University Southern California Trojans
USC Goes On The Hunt For Road Wins
August 24, 2011 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 24, 2011
2011 USC SOCCER MEDIA GUIDE
THIS WEEK
The USC women's soccer team hits the road this week in search of its first wins of 2011. The Trojans set up camp in San Diego, Calif., to participate in the USD Tournament, where USC (0-2) will first face Kansas (1-1) in a 5 p.m. clash on Friday (Aug. 26) at Torero Stadium. The Trojans will next go up against Pacific (1-1) for a 2 p.m. matchup on Sunday (Aug. 28).
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats will be available for this weekend's matches in San Diego. Click on the Gametracker link for each game on the USC soccer schedule page at usctrojans.com, or visit the San Diego schedule page at usdtoreros.com.
FOOD TRUCK FRIDAYS!
Come join in a new tradition at USC soccer games! At every Friday home game, two specialty food trucks will be at McAlister Field.
RANKINGS
USC opened the year ranked No. 25 in both the NSCAA and Soccer America preseason polls, but dropped out of the polls after opening losses. The Trojans are receiving votes in this week's Soccer Times poll.
SCOUTING KANSAS
The Jayhawks are 1-1 overall after opening the year with a 2-1 overtime loss to Tennessee and a 4-1 win over Arkansas last week. Jamie Fletcher already has three goals for KU in the first two games, while goalkeepers Kat Liebetrau and Kaitlyn Stroud have split games, with Stround tallying six saves in the win over Arkansas. Mark Francis is in his 13th season as head coach at Kansas, which went 6-13-0 last season and was 1-9-0 in Big 12 play. This will be the first-ever meeting between USC and Kansas.
SCOUTING PACIFIC
The Tigers are 1-1 overall after opening the year with a 3-0 loss to Nevada and falling 5-2 to Stanford last week. Kristina Wavomba leads Pacific's scoring with two goals and two assists in the first two games. Goalkeeper Tashia Long has made 14 saves in those two games. Keith Coleman is in his 18th season as head coach of Pacific, which went 8-8-3 overall last season, with a loss to UC Irvine in the first round of the Big West Tournament. USC is 2-0 all-time against the Tigers, winning 2-0 in 1993 and most recently with a 3-2 win in 2009 in Stockton.
LAST WEEK
USC wound up with its first-ever losing weekend at McAlister Field, taking two losses at home in the Trojans' 2011 opening games. USC got the first goal of the day from Haley Boysen as the Trojans started the season against Long Beach State, but the 49ers equalized by halftime and got the winner in the 86th minute for a 2-1 USC loss on Friday. The Trojans host San Diego next and went into a 2-0 hole before being forced a player down on two yellow cards to Morgan Morrow. San Diego's Stephanie Ochs made it a hat trick with a penalty kick in the 82nd minute, while USC averted a shutout with a goal from Erica Vangsness just five seconds before the final whistle to make it a 3-1 USC loss.
INJURY REPORT
USC has two players sidelined for the season with ACL injuries. Sophomore defender Mia Bruno suffered a tear during the spring, and freshman defender Heather Davis was injured during high school. Two Trojans return to the lineup after season-ending knee injuries sustained last season -- redshirt junior defender Chelsea Buehning and redshirt sophomore midfielder Morgan Morrow.
LAST SEASON
USC went 13-6-3 overall last season after a third-place finish in the Pac-10 with a 5-3-1 mark. The Trojans reached the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight season, beating Illinois 3-1 in the first round before falling 4-0 to eventual NCAA champion Notre Dame. Ashli Sandoval was USC's top scorer with six goals -- including three game-winners -- while Autumn Altamirano and Elizabeth Eddy each added five goals. Karter Haug was USC's assists leader with six assists, and Shelby Church was USC's goalkeeper of record in all games as she hauled in 82 saves with 25 goals against. Pac-10 honors went to seniors Haug and Megan Ohai on the Second Team and Alyssa Dávila with honorable mention along with Sandoval. Eddy was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team.
A DECADE IN
USC head coach Ali Khosroshahin just finished up his 10th season of collegiate head coaching. It's a milestone that he admits came faster than he expected, but there's no doubt that he has squeezed a lot of shining moments into his first decade. In his four seasons at the helm of the Women of Troy, he's continued his streak of NCAA appearances (2005 and 2006 at Cal State Fullerton; 2007-present at USC) and picked up a national championship along the way. Khosroshahin and the Trojans won the 2007 NCAA title in his first season at Troy, making USC the first and only Pac-12 school to ever win a women's soccer national championship. The 2007 National Coach of the Year, Khosroshahin totes a 61-20-10 (.725) overall record at USC and 137-60-16 (.681) career record into this final season of his first decade of collegiate coaching.
ON THE CLIMB
In spite of interruptions from injuries, USC redshirt senior Ashli Sandoval has already locked in on the USC career leader boards. As she enters her final season with the Trojans, the 2007 NCAA Champion is following up her call-up to the Mexican National Team's summer training camp with one last push to the top of the lists at Troy. Sandoval has a hold with the No. 4 all-time mark in career assists (23), No. 8 in career game-winning goals (5), No. 10 in career points (51) and No. 10 in career goals (14).
BACK ON THE ATTACK
Five of USC's top seven scorers in 2010 were either freshmen or sophomores. That sure-footed unit returns for 2011, along with leading scorer Ashli Sandoval, who provided six goals in 2010 after being sidelined in 2009 with an ACL injury. 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. Thirteen different Women of Troy got to the back of the net to tally 39 goals in 2010.
UP FRONT
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. 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.
CENTER STAGE
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.
BACKUP PLAN
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.
KEEPING STEADY
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.
