captain Alyssa Dávila to pressure TCU’s defense all game.

The match against the Longhorns offered a greater test of the young team’s mettle. The Women of Troy fell behind 1-0 in the 18th minute, when Texas midfielder Kylie Doniak headed a cross into the net. This early goal would be the Longhorns’ only success against Church, who frustrated Texas for the rest of the match with a slew of clutch saves, including one on a breakaway opportunity.

The first half looked like it would end inauspiciously for USC, as Harrison was dealt a red card after committing a penalty in the box to thwart another Longhorn opportunity in 41st minute. That foul dictated a penalty kick,  but fortunately for the Women of Troy, Church anticipated the shot correctly, sprawling to her left to knock the ball out of bounds.

In the second half, USC embraced the challenge of playing with only 10 players, and managed to outshoot Texas 11-2. Sandoval scored for the second consecutive game after receiving a pass from senior midfielder Megan Ohai. Their efforts came up short, however, as neither team was able to pull ahead in the remaining regulation time or overtime.

Undoubtedly, Sandoval’s return is crucial to this team’s offense moving forward. The Women of Troy missed her knack for scoring last season, as she tore her ACL against Gonzaga in September of last year. A much ballyhooed player as soon she stepped onto campus as a freshman, Sandoval, a redshirt junior, contributed to the team’s first NCAA championship in 2007 and led the team in scoring her sophomore season.

Although excited about Sandoval’s return and her immediate impact, USC coach Ali Khosroshahin wants to temper expectations.

“She’s not fully healthy,” Khosroshahin said. “We can only really use her in a limited role. But she’s a great player with great vision who adds a dimension we haven’t really had.”

Khosroshahin said that his only tangible adjustment before the weekend was bringing Dávila to the inside, so she could possess the ball more often and facilitate the offense.

The other improvements were simply a result of the younger players becoming more comfortable within the system. If the learning curve isn’t too steep, the Women of Troy hope that they can begin to build up consistency and rattle off some consecutive wins. Otherwise, they might have to accept the inevitable mistakes that accompany inexperience.

“The freshmen are very hungry,” Khosroshahin said after the TCU game. “They still have to go through the ups and downs, but they’re only going to get better and grow. This group is still very young, with many new players learning. But they are committed to learning.”