Only in its third season, the USC women's lacrosse team has already garnered national attention, with star players like sophomore attacker Michaela Michael putting the new squad on the map and placing the Trojans in position to contend for the conference title. Michael's unique combination of talent and heart has been instrumental in securing the Trojans a 10-3 record on the 2015 season.
Head coach Lindsey Munday said she's seen Michael's confidence grow tremendously from last season, and with good reason. Michael leads the team in goals, draw controls, and shots this year, and earned the title of MPSF Offensive Player of the Week and Epoch/Lacrosse Magazine National Player of the Week after her nine goals in two games against Colorado and Denver.
"We saw this potential in her from a young age when we were recruiting her," said Munday. "We knew she was a special player."
Michael thinks her increased confidence has been the biggest difference
between her freshman and sophomore seasons. "Having a year under my belt has been really big," she said, joking that she played "too much like a freshman" last season.Michael's success with the Trojans is owed to her year-round dedication to lacrosse. "I'm that person that really wants to be playing all year," she said, adding that she practiced her shots every day over the summer and is already planning to get the team together to practice during the fall. This season, Michael logged lots of reps and long hours with offensive coordinator Alyssa Leonard, developing her strength and attacking skills. Combine that dedication with her 5'11'' frame, and you get what Munday calls "a pretty deadly combination."
Her greatest contributions to the team, however, are not just athleticism and ability. What really sets Michael apart is her selflessness and passion for the game. "She wants to be the best for the team, which is really special," said Munday.
Even in her brightest moments, Michael shares the spotlight. "It doesn't happen without the rest of the team," she said of earning her 'player of the week' honors.
"Michaela's one of those people that's really passionate," said teammate Kylie Drexel, who has known Michael since the 8th grade. "She knows how much her coaches put into her and how hard her teammates are working, and she wants to prove to everybody that it's worth it. She wants the team to win and she wants the coaches to be proud, to know their hard work paid off."
Looking forward, Michael's coaches and teammates are excited about her future. "The sky's the limit for her," said Munday, who remarked that Michael continues to get better with every practice.
Drexel agrees, and said that she can "see her leading us really far."
Not surprisingly, Michael's more excited about her team's future success than her own. "It's going to be huge -- these next couple years -- I think we can do really big things."
This weekend, the Women of Troy head to Northern California to play two of their last three regular season games against UC Davis and Stanford, the only other team undefeated in MPSF play besides USC. "We grew up watching Stanford's games," said Drexel of her and Michael, who grew up in the Bay Area together. "Finally playing in their stadium is gonna be really neat for us."
Even better, with two wins this weekend, the Trojans all but guarantee their first ever conference title. USC first faces UC Davis on Friday at 4 p.m. PT and finishes the weekend on Sunday against Stanford at 3 p.m. PT. The matchup against the Cardinal will be live on Pac-12 Networks.
