After going 2-0-0 last week with wins over Ohio State and Penn State, sixth-ranked USC women’s soccer returns to the grass on Sunday to host No. 8 UCLA at Dignity Health Sports Park’s main stadium, the home of the LA Galaxy, at 12 p.m.
For head coach Jane Alukonis, who is coaching in arguably the biggest match of her career since taking over the USC program three years ago, the stakes could not be higher, as the Trojans have a chance to win the university’s first conference title since joining the Big Ten. With a victory or a draw, USC will win the Big Ten regular season championship. The only way for the Bruins to win the Big Ten is to beat the Trojans outright.
Despite the rivalry and title implications in this No. 1 versus No. 2 conference matchup, Alukonis, who worked at UCLA prior to coming to USC, emphasized the importance of treating the Crosstown Showdown like every other match on the calendar.
Alukonis mentioned after practice on Wednesday that she thought the Trojans played very well in their 1-0 against Ohio State, and did an okay job against Penn State, where they won 2-1. Despite the Nittany Lions tying up the game late in the second half, Alukonis said that she was pleased with how fast USC managed to push the ball up the field and earn a free kick, which senior midfielder Helena Sampaio drilled to give USC the victory over Penn State. Alukonis added that USC’s grit and determination in situations like that show how her team does not back down, even if it is late in the game.
UCLA, who also faced both Penn State and Ohio State last week, experienced a scoreless draw versus the Nittany Lions on Thursday and beat the Buckeyes 1-0 on Sunday.
The Bruins are led by third-year head coach Margueritte Aozasa, who in 2022 became the first rookie head coach to lead a women’s soccer team to the national championship during her first year on the job. UCLA has scored 23 total goals this year and those are spread out across the team, so USC will need to be prepared for a balanced Bruins attack.
As the intensity builds up for the rivalry, Alukonis, whose favorite Crosstown Showdown moment was beating UCLA 2-0 two years ago at USC’s former home ground, Soni McAlister Field, is confident that team leaders like Sampaio and senior forward Simone Jackson will help teach the rest of the squad about the match’s meaning and intensity. As she also stressed, however, the most important job the Trojans have is to take care of business against the Bruins and treat it like any other match. Last year, USC lost 4-2 in Westwood to the Bruins.
Due to the construction occurring at Rawlinson Field, USC has played most of their home games away from campus at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, with the lone exception being the Ohio State game last week, which took place at BMO Stadium. While the Crosstown Showdown was originally scheduled to take place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, USC announced on Monday that the game would be moved to Dignity Health Sports Park’s main stadium, where the Galaxy plays its home games.
Alukonis, who can’t think of another program that has gotten to play in two of the best soccer-specific stadiums in the country, says that it is a big deal and an honor that USC has been able to play at both BMO Stadium and the main stadium of Dignity Health Sports Park. Because of this incredible opportunity on Sunday, the Trojans coach is calling on fans to come out and support the team, given the implications for both USC and UCLA.
Alukonis also said that she has enjoyed watching her players become closer with each other throughout the season, and is excited to see them go out and compete and express their emotions on the field in the regular season finale.
The Trojans and Bruins kick off the Crosstown Showdown from the Galaxy’s stadium at 12 p.m. on Sunday, with the match also being shown on the Big Ten Network, to decide who wins the regular season conference title.