The Trojans (5-2) put on a scoring clinic in a decisive 13-3 win over San Diego State (1-4) at Rawlinson Stadium on Wednesday night.
USC opened the game with a 6-0 unanswered run in the first quarter, fueled by nearly perfect draw control from junior midfielder Anna Regan.
“It’s kind of a chess game on the circle, you have to play against the other girl’s strategy,” Regan said. “So we line them up to play to my wins and we do a lot of boxing. But, when the ball does go up, the main thing is just all three of us are going as a unit.”
The Aztecs struggled on the circle with midfielder Millie Prager unable to move the ball where she wanted, only winning two draw controls in the first.
“To continue to get multiple possessions and to score, and then win the draw again, is huge,” head coach Lindsey Munday said. “It gives your offense a ton of confidence. It makes the other team really frustrated when they do get the ball, and hard for them to get in rhythm.”
SDSU failed to generate possession and all three opportunities in the first half came off Trojan turnovers.
The Aztecs looked rushed on attack and sloppy with their passes, turning the ball over 14 times.
“My defense did an incredible job of making them take shots that were easier for me to see,” USC goalkeeper Ellie Thomas said. “We were definitely throwing a little pressure on attackers behind the cage.”
Midfielder Macie Buell ended SDSU’s scoring drought around the 14-minute mark in the second quarter.
SDSU midfielder Kiera Doyle-Odenbach scored with 21 seconds left in the first half, seemingly scoring the final shot before the half. But the USC attack moved the ball quickly up the field, and sophomore midfielder Alex May drew an eight-meter foul and ripped a shot with 1.8 seconds left on the clock from the center hash.
“We really wanted to play together and be connected as a full unit,” Munday said. “I think we did, eight different goal scorers, the defense was super connected and together, and there was just really good energy.”
The San Diego native and freshman midfielder Sydney Stewart also shot 100%, both her shots finding the back of the net.
After their unproductive half, the Aztecs trailed USC 10-2, but came out of the locker room with renewed energy holding the Trojans to just one goal in third.
While San Diego State only scored once in the third quarter, their defense, particularly sophomore Maya Tillman, was the star of the show. The defense made noticeable halftime adjustments and ended the Trojans’ scoring production, allowing just three goals in the second half.
“We need to kind of just continue to bring the energy in the third quarter and be ready for the adjustments that the other team makes,” Munday said. “That is going to be a focus coming into the game on Sunday, and the beginning of conference: how can we play four quarters at the level that we know we can.”
One of USC’s second half goals came from an eight meter shot from senior attacker Maggie Ramsay. When Ramsay walked up to the hash the energy shift was palpable – the entire USC sideline was jumping up and down. Ramsay ripped a sidearm eight-meter shot and SDSU called a timeout sending the entire bench onto the field.
“Mags is just such a huge part of our team, so to see her step up and take advantage of that opportunity when her number was called, it’s huge,” Ellie Thomas said. “Mags is just the biggest cheerleader of all of us, and is the most hype person on our sideline, so it’s really a small favor to return.”
With the win Wednesday USC is 15-1 against the Aztecs, and has now won six-straight against them.
Midfielder May and sophomore attacker Kaylee Fravert led the Trojans in points, each with a hat trick. Fravert shot 3-for-4, and all three of May’s shots found the back of the net.
The Trojans veteran defense, featuring three starting seniors, pressured far out behind the crease and looked to force the Aztecs to challenge them in one-on-one opportunities.
“It’s [high-pressure defense] something we haven’t done as much this year, but we’re just trying to expand our repertoire as a defense,” Thomas said. “It’s a great thing to have in our back pocket, and I’m sure it’s going to come in handy down the road.”
USC returns to action with a home game against Niagara University on Sunday.