USC women’s lacrosse headed up north this past Sunday to face conference rival Stanford. The Trojans could not triumph over the Trees and fell 15-12 in a tight game.
Despite the score, the Trojan offense showed glimpses of greatness. Sophomore attacker Maggie Brown was one of those bright spots, scoring five goals for the Trojans.
“She timed her cuts really well, our feeders found her and she provided a huge spark for us today,” head coach Lindsey Munday said of Brown.
Brown thrives off her speed and flashy cuts. Each one of her goals were assisted, as she is excellent at quickly getting open for her teammates.
Brown had back-to-back goals to give USC a 5-2 lead early in the first quarter. She scored a buzzer beater at the end of the second quarter to tie up the game 7-7 going into halftime. She scored two more goals in the second half.
Other offensive performers included junior midfielder Claudia Shevitz with two goals, while sophomore attacker Isabelle Vitale, sophomore midfielder Christina Gagnon, senior attacker Ella Heaney, senior midfielder Sloane Murphy and graduate midfielder Katie Ramsay all had one score a piece.
Defensively, junior goalie Kait Devir had seven saves throughout the game. The defense also snagged twelve ground balls throughout the game.
The Trojans found their greatest struggle on the draw circle. Although freshman attacker Maggie Ramsay stepped in to take some draws and helped win a few possessions, USC lost 22 out of the 26 draws taken on Sunday.
“It’s tough to win games when you don’t win draw controls … that’s going to be a huge focus for us going into next week,” Munday said.
Each team had several turnovers throughout the day, making the game a track meet up and down the field. USC’s three turnovers in the fourth quarter while clearing the ball up field gave Stanford possession for most of the quarter, ultimately securing the win for the Cardinal.
Despite the disappointing result, USC remains at No. 1 in the Pac-12 standings; however, Stanford is right behind with an identical 4-1 conference record.
“Our defensive unit in settled [situations] played well today, our offensive unit in settled [situations] played well,” Munday said. “It’s just about not turning the ball over in transition and winning those draw controls.”
The Trojans will seek revenge on the Trees on Sunday, April 9, on McAllister Field at noon.