Women’s soccer continues inspiring run with three consecutive victories

Women’s soccer edged out both of its opponents with victories over Washington and Washington State this weekend, extending the Trojans’ undefeated record at home. 

Following their strong defensive performance in a victory against Arizona the previous week, the Trojans beat the Huskies 5-0 en route to their second home win in a row. The Trojans’ impressive stretch of play in conference play has improved their Pac-12 record to 6-3-1. 

After a relatively quiet first half finished 0-0, in-form junior forward Penelope Hocking displayed her heroic abilities with a hat-trick within the first 16 minutes of the second half. The first goal saw Hocking evade Washington’s defense and finesse the ball in the bottom right corner in the 52nd minute. The Trojans were awarded a penalty kick in the 55th minute after an apparent handball, which Hocking converted against Washington’s goalkeeper, Olivia Sekany. Hocking completed the trifecta in the 61st minute with a long-range shot from outside the box, hitting the top left corner.  

Senior forward Tara McKeown contributed to the onslaught of second half goals with one of her own in the 63th minute, driving into the center from the left flank before edging a shot to the bottom left corner. Freshman Katie Roditis concluded the scoring in the 84th minute with a converted shot in the box after a series of ricochets. 

Hocking credited her team’s symbiotic dynamic for her impressive run of games. 

“I think we want to work really hard for each other,” Hocking said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “That is what has fueled my work ethic, honestly. I want to work hard for the next person because I know they are going to do the work for me as well.” 

USC’s recent string of victories represents a turnaround from turbulent matches at the beginning of the season in which the Trojans suffered three losses in their opening five conference matches. 

“Now that we know what we can do, we know that we can put up those numbers, we know we’re a good team, that’s good for us because we’re going to play with more confidence,” Hocking said. “I think confidence is what we lacked at the beginning of the season.” 

USC continued its rampant run with a laborious victory over Washington State Sunday in a gritty 1-0 game. After a first-half display that saw the Cougars outshoot the Trojans 6-1, the home team flipped the switch in the second half, issuing 14 shots to the Cougars’ six and eventually converting the decisive goal. 

McKeown’s pass into the penalty box in the 55th minute was met by waiting freshman forward Angeles Escobar, who pivoted before shooting into the bottom left corner. Escobar continues to excel in her role as a super-sub, as the goal complimented her two assists in 29 minutes of play against Washington on Friday. 

“The more people we can get up there and get on the scoresheet and have an impact like [Escobar] had this weekend, will free up all of us,” head coach Keidane McAlpine said. “I’m really happy for her, she’s been putting in a lot of work, she has looked great in training, and so I was really happy she got rewarded this weekend.”

Redshirt senior goalkeeper Kaylie Collins provided a crucial performance on the other side of the pitch, as she maintained her third consecutive clean-sheet in conference play. Sunday’s win marked USC’s fifth straight shutout at home. Collins recorded 14 saves in her last three bouts, five of which denied Washington State an equalizer Sunday.

“The team is settled by [Collins] right now — they know what she’s going to bring, they know that she can come up with some big saves.” McAlpine added. “We’re feeling good about her performance. The backline seems to be having some chemistry, some understanding in the line. That’s very much needed and necessary for us to continue the run we have been on.”

The Trojans are entering the final stretch of the season, ranked No. 13 and holding a 6-3-1 conference record. USC aims to close out the remaining three conference matches with momentum. 

“We have yet to pull together two full halves. Now, that’s the next focus. We got to play 90 minutes,” McAlpine said. “That’s the next expectation as we come into Stanford, Cal and UCLA. Tough stretch of games, really quality teams, but it’s going to require a lot of focus and ninety minutes of work.”

The Trojans will continue conference play in a string of away games, facing off against Stanford this Friday at 3 p.m. and UC Berkeley Sunday at 1:45 p.m.