USC will face final conference opponent


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Freshman midfielder Maddie Dora holds the ball in the middle of the field.
Freshman midfielder Maddie Dora has a 88.6% shot-on-goal rate this season in 14 games played. She has registered 17 goals and 6 assists. (Bradley Brown | Daily Trojan)

USC lacrosse is preparing to play in its final regular season Pac-12 match Friday against Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. The Trojans held steady at No. 17 in this week’s IWLCA poll after two conference victories over the weekend. 

USC defeated Colorado 15-8 last Friday afternoon. The Trojans outshot Colorado 36-26 and also won the center circle, picking up 16 draw controls to the Buffaloes’ 11. USC never trailed and held a lead as large as 8 goals at one point in the fourth quarter.

Junior attacker Ella Heany led the team in points and matched her career-high with 7 points — 4 goals and 3 assists. Redshirt freshman attacker Isabelle Vitale recorded 5 points on 3 goals and 2 assists. In goal, junior goalie Kait Devir had 8 saves. 

Devir, a transfer from Boston College in her first season with the Trojans, credits much of her smooth transition to the relationships she has formed with her teammates. 

“Coming in every single day and working through practice, training and lifts, we really make those strong relationships,” Devir said. “Our team culture is really big on not just connecting on the field but off the field, and we do a really good job of that.”

USC also took care of business in Eugene, Ore. Sunday against Oregon, winning 16-9. The Trojans were able to get many different players scoring chances, with 10 different players registering goals. USC outshot the Ducks 28-21, won the center circle 16-11 and recorded a season-high 28 ground balls. This victory moved the Trojans to 7-2 in Pac-12 play. 

The Trojans have two more games in their regular season, only one of which is against a conference opponent in Arizona State. The Sun Devils are also 7-2 in the Pac-12, tied with USC for first place in the conference. 

In their first matchup of the season, USC defeated ASU 17-10. Since that game, ASU has put up several notable wins, including victories over No. 14 Rutgers and No. 22 Stanford. 

Head Coach Lindsey Munday said she has emphasized playing with energy from the jump to her team.

“I think, just like we have all season, [we need to] play together and have a full 60 minutes,” Munday said. “Against a team like Arizona State, we can’t have a down quarter or a down half or a slow start.”

With a win against Arizona State, USC would secure the first seed heading into the Pac-12 Tournament. The Trojans have already secured their place in the top four teams, meaning they won’t have to play in the quarterfinal round.

“Having a bye in the first round is really important,” Munday said. “It’s helpful to be able to go in fresh instead of having those back-to-back games.” 

However, Munday doesn’t want seeding to be the Trojans’ focus going into Friday’s matchup. 

We don’t want to be thinking about that,” she said. “We want to be thinking about our game and our execution.”

The Trojans will take on Arizona State Friday at 2 p.m. at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.