After crushing New Mexico State University in a 4-0 shutout on Aug. 24, USC soccer’s future looked bright. The Trojans were undefeated, allowing just two goals total across three wins, and ranked as high as No. 4 on the United Soccer Coaches poll.

Since then, USC (3-2-1, 0-1-0 Big Ten) has been in free fall, settling for a scoreless draw against the University of Portland (2-2-3) before taking back-to-back losses against No. 2 Stanford (7-1-1, 1-0-1 ACC) and Washington (4-1-3, 1-0-0 Big Ten) that knocked them off the coaches’ top 25.

In terms of the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index, a system used to rank each Division I team based on its performance and strength of schedule, USC now ranks No. 99 — a far cry from the team that made the NCAA tournament quarterfinals just last year.

The Trojans hope to regain their footing during a road trip to Michigan this week, taking on both Michigan (3-4-1, 0-0-1) and Michigan State (3-2-3, 0-0-1) for their first away games of the season. 

Key players shine despite offensive woes

USC’s offense has stagnated during its winless streak, mustering just one goal in total after scoring 11 in the first three games of the year. The Trojans were outshot 16-6 by Stanford and 9-6 by Washington, getting only one shot on goal in each match.

Much of USC’s production has previously come from the forward trio of sophomore Jaiden Anderson, junior Maribel Flores and sophomore Faith George, as well as sophomore midfielder Ines Derrien. The four have combined for 11 of the Trojans’ 12 goals on well over half of the team’s shot attempts.

After picking up two goals and three assists with limited playing time last season, Anderson has already matched those totals in 2025, notching three of each to lead the team with 9 total points. Anderson scored USC’s lone goal in the loss to Stanford, preventing what would have been its second of three straight shutouts.

Derrien and George haven’t slowed down after being named to the 2024 Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Derrien has collected three goals and two assists along with six shots on goal — though none have come during the Trojans’ winless streak — and George is close behind with two goals and an assist.

A former Pacific-12 Freshman of the Year, Flores has three goals and two assists of her own, highlighted by a two-goal performance against Pepperdine University (3-4-1). She also leads all USC forwards with 460 minutes played.

On the goalkeeping end, graduate Bella Grust has been a fixture in front of the net, starting all six games and only taking the bench for 19 minutes after the Trojans went up 4-0 against New Mexico State (1-9). After playing just three games as a backup in 2023 and missing all of the 2024 season, Grust is finally getting her time to shine for USC.

Across six games, Grust picked up 18 saves while allowing eight goals, though more than half of those goals came at the hands of then-No. 1 Stanford in a 5-1 loss. She was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week on Aug. 26 after leading the Trojans to wins against Pepperdine and New Mexico State.

Trojans set to face a pair of Michigan teams

Michigan, USC’s first opponent of the week, has had an up-and-down start to its season. Following a brutal 3-13-2 campaign in 2024 that saw the Wolverines go winless on the road, they seemed to be turning things around with two straight wins to begin the 2025 season. However, that start was quickly succeeded by a four-game losing streak, in which the team was outscored 11-2.

Sophomore forward Elle Ervin and junior forward Gabrielle Prych have led the way in scoring for Michigan, each accounting for four of the Wolverines’ 10 total goals. Ervin has been particularly aggressive with a team-leading 25 shots, 12 of which have been on goal.

Senior Sophie Homan serves as Michigan’s primary goalkeeper, notching 30 saves so far — third among Big Ten goalies — while allowing 10 goals across eight games. Homan is coming off a shutout against No. 22 Ohio State (4-1-2, 0-0-1) in which she had a career-high six saves.

Less than 60 miles away, Michigan State is not far removed from a stellar 2024 season, where it went undefeated at home for a 14-3-5 overall record and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans are having a similar season to the Trojans, having gone undefeated in their first five games before suffering an ongoing three-game winless streak.

Junior midfielder Bella Najera and junior defender Kennedy Bell lead Michigan State with four goals apiece, though the two have come about those numbers in very different ways: Najera has recorded a team-high 25 shots, while Bell — a defender — has just eight.

The Spartans have split their goalkeeping time somewhat evenly between freshmen Kennedy Zorn and Noelle Henning, each having started four of the team’s eight games. Zorn has easily been the more efficient of the two, allowing just two goals to Henning’s nine despite playing 90 more minutes — a full game’s worth.

USC will face off against both Michigan squads on the road, looking to end its recent slump. The Trojans will play at Michigan on Thursday at 4 p.m., followed by a game at Michigan State on Sunday at 10 a.m.