USC continues win streak with Colorado victory

Women’s soccer climbed to the top of the Pac-12 conference after beating a visiting Colorado team 4-1 and witnessing history in the process. Senior forward Penelope Hocking put her name on the scoresheet to cement her status as the all-time leading goalscorer in USC women’s soccer program history, surpassing USC Hall-of-Famer Isabelle Harvey’s 48 goals. 

Despite the slow starts in the last four Pac-12 matches with their opponent scoring first, the Trojans began their bout against the Buffaloes on the right foot. Following pressure from USC’s attack, Colorado conceded an early own goal during the 5th minute. The goal marked the first occasion where USC scored first against a Pac-12 opponent.

USC continued its intensity and doubled the scoreline seven minutes later when Hocking raced across the right flank and crossed the ball into the box for senior forward Jada Talley to convert USC’s second goal in twelve minutes. 

In the 20th minute, Hocking once again raced through the right wing before cutting in and chipping a shot with her left foot, ultimately hitting the top left corner of the goal. The match’s third goal marked Hocking’s seventh goal on the season and cemented her as the all-time leading goalscorer record with 49 goals. 

“My first thought is to win games,” said Hocking in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “I’m really grateful for everyone that has helped me along the way because I feel like I owe a lot of it to the coaches and the people around me because they have helped me in my success.”

USC continued applying pressure in the second half as redshirt senior midfielder Savannah DeMelo and junior midfielder Croix Bethune delivered multiple passes to allow freshman forward Simone Jackson to assist the fourth goal. Colorado freshman midfielder Ellen Jones responded in the 75th minute with a consolation goal that stole a potential clean sheet for USC’s defense and made it 4-1.

USC scored three goals in the opening 20 minutes to all but secured its fourth win in conference play. The early scoring, without need for a comeback, was a welcomed sight for the team.

“I feel like we have lacked energy coming in the first half because we are so young,” Hocking said. “I’m happy for this team because we came out with energy in the first half today and we scored off the bat. I feel like moving forward we are not going to take a second for granted.” 

With their win over the Buffaloes, the Trojans continue their nine-game winning streak, four of which have been conference wins.  

“In the beginning, we had a few slip-ups, we lost a few games,” Hocking said. “We took it game by game, and I think we have done a really good job staying positive and focusing on the game in front of us. I’m really proud of our team and how far we have come.”

USC’s run of form puts it at the top of the Pac-12 and No. 11 in the NCAA rankings. The Trojans are also the only team in the Pac-12 to have won all of their first four conference games. The Trojans’ last loss came against BYU Aug. 26 and have gone unbeaten since then.

“The first two games are two exceptional teams [BYU and Pepperdine University] and it gave us a chance to see exactly who we were,” said head coach Keidane McAlpine in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “For us the most important is creating that chemistry, creating that bond … and I think we are starting to find that.” 

USC will return to Soni McAlister Field as it faces Utah at 2 p.m. Sunday.