This is far from any normal season for USC lacrosse.
It’s a talented squad coming off of a 2023 Pac-12 title that entered with high expectations. But that’s nothing new for head coach Lindsey Munday, whose program has been consistently successful since its inception in 2013.
It’s a veteran group of players, which means USC is looking to make the most of their last season together. The Trojans’ top four goalscorers — plus three other starters — are all set to graduate this spring. But it’s college sports; all teams go through these waves.
It’s a farewell tour for the Pac-12, as the team prepares to transition to the Big Ten in 2025. But, again, that’s a common phenomenon not only for many USC teams this year, but also many other schools around the country given the recent surge in conference realignment.
It’s not common to deal with all of those circumstances on top of not playing at their typical home field. It still hasn’t been enough to rattle the Trojans, though. On Sunday, USC (9-3, 3-0 Pac-12) showed off its ability to handle adversity with a 9-8 comeback win over Cal (4-7, 1-2) at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Golden Bears dominated the second quarter with five unanswered goals, as the Trojans struggled to gain any possession. Cal had nine draw controls in the first half to USC’s two, fueling the visitors’ early momentum. Still, USC didn’t panic.
“It was really just sticking to the game plan and trusting each other that we’ll just chip away and, little by little, get back in the game,” Munday said.
While senior goalkeeper Kait Devir’s second-half relief effort helped stabilize the Trojans’ defense, senior attacker Shelby Tilton fueled the Trojans’ surge on offense. She scored three of her four goals after halftime, with two of those goals coming in a 10-second span to even the match in the final quarter.
“Even though we dipped in the first half, there was no doubt in my mind that we weren’t going to win that game,” junior defender Lila Murphy said. “I think that’s something that can help us moving forward.”
After the Trojans played their first five home games of the season at Dignity Health Sports Park, they are closing out their home schedule with a pair of games at the Coliseum, including Sunday’s Easter matchup.
USC is currently renovating what will soon be known as Rawlinson Stadium, which will feature upgraded fan accommodations and facilities for the university’s lacrosse and soccer programs. The new and improved stadium is set to open in 2025.
In the meantime, the Trojans are dealing with some annoying consequences of those future benefits. The team is handling the adjustment to its odd home schedule well; nobody appears to be overly bothered by their unique home environments.
If anything, as Dora pointed out, the group is lucky to be playing at the beautiful Coliseum to end the year — despite the empty, almost eerie game setting.
“We have really great support from USC Athletics overall to put us up [at the Coliseum] for two games and then to host the Pac-12 tournament later in the year,” junior attacker Maddie Dora, who scored Sunday’s game-winning goal, said. “I think we’re all just really grateful and happy to be here together.”
The Trojans are trying not to focus on the downsides of their season-long relocation, but it’s hard to imagine that they haven’t been affected at all. USC has already lost twice at “home” this year after not suffering any 2023 losses at McAlister Field, and it nearly lost Sunday to a Cal program that it had beaten 16 straight times.
With barely any students at games this season — even superfan Crash Collier (the caution tape guy) wasn’t in attendance for the first five home games — USC has had to find other ways to develop some sort of a home-field advantage.
Brian Ramsay, the father of sophomore attacker Maggie and former Trojan midfielder Katie, has been around the Trojan lacrosse program for several years now. He also praised the athletic department, as well as the other team parents, for working together to add USC signage and branding to bring a more homely feel to Dignity Health Sports Park. And it wasn’t hard to feel home at a place as synonymous with USC as the Coliseum.
Gameday traditions also haven’t been quite the same, but not necessarily in bad ways. On one hand, a pregame walk through the USC Village on the way to McAlister Field was replaced by a 20-minute bus ride to Carson. However, players have gotten to hang out more with their families before games; getting to use the massive football locker room at the Coliseum wasn’t the worst thing, either.
“I think that got the girls really excited,” Dora said. “We were dancing the entire time and we had a surround sound system. It was honestly a really fun time.”
All that change has perhaps made this team more resilient in the face of uncomfortable situations, such as the Trojans’ four-goal deficit Sunday. Instead of worrying about the hectic future ahead for the program, players are living in the now.
“Whether it’s a home game, away, Coliseum, Dignity Health, we try to just play the game in front of us in the present moment. I don’t think we really focus on our surroundings,” Murphy said. “It’s nice to go through it together.”
Instead, it’s the prospect of losing seniors and leaving the Pac-12 that’s driving the team forward, Murphy added. And when every game is away from your real home, actual road games aren’t quite as hard, especially when embarking on long trips to the East Coast in nonconference play.
“We’ve traveled so much and we’re so used to being able to adjust to a lot of different adversities when it comes to traveling and playing in different areas,” Dora said.
USC will travel north this weekend to face Oregon on Saturday in Eugene, as the Trojans seek to maintain their momentum from their Easter resurrection.