After a dominant win over Arizona State University on Saturday, the USC women’s lacrosse team, ranked third in the Pac-12, will travel to Prentup Field in Boulder, Colo., to face off — for their second game in a row — against the Sun Devils in the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday. The Trojans hope to continue their success against the sixth-seeded Sun Devils with another commanding victory.
Senior goalie Gussie Johns ended the 2018 regular season boasting a spectacular .492 save percentage. Ling Luo | Daily Trojan
This match will mark the third time this season that the Trojans have faced off against ASU. The Women of Troy are 2-0 against Arizona State so far this year, touting a combined score of 33-5 in those two games.
The Sun Devils have had a rollercoaster of a season. Although it is in the middle of a five-game losing streak, Arizona State started the season well — by winning five of their first six games. Since then, they have cooled down. Arizona State has lost 10 of its last 11 games, ending their inaugural season with a 6-11 record.
Since its inception, the USC women’s lacrosse team, led by head coach Lindsey Munday, has been dominant. Munday, who has been with the program since its beginning, is 78-37 all-time. In previous seasons, USC was a member of the MPSF in which it won the MPSF Tournament in both 2016 and 2017. Now in the Pac-12, the Trojans are ranked No. 20 in the IWLCA coaches poll for the 40th consecutive week and without a doubt have made a strong statement in their new conference.
USC currently has three players on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List including All-American senior goalie Gussie Johns, senior All-Region defender Lydia Sutton, and sophomore midfielder Kerrigan Miller. The award annually honors the top lacrosse player in the United States.
Johns, who leads the nation in ground balls with 76, and Sutton, who earned third-team All-American honors, lead the Trojans’ defense. The two have combined for three Pac-12 defensive player of the week awards this season.
Miller, who put together a 3-goal, two-assist performance last week against the Sun Devils, leads the team in goals and points scored but also has contributed with 10 assists, 41 draw controls and 35 ground balls. Miller, who has been a huge part of the team’s success, picked up the honor of Pac-12 offensive player of the week earlier this season. She also leads the Pac-12 in both caused turnovers per game (2.6) and game-winning goals (4).
Freshman midfielder Kelsey Huff, who matched Miller’s performance against Arizona State with 3 goals and two assists, now sits at 25 goals and five assists this season. Huff should play a large role in Thursday’s matchup. The Trojans will also rely on players like sophomore midfielder Kaeli Huff, who has racked up 27 goals — good for third on the team. Two of those goals came on Saturday against ASU.
Graduate attacker Maeve McMahon will also look to improve upon her already impressive first year as a Trojan. She has already piled up 15 goals and leads the team with 13 assists. Sophomore attacker Izzy McMahon, who is second on the team in goals scored (28), will need to put up a strong performance Thursday.
A win over the Sun Devils would give the Trojans their fourth-straight 10-win season.
Further, beating Arizona State Thursday would guarantee a berth in the semifinals and a third matchup this season against Stanford, the tournament’s No. 2 seed Stanford, which has put together a dominant season shown by their 13-4 record, defeated the Trojans twice this year. The Trojans have not lost to the Cardinal by more than 3 scores this season and lost to them by 1 in a heartbreaking overtime game on March 25. A rematch should be a nailbiter.