2011 USC Women's Soccer Season Outlook

The 2011 Women of Troy kick off this weekend at McAlister Field. Be there!

2011 USC Women's Soccer Season Outlook

August 17, 2011 | Women's Soccer

Aug. 17, 2011

Every year, soccer season wraps up in November for all but four teams in the nation. Ever since 2007, no one in the USC women's soccer program makes any other plans until mid-December.

The Trojans are the first and only Pac-10 team ever to win a women's soccer national championship. It happened in head coach Ali Khosroshahin's first year at the helm of the USC program, and he and the Women of Troy are now four seasons removed from that 2007 title run, but postseason plans have remained inked on Trojan calendars.

Now with one player remaining from that championship roster and a depth charge of youth and experience, the 2011 edition of the USC women's soccer team enters the fast-approaching season with all eyes trained on a seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

"I think we have a good balance right now of experience, youth, speed, and depth at vital positions, which should allow us to be a much more consistent team," Khosroshahin said. "Our senior class has the best knowledge of our plan and they're committed to executing it and teaching it to the younger ones."

In order to make another deep run -- and force a welcome interruption of Thanksgiving festivities -- Khosroshahin is insistent that his squad shakes off the "comeback kid" moniker it forced upon itself last season. The 2010 Trojans gave up the first goal of the game in half their matches last season. Time to tidy that up, Khosroshahin says.

"One of the biggest problems we had last year was we didn't know which team would show up on a given day. We saw that in the scorelines. We would show tremendously well against one group and turn around and do poorly against another group. In 11 of our 22 games last year, we were chasing where we had to come from behind. Those are signs of an inconsistent team that lacks maturity. But what do you expect when over half the roster is new?"

Granted, there will still be several new faces on the pitch for 2011. But five of USC's top seven scorers in 2010 were either freshmen or sophomores. That sure-footed unit returns, along with leading scorer Ashli Sandoval -- a redshirt senior who stands as the remaining holdout from the 2007 NCAA Championship team -- to further assuage Khosroshahin's worries of youthful inconsistency.

As freshmen, Autumn Altamirano, Haley Boysen and Elizabeth Eddy accounted for a third of USC's goal-scoring in 2010. Now sophomores with some extra savvy, that trio combines forces with Sandoval, senior Ashley Freyer and juniors Courtney Garcia and Samantha Johnson as the Trojans bring back seven of their top eight scorers.

"That is the style of play that we have," Khosroshahin said. "We create lots of scoring opportunities for different players, and it's their job to step up and finish those opportunities. We're unpredictable, and this year we have more understanding of what we want to do."

Thirteen different Women of Troy got to the back of the net to tally 39 goals in 2010, while the USC defensive lines allowed 25 goals against rookie goalkeeper Shelby Church. She'll be back between the pipes for the Trojans -- another young gun with a year at Troy under her belt but also a call-up to the U.S. Under-20 National Team camp. Boysen, too, got the call into the Under-20 camp, elevating the sophomore midfielder onto the USA radar where her fellow midfielders Carly Butcher and Brittany Kerridge also have been.

Butcher and Kerridge are cornerstones in the USC gameplan, standing tall as senior leaders for the Women of Troy along with Freyer and defender Claire Schloemer. Entering her fifth season at USC, Sandoval is the veteran of a group of highly experienced and knowledgable Trojan seniors. Khosroshahin tabs those five seniors, along with the hard-working redshirt sophomore Morgan Morrow, as the governing body onfield and off for the 2011 Women of Troy. With that respected leadership in place, the new charges are coming along quickly.

"We feel that this team has matured in this offseason and with the addition of this class of newcomers," Khosroshahin said. "This class has helped with depth and they're a fairly mature group. This is also one of the smarter classes that we've had."

