Women's Soccer Hosts No. 8 BYU On Friday
September 14, 1999 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 14, 1999
LOS ANGELES - The No. 9 USC women's soccer team (4-1), under coach Jim Millinder and led by two-time All-Americans Kim Clark and Isabelle Harvey, is thriving while in the midst of the most brutal stretch of schedule in school history. The Women of Troy, who received their highest national ranking ever this week, must play six straight matches against ranked teams and thus far, they've won two of the first three. This weekend, USC hosts No. 8 Brigham Young (6-0) on Friday (Sept. 17) in the Coliseum at 3 p.m.
RANKINGS - USC is ranked No. 9 in Soccer America (the first time USC has ever been ranked by this publication), No. 10 in the NSCAA and Soccer Times and No. 15 in Soccer Buzz ... BYU is ranked No. 8 by Soccer Times, No. 9 by Soccer Buzz, No. 11 by the NSCAA and No. 14 by Soccer America.
NEWS & NOTES - Freshman midfielder Ali Fennell is this week's Pac-10 Player of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal against UConn and assisting on the game-winner against Portland ... The Women of Troy play perhaps the toughest schedule in the country, including matches against defending NCAA champion Florida and 15-time national champion North Carolina, as well as eight other teams that made the 1998 NCAA Tournament ... Three USC players participated in the 1999 Women's World Cup: junior midfielder Isabelle Harvey (Canada), junior defender Susie Mora (Mexico) and junior midfielder Barbara Almaraz (Mexico).
OPPONENT - BYU (6-0) has opened the season in perfect fashion, including victories over Pac-10 teams Arizona and Arizona State. Led by fifth-year coach Jennifer Rockwood, the Cougars have made the last two NCAA Tournaments. USC and BYU have met only once, a 1-0 USC victory at the Coliseum last season as Andrea Warner scored an early goal. BYU, ranked No. 7 at the time, is the highest-ranked team USC has ever beaten.
LINEUP - USC returns six of 11 starters, though five other players started at least four matches heading into 1999. The Women of Troy have only two seniors - midfielder Kim Clark and defender Christina Kushnir - and both are starters. Two freshmen have earned starting nods: Jackie Fodor at forward and Ali Fennell at midfielder.
LAST WEEKEND - The biggest weekend in USC soccer history saw the Women of Troy beat two of the country's perennial powers, as they defeated then-No. 12 Portland, 1-0, and then-No. 8 Connecticut, 2-1, in double overtime at the Husker Fila Challenge in Nebraska. On Friday (Sept. 10), Isabelle Harvey's goal in the 60th minute was the only score of the game against the Pilots. Ali Fennell made a great run with the ball up the right sideline, then cut into the middle and past several defenders, and found Harvey wide open for the game-winner. On Sunday (Sept. 12), USC needed some late heroics for another big victory. Trailing 1-0, Jennifer Prigmore headed in Kim Clark's corner kick with just 2 1/2 minutes left in regulation. And with less than six minutes left in overtime, Fennell scored her first collegiate goal off a cross from Harvey for the game-winner.
ISABELLE HARVEY - Junior midfielder/forward Isabelle Harvey (Cap-Rouge, Quebec, Canada) is coming off an outstanding performance in the 1999 Women's World Cup for Canada and is one of the nation's top collegiate players. A two-time All-American and the 1998 Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year, Harvey ranks first in game-winning goals (16), and second in goals (32), assists (25) and points (89) in USC history. In 1999, she has scored three goals (including two against Maryland). Harvey starts at wide midfielder but will also be pushed up to forward. She had eight goals and a Pac-10-high 12 assists in 1998.
KIM CLARK - Another player who is potentially one of the best in the nation, senior midfielder/forward Kim Clark (Cupertino/Monta Vista HS) is a two-time All-American third teamer who ranks first in USC history in assists (30) and third in both points (88) and goals (29). This season, she has three assists (including two against Maryland). The catalyst for USC's offense, Clark starts at attacking midfielder. Clark suffered a broken leg in a match against UCLA last season and missed the final four matches of the season, including USC's postseason run. She finished with 10 goals and six assists in 1998.
CHRISTINA KUSHNIR - The leader of USC's defense, senior sweeper Christina Kushnir (San Diego/Bishop's School) could be in line for postseason honors with another strong season. Kushnir, a dominating player in the air, also contributes on offense and has seven career goals.
KATIE TICEHURST - Junior defensive midfielder Katie Ticehurst (Los Alamitos/Mater Dei HS) offers a potent mix of offensive and defensive prowess and is on her way to becoming a premier player. She scored a spectacular goal against then-No. 4 Florida, striking the ball from about 30 yards out after a long run. Thus far, she leads USC with 11 shots taken.
FRESHMEN - The Women of Troy have 11 true freshmen on the roster, and several are making an immediate impact. Jackie Fodor (Winnetka/Chatsworth HS), the Los Angeles City Section's top scorer over the last four years, scored two goals in her debut against UC Irvine. A reserve forward who also has an outstanding scoring touch, Jennifer Prigmore (Norman, OK/North HS) was one of the top goal scorers in Oklahoma prep history. Thus far, she is tied as USC's leading scorer with seven points (three goals and one assist). She had a goal and an assist against UC Irvine. Two speedy midfielders, Ali Fennell (Santa Ana/Mater Dei HS) and Laura Foster (Del Mar/Bishop's School), will also see a great deal of time. Fennell is starting at one wide spot and has collected one goal and two assists. After scoring the game-winner against then-No. 8 Connecticut and assisting on the game-winner against then-No. 12 Portland, she was named Pac-10 Player of the Week on Sept. 13. Goalkeeper Lauren Arase (La Canada/La Canada HS), a member of the U.S. Under-18 National Team pool, will also try to work her way into the lineup and has started once.
MISCELLANEOUS - USC posted shutouts in its first two matches of the season for the first time in school history ... Jennifer Prigmore is the third Trojan freshman to score goals in each of her first two matches (Erin Bailey in 1994 and Courtney Barham in 1995 were the others) ... USC won back-to-back matches against ranked teams for the first time ever against Portland and UConn.
HEAD COACH JIM MILLINDER - Now in his fourth season as USC's head coach, Jim Millinder has put USC on the verge of becoming a national power. He has a four-year record of 49-16-2 (.746) with USC and a six-year overall mark of 57-43-6 (.566). A former U.S. National Team member, Millinder was named the 1997 West Region Coach of the Year and the 1996 and 1998 Pac-10 Coach of the Year.
LAST SEASON - In 1998, the Women of Troy went 14-7-1 overall, earned their first-ever Pacific-10 Conference championship (tying for first at 7-2 with California and UCLA but beating both to win the tiebreaker) and made it to their first-ever NCAA Tournament (where they beat Washington in the first round but lost to San Diego State in three overtimes in the second).
