It was an emotional affair on McAlister Field for USC women's soccer as the team closed out the home portion of the 2011 season by saluting the seniors in front of 550 fans Sunday afternoon against the Arizona Wildcats.
On top of their 1-0 victory over the Wildcats (a season-tying third straight win), the Women of Troy honored soon-to-be graduating seniors Ashli Sandoval, Brittany Kerridge, Carly Butcher, Claire Schloemer and Ashley Freyer in a touching pregame ceremony (pictured right by Pierson Clair).
Despite suffering an ACL tear her junior year, Sandoval will leave USC as one of the most prolific players to ever come through the program. With three games still left to play, the redshirt senior currently stands to finish 4th in assists (24) and 10th in points (54) all-time in USC history.
"[Playing here] was a lot more than I thought it would be," said Sandoval, who was a key contributor on the 2007 National Championship team. "Playing for this team was a lot more than I expected. There are a lot of great memories here, but probably my favorite was the 5-4 game against Cal last year, when I scored the overtime goal. Everyone was so dead."
Alongside Sandoval, Brittany Kerridge (who has a team-leading 11 points in 2011) will leave her stamp in the USC record book. Entering this season, the native of Golden, CO, had six assists, but in 2011 she has more than doubled that total with seven helpers. Kerridge is tied for 8th all-time in assists with 13, needing one assist to move into sole possession of the 7th spot.
Since stepping on to McAlister Field back in 2008, Carly Butcher has evolved into a sure-fire fan favorite in Troy because of the passion and enthusiasm with which she plays each and every game. After scoring five goals during her freshman campaign, the Alaskan midfielder has become a central cog in Ali Khosroshahin's lineup, making 51 starts her last three seasons.
Typically known for her physicality on the back line, Claire Schloemer may have saved her best offensive performances for her last two games at Troy. On Friday, the Trojans' veteran defender scored her first career-game winning goal against ASU. On Sunday, the senior capped the home finale with a fantastic assist (just the second of her career) to Elizabeth Eddy (pictured by Pierson Clair below celebrating with Schloemer), setting up the game's lone goal.
"I figured I would just leave it all out here," said Schloemer. "After four years of hard work, I would be really disappointed if I ended it on a bad note. It's emotional, because I have been defined as just a soccer player for such a long time, I've known soccer my entire life, and it's over."
The word finish likely isn't in Ashley Freyer's vocabulary as the senior spark plug exemplified one final time Sunday what has made her so special during the last four years. Although the Windsor, CA, native has made tremendous on-field contributions this season with six points (two goals and two assists), it's her constant motor and unrelenting spirit that has made her a mainstay in Troy since 2008.
USC will conclude the 2011 season on the road against Utah, Colorado and UCLA with a chance to finish over .500 in the Pac-12 Conference.