Versatility and adaptability is key down the line, as USC has Sandoval, Morrow and Chelsea Buehning all on the mend from knee injuries. Sophomore Mia Bruno will be sidelined for the year following a torn ACL sustained in the spring; and incoming freshman Heather Davis also will sit out the season after tearing her ACL in high school. Khosroshahin has a real depth charge in his set of 2011 newcomers, which rounds out as seven true freshmen and three transfers. They'll officially don Cardinal and Gold for the first time on August 19 for USC's home opener at McAlister Field, where you'll see the 2011 Women of Troy gameplan take shape.

FORWARDS

Let's start at the top. That's where USC has a battalion of talent ready to rattle opposing defenses and ring up the goal tally for the Trojans. Senior Ashley Freyer and Samantha Johnson have been the most prolific scorers of the bunch, with 17 career goals between them. But the resumes of the USC strikers across the board are also trending toward a stockpile of goals. Sophomore Elizabeth Eddy tallied five goals in her first season at Troy, and junior Courtney Garcia has chimed in with four game-winning goals in her first two seasons at USC. Those returners to the front lines will have extra punch coming with at healthy Morgan Morrow in the mix. Morrow has now come back from two ACL injuries as she boots up for 2011.

"Morrow sets the standards for everything we do as far as fitness and commitment and dedication to rehab after two injuries," Khosroshahin said. "We have a very dynamic group have some solid depth in the front. It's a great blend of experience, youth, technique, speed, and a desire to score."

Returners Eddy, Freyer, Garcia, Johnson and Morrow will be joined by some speedy new feet as well. Freshmen Elizabeth Caparis and Jessica Musmanno are tabbed for duty up front along with junior transfer Erica Vangsness.

MIDFIELDERS

The support staff a step behind the front lines encompasses a veteran group of midfielders, anchored primarily by senior standouts Carly Butcher, Brittany Kerridge and Ashli Sandoval in the middle. Johnson and Morrow also will factor into the midfield crew for stints, along with sophomore Haley Boysen, who was recently called up to the U.S. Under-20 National Team camp, and junior Isabelle Johnson.

"That's the engine of the team, and we feel that we've got great experience in our midfield," Khosroshahin said. "They create opportunities for our wingers and our strikers. They're the playmakers of our team. Those girls have a very good understanding of their positions, and their roles defensively, which is a place that we've struggled the last few years. If you look back the last 4-5 years, you can see the number of goals and corner kicks that we've given up and saves we've had to make in the past few years."

DEFENSE

Backing up that central unit for the Trojans is the USC defensive corps, where senior Claire Schloemer stands tall as the veteran of the group. She may well have some extra senior support with the insertion of Freyer and Sandoval in the back at times, but by and large the USC back line has a new look with the incorporation of the versatile Autumn Altamirano and Courtney Garcia. Newcomers will also factor in largely, with junior transfer Kristina Noriega and freshman Geena Graumann called in for duty on defense while redshirt junior Chelsea Buehning works her way back from injury.

"This is a solid group that has limited experience playing together," Khosroshahin said. "Having Claire back there, she has the experience of what we need in the back and what we do offensively."

GOALKEEPERS

For the first time in a while, USC can freely use the word "deep" in relation to its goalkeeping staff. The Trojans go four deep this season, with sophomore Shelby Church -- another U.S. Under-20 camper -- owning the veteran status as USC's full-time goalkeeper in 2010. Backup Anne Turner is back in the mix, with freshman additions Carley Pennington and Lindsey Brown also vying for glove-time in goal this season.

Since we've been here this is the most depth that we've had in goalkeeping," Khosroshahin said. "Shelby has some pressure behind her from Carley, and the other two are growing by leaps and bounds every day."

The USC women are pegged at No. 25 in the national preseason polls, and the challenge has begun for both the Women of Troy and Trojan fans far and wide.

"We have a difficult schedule, but we are extremely excited to unveil the 2011 version of the Trojan fútbol team along with a new staff that is eager to show off what we believe to be an exciting and entertaining team," Khosroshahin said. "I challenge you to come out to one game, because if you see us play once, you'll want to see us again and again."

In other words, keep your calendar clear until December.