University Southern California Trojans
USC
California
Eddy Blasts Hat Trick In OT Thriller Over Cal
October 10, 2010 | Women's Soccer
Oct. 10, 2010
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -- The No. 20 USC women's soccer team had a hot start to its Pac-10 clash with No. 21 California today, and fortunately the Trojans managed a hot finish as well in a wild and warm game at McAlister Field that saw the Women of Troy win it in overtime with a 5-4 victory. Momentum shifted all over the place in today's Pac-10 matchup at McAlister. After going up 2-0 early, USC was in a one-goal hole with less than two minutes remaining, but that deficit lasted just 14 second as Elizabeth Eddy tallied her third goal of the day to equalize things at 4-4. Ashli Sandoval then served up the overtime heroics with a slick shot on a free kick to punch in a 5-4 win in OT for the Women of Troy. USC improves to 8-3-2 overall and is 1-1 in Pac-10 play with the victory, while Cal goes to 5-3-3, 0-2.
The total of nine combined goals scored in the game matches a program record that was last hit in a 1998 USC 5-4 win over UCLA at the Coliseum. Eddy's hat trick is the first by a Trojan in a Pac-10 game since 1997. Sandoval's assist on Eddy's first goal of the day was the redshirt junior's 22nd career assist to move her into sole possession of the No. 4 all-time spot in USC's history books.
USC set the tone for the high-powered match by scoring its fastest goal of the season and adding to that early lead with another quick score that lifted the Trojans ahead 2-0 with not even four minutes ticked off the clock. Pressing early, the Women of Troy attacked, as Ashli Sandoval knocked the ball to Megan Ohai, who was 25 yards out. Ohai ripped her shot to the top left of the goal to lock in a 1-0 USC advantage just a minute and 43 seconds into the game. The Trojans kept coming. Barely a minute and a half later, Morgan Morrow slipped the ball to Elizabeth Eddy, and the freshman delivered with the score to pad USC's early lead to 2-0. The Cal defense put a stop to another dangerous USC attack with a defender clearing a ball headed past Bear goalkeeper Emily Kruger. USC's goalkeeper Shelby Church would be called on soon after for a pair of stops against the Bears, and the score held up as a 2-0 USC lead through halftime.
Intensity picked up in the second half as the Bears worked hard to get back in the game. Cal free kicks and corners set up several opportunities for the Bears, but nothing stuck as time continued to wane. In the 66th minute, however, the Bears broke through when Emi Lawson slipped a pass to Lauren Battung. Church advanced on it, but Battung put her shot to the right and in to make it 2-1. Cal continued to pressure the Trojan defense, but Eddy had another attack ready for the Bears. Morrow again helped with the setup in finding Eddy on the loose. Eddy did the rest herself, pulling goalkeeper Kruger out toward her and then slipping past, finally skipping the ball through Cal's defenders for a crosscage score that bumped USC ahead 3-1 with 15 minutes remaining in regulation.
Cal's U.S. national teamer Alex Morgan stepped in next, however. She and Megan Jesolva would combine forces for three straight goals, as the Bears sped back into the lead in the next 13 minutes. Morgan's first came on a header off a Jesolva centering pass just 40 seconds after Eddy's goal had USC ahead by two. In the 87th minute, Morgan breathed more life into the Bears' cause when she scored again on a Jesolva setup. Locked up 3-3 with under four minutes remaining and overtime looking certain, Morgan struck again. With 88:24 on the clock, Morgan put Cal in the lead for the first time with her third goal of the game. Trailing 4-3 with time ticking down quickly, USC responded. The Trojans made a fast step forward to get deep in Bear territory, and Alyssa Dávila slipped in a centering pass from the right side. Eddy met it and blasted a clutch finish from the top of the box to tie it up 4-4 and register the freshman's third goal of the game a mere 14 seconds after Morgan had tallied her third. Now even 4-4, overtime was back clearly on the horizon. In that first overtime period, Cal earned the first free kick, but USC countered back. Breaking toward goal, Eddy was obstructed by a Cal defender just outside the top of the box. That set up Sandoval against a thick Cal wall for a free kick. Sandoval calmly made the most of her opportunity, sailing the ball over the wall and tucking it into the right corner of the to ice the win for the Women of Troy.
USC continues Pac-10 play next weekend with a road trip to Oregon. The Trojans will first visit Oregon State for a 7 p.m. match on Friday (Oct. 15) in Corvallis, before going to Eugene to face Oregon at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Oct. 17).
Sunday, Oct. 10 (McAlister Field)
#20 USC 5, #21 California 4 (OT)
USC 2 - 2 -- 1 = 5
CAL 0 - 4 -- 0 = 4
SCORING:
1:43 -- USC: Megan Ohai (Ashli Sandoval)
3:23 -- USC: Elizabeth Eddy (Morgan Morrow)
65:54 -- CAL: Lauren Battung (Emi Lawson)
75:12 -- USC: Eddy (unassisted)
75:51 -- CAL: Alex Morgan (Megan Jesolva)
86:20 -- CAL: Morgan (Jesolva)
88:24 -- CAL: Morgan (Jesolva)
88:38 -- USC: Eddy (Alyssa Dávila)
94:09 -- USC: Sandoval (unassisted)
SAVES: Shelby Church (USC) 5, Emily Kruger (CAL) 1, Team (CAL) 1.
SHOTS: USC 13, CAL 21
CORNER KICKS: USC 1, CAL 7
FOULS: USC 16, CAL 8
