USC faces No. 23 Portland in non-conference clash

After dropping two games during the Trojan Invitational at McAlister Field last weekend, the USC women’s soccer team has its most overall losses at home since 1998.

Road warriors · Junior forward Samantha Johnson and the Women of Troy have notched all three wins away from McAlister Field this season. - Jaideep Chadha | Daily Trojan

Though the Women of Troy (3-5) have five losses already, USC coach Ali Khosroshahin knows USC can match up with its competition.

“We’ve played as good if not better than every team we’ve played this season,” Khosroshahin said. “No team has outplayed us for the full 90 minutes.”

Khosroshahin, however, recognizes where USC must improve.

“We gotta finish,” Khosroshahin said. “We’ve created more opportunities and more scoring chances than our opponents consistently this season. Now we gotta put those chances away.”

It won’t be easy for the Women of Troy this weekend, however, as they travel to take on their third ranked opponent of the season in No. 23 Portland on Sunday. Though the Pilots (3-3-1) hold a .500 record heading into this weekend’s matchup, the team understands they are much better than the stats indicate.

“They’re a good team,” senior forward Samantha Johnson said. “We need to go up there and play the best we can possibly play in every aspect of the game.”

Pilots’ forward Danielle Foxhoven leads Portland with five of the team’s six goals this season, while a rotation of three goalies that include Hailee DeYoung, Erin Dees and Nicole Downing have held opponents to just eight goals scored in seven games.

After playing Friday and Sunday for the first couple weeks of the season, the Women of Troy will have Friday off for the first time — and the team says the one-game weekend gives them a great chance to rest up.

“It’s been a grind,” Johnson said. “We’ve been in some really tense games. It’s great to rest up our bodies.”

Khosroshahin saw the extra off day as a chance to get a different type of rest.

“We’ve been struggling mentally,” Khosroshahin said. “It’s great for us to get a bit of a break and get a little extra practice in before this trip.”

This weekend is USC’s last before Pac-12 play begins. Khosroshahin often says he divides the season into three stages: non-conference, conference and tournament. Each one, he says, prepares his team for the next. And after what has been a disappointing non-conference portion of the season, the Women of Troy are eager to head into the Pac-12 on an upswing.

“It’s our last chance,” Khosroshahin said. “We know it’s not gonna get any easier in conference.”

As has been the case all season, Khosroshahin is focused on his team — regardless of the opponent.

“We know that if we play up to our potential, we can match up with anyone,” Khosroshahin said. “We’ve just gotta put the ball in the back of the net.”