After walking away winless in three home matches to kick off Big Ten play, USC soccer hit the road last week looking to gain some momentum against two of its northeast conference opponents.

Instead, the Trojans (1-7-3, 0-4-1 Big Ten) only fell further, losing 2-0 to No. 8 Ohio State (8-1-1, 4-1-0) Thursday and 1-0 to Penn State (5-2-3, 3-1-1 Big Ten) Sunday. While USC’s defense kept both matchups competitive, its offense failed to capitalize, going scoreless for the fifth and sixth times in 11 matches this year.

With just a month left in the regular season, the Trojans still have only one win to their name — a 4-0 victory over New Mexico State University (2-7-2, 1-0 Conference USA) on Aug. 27 — and have been outscored 11-1 across their first five Big Ten bouts. While a conference tournament bid isn’t out of reach yet, it would require a massive midseason turnaround for Head Coach Jane Alukonis’ struggling squad.

Biehl shines in loss to Buckeyes

Thursday’s match marked USC’s first loss to the Buckeyes since joining the Big Ten; the Trojans won twice against Ohio State in 2024, including an overtime win in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. The defeat also dropped them to 0-5-3 against ranked opponents over the last two seasons.

An upset victory was always a tall order against the Buckeyes, who boast a perfect 7-0 home record and the Big Ten’s strongest defense. Thanks to freshman goalkeeper Josie Biehl, however, the 2-0 final score was far closer than it could have been.

The highly touted prospect put on a clinic in front of the net, saving 11 shots — the most by any Big Ten goalie this season and the highest tally for a Trojan in nearly five years. Seven of those saves came from a shutout second half, as Biehl refused to let her team go down without a fight.

However, the two shots that got past Biehl were more than enough for Ohio State to secure a victory. Senior forward Amanda Schlueter, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, notched both goals for the Buckeyes, opening the score in the ninth minute before tacking on another goal in the 32nd. 

USC didn’t have an answer to Schlueter’s performance, managing just three shots on goal — all of which Ohio State senior goalkeeper Peighton Northrup stopped — to the Buckeyes’ 13 attempts. Graduate midfielder Sophia Cavaliere was the only Trojan to take two shots, though neither was on goal.

Offense goes silent against Penn State

Though USC has struggled to score all year, its slump hit a new low point in Sunday’s match at Penn State: The Trojans failed to take a single shot, leaving University Park, Pennsylvania, with a 1-0 loss.

USC’s lack of aggression throughout the match led to zero offside penalties and a season-low four fouls. This restrained style of play kept the Trojans out of trouble, but it ultimately prevented them from getting on the board.

The Nittany Lions had no trouble finding scoring opportunities, taking 15 shots — six on goal — after USC allowed 20 shots to Ohio State three days prior. Junior forward Aubrey Kulpa scored the lone goal of the day, finding the net in the 27th minute to break the tie.

Biehl did what she could to help her squad, making five saves and once again holding her opponent scoreless in the second half. After starting the season with mixed results, the Trojans’ freshman goalie posted two of her strongest performances to date during their road trip, a trend USC needs to continue to have any chance of making a turnaround.

On paper, the Trojans’ remaining schedule will get slightly easier, as four of their remaining opponents currently sit in the bottom half of Big Ten standings. However, USC still has to face two more ranked teams: No. 18 Washington (8-1-2, 3-1-1 Big Ten) and No. 12 UCLA (7-3-1, 4-1 Big Ten).

The first of those matchups will come Saturday, when the Trojans get back on the road to face the Huskies for the third time since both programs moved to the Big Ten. The former Pac-12 rivals will face off at Husky Soccer Stadium at 7 p.m.