The Trojans opened their season on the road with an East Coast double header, facing No. 15 Army Friday afternoon and Villanova Sunday morning. The No. 17 USC squad secured wins in both games, beating Army 13-9 and Villanova 12-11.
Friday’s back-and-forth battle between the Trojans and the Black Knights culminated in a final quarter of total Trojan dominance. After going into the fourth quarter tied at seven apiece, the Trojans went on a 6-0 run initiated by graduate attacker Ella Heaney to give them a comfortable lead and erase the Army’s chance at a win.
Heaney recorded her 16th-career hat trick against Army, leading USC with a career-high six goals and surpassing 100 career goals, making her the sixth Trojan in program history to do so.
Senior attacker Shelby Tilton also recorded a hat trick of her own, scoring all of her goals in the fourth quarter in under four minutes to extend USC’s lead to four goals. The Trojans are now 4-1 all-time in road season openers.
Two days and a nearly three-hour road trip later, head coach Lindsey Munday’s squad took on the Villanova Wildcats. Luckily for the Trojans, they did not fall victim to the challenges that accompany playing on the road. Before Sunday, the Trojans were 18-20 all-time in East Coast road matches.
“With traveling cross country … it’s hard,” Munday said. “It takes a toll on your body. You just have to stay as focused as you can.”
And focused, the Trojans were.
They had to be sharp in order to hold off Villanova’s attempts at a late-game comeback led by junior attacker Sydney Pappas, who netted four of her five total goals in the fourth quarter.
With 1:16 to play, a USC penalty allowed Villanova to get within one. But, in its second ever meeting against Villanova, USC secured two much-needed possessions to slow the Wildcat’s momentum and grab the win.
The Trojans are now 2-0 all-time against Villanova. Last year, the Trojans handled the Wildcats to the tune of a blowout win at McAlister Field, 15-4.
Team defense is USC’s key to success. They had the No. 5 defense in the NCAA last season and put it on display again on Sunday, forcing the Wildcats to commit four shot clock violations.
However, the Trojans’ offense demonstrated significant resilience and intensity, and deserve equal — if not more — credit for the win.
Reminiscent of Friday’s game, Heaney gave the Trojans a hot start, scoring two on top of a goal from senior midfielder Claudia Shevitz for a 3-1 first-quarter lead.
The second-quarter tides turned in Villanova’s favor as the Wildcats scored three unanswered goals while junior goalkeeper Cate Gallagher came up with two big stops to hold the Trojans scoreless for over 12 minutes.
In a moment where Munday’s squad could have panicked, the Trojans stayed cool, calm and collected.
“Stay confident,” Munday told her players at that moment. “Stay patient and the goals will come. If you start playing tight it’s usually not a good thing.”
The Trojans heeded the words of the reigning Pac-12 Coach of the Year, which proved to be the difference-maker in a momentum-shifting third quarter.
After scoring only once in the second quarter, the Trojans outshot the Wildcats 14-3 and advanced to a 10-4 lead to end the third.
The key? Their patient, deliberate offense. From patiently moving the ball to find the right opportunity to going on a fast break to capitalize off transition play, the Trojans trusted their gameplan.
“In both games, our girls believed [that] even if things aren’t going our way, or we don’t think we’re playing our very best, they still know, no matter what, [to] have faith … that we’re going to win,” Munday said. “That’s what we saw today.”
Although Army and Villanova are not the toughest opponents the Trojans are scheduled to face this season, these weekend wins set the tone for what the Trojans hope will be a successful final ride in the Pac-12 before next year’s move to the Big Ten.
“Every game is big. We’re happy to come away 2-0,” Munday said.
The Trojans will have their first home game of the season Saturday at 12 p.m. against Hofstra at Dignity Health Sports Park, one of USC’s two home sites this season as they await the construction of the new Rawlinson Stadium.