The last time USC faced Rutgers, the Trojans lost in penalty kicks in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament last season. This time, the results were different.
USC had a chip on its shoulder.
“It was personal because we had alumni back here who played in that game and they were like it’s revenge time,” sophomore forward Jaiden Anderson said.
The Trojans put the pressure on the Scarlet Knights early in the first half, starting with a goal from Anderson in the sixth minute of the game following an assist from junior forward Maribel Flores.
“I mean it’s a great start,” Anderson said. “So just the energy that came with it and everyone behind me supported me and that energy kept flowing off of each other.”
The Trojans began to build off this momentum, attacking aggressively. In the 27th minute sophomore midfielder Ines Derrian curled a shot from outside the penalty box and doubled the lead for the Trojans putting them up 2-0 heading into halftime.
The Trojans had the opportunity to extend the lead to 3-0 in the first half when junior forward Hana Mizumoto drew a penalty kick in the 42nd minute, but Rutgers redshirt junior goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer made a diving save on the attempt.
The Scarlet Knights were held to just four shots in each half and only had three shots on goal for the rest of the game. The Trojans maintained the majority of possession until the 77th minute when Rutgers began to strike back. Senior midfielder Allie Post rose for a header off a cross from redshirt sophomore Olivia Russomanno to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Rutgers only had just one shot over the final 13 minutes of the game with USC having a 12-8 shot advantage and 3-1 corner kick edge over the Scarlet Knights. Anderson and Derrian each made it their fourth goal of the season.
“We’ve been talking about contagious positivity and that’s what really showed today,”
Anderson said.
The Trojans will look to build on this contagious positivity as they prepare for their next away match against Oregon on Friday at 1 p.m.