University Southern California Trojans
Saturday, February 10
Blacksburg, VA
9:00 AM
USC
at
Virginia Tech
Players Mentioned
Attack
/ Women's Lacrosse
Goalie
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Women's Lacrosse
Goalie
/ Women's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Women's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Women's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Women's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Women's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Women's Lacrosse
Defense
/ Women's Lacrosse
Photo by: John McGillen
No. 8 USC Opens 2018 at Virginia Tech
February 06, 2018 | Women's Lacrosse, Features
The Women of Troy have won each of their last two season openers
LOS ANGELES – The eighth-ranked Women of Troy (0-0) open the 2018 season at Virginia Tech (0-0) on Saturday (Feb. 10) in Blacksburg, Va. The meeting, a first between the two programs, is also USC's first-ever road season-opener.
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The Trojans have won each of their last two season openers: a 21-2 decision over Stetson in 2016 and a 20-2 win over Saint Mary's College in 2017. USC has also prevailed in 38 of its last 43 contests—a span that has included a 20-game and a 12-game winning streak; the two longest in program history.
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Winners of the final two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) titles, the Women of Troy will play under the banner of the Pac-12 Conference for the first time in 2018. Lacrosse became the 13th women's championship sport sponsored by the Pac-12 with the addition of Arizona State this season.
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USC was 18-4 overall in 2017 and returns a pair of senior defensive anchors in IWLCA All-American defender Lydia Sutton (35gb, 27ct) and All-Region goalie Gussie Johns (8.53gaa, 98gb, 25ct). Last season's MPSF Rookie of the Year, sophomore midfielder Kerrigan Miller (36g, 18a, 48gb, 44dc, 31ct) brings back her all-around game to lead the Trojans' attack.
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After graduating over 200 goals from a season ago, USC will turn to sophomore midfielder Kaeli Huff (29g, 3a), junior attacker Gabbi Klein (10g, 13a), and a host of underclassmen and transfers to power the offense. Fifth-year head coach Lindsey Munday (69-30) leads the Women of Troy into their sixth year of competition.
GAME #1
No. 8 USC (0-0) at Virginia Tech (0-0)
Indoor Practice Facility • Blacksburg, Va.
Saturday, Feb. 10 • 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT)
Series History: First meeting
Live Stats: HokieSports.com/lax/live
Web Stream: ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN.com
Opponent Web: HokieSports.com
CROSSExamination
TRACK THE TROJANS: Fans of USC lacrosse can follow the Trojans on Twitter and Instagram. For a behind-the-scenes look at the program, scores, and news updates, follow @USCTrojansLax. The Women of Troy are scheduled to appear in three Pac-12 Networks broadcasts this spring. USC's home games against Colorado (March 16) and against California (March 30) and Stanford (April 1) will each be shown on the networks' national and regional channels. Pac-12 championship games will also all be televised on the Networks. The Trojans face Virginia Tech (Feb. 10) in a game to be shown on ACC Network Extra. All of USC's non-broadcast conference games will be shown on the Pac-12+ platform.
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PAC IT UP: USC won the 2016 and 2017 MPSF (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) championships but will play under the banner of the Pac-12 Conference in 2018. Women's lacrosse became the 13th women's sport sponsored by the Pac-12 when it was added for 2018. With the addition of Arizona State, the Pac-12 reached the minimum requirement of six teams to receive an automatic qualifier bid into the NCAA championship. The first-ever Pac-12 Lacrosse Championship will be held April 26-29 at Prentup Field on the campus of host University of Colorado. USC has won 18 consecutive conference games dating back to the end of 2015. The Trojans were undefeated in the MPSF in 2016 (9-0) and 2017 (8-0).
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EAST COAST BIAS: USC has played 21 games on the East Coast (in the Eastern time zone) and holds a 9-12 overall record in those games. The Trojans own wins over Stetson, Dartmouth (2), LIU Brooklyn, Marist, and Florida in true road games. USC defeated James Madison at a neutral location in the 2015 NCAA first round in Durham, N.C.; beat Ohio State in a game played in New Jersey; and took down Jacksonville in Gainesville, Fla., in the first round of the 2017 NCAA tournament.
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POLL POSITION: The Trojans open the season ranked No. 8 in the IWLCA Coaches' preseason poll. USC has spent 29 consecutive weeks ranked in the IWLCA poll (including 24 straight in the top 10) dating back to a No. 19 ranking in the 2016 preseason poll. The Trojans are 9-11 against teams ranked in the top 10 of the poll and 2-7 against teams ranked among the top five.
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RED, WHITE, AND BLUE TIMES TWO: Senior goalie Gussie Johns and associate head coach Devon Wills were each part of the U.S. Lacrosse Women's National Team roster that won the 2017 FIL Women's World Cup in Guildford, England. The two Trojan goalies also won gold medals at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, where Johns played the entire tournament in the cage. Johns is the first-ever USC player to receive a call up to the senior national team. Wills, Johns' mentor, represented the U.S. for her third consecutive World Cup. She also helped lead Team USA to world titles in 2009 and 2013 and was named Player of the Match in the 2009 gold-medal game as she preserved an 8-7 win over Australia.
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OH, CANADA: Senior Lydia Sutton and junior Avery Hogarth were each part of the Canadian Lacrosse Association's Senior National Team roster that took silver medals at the 2017 FIL Women's World Cup and the 2017 World Games. The duo helped Canada win its first gold medal in the 2015 FIL U19 World Championship. Sutton was also a part of the 2013 Canadian roster that took silver in the FIL World Cup when it lost to the U.S. in the final.
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ALL-AMERICAN GIRLS: USC has celebrated six IWLCA All-America selections through five years as a program. Michaela Michael was the first-ever All-American selection as a third-teamer in 2015. Michael and defender Courtney Tarleton were each named to the first team in 2016, with midfielder Amanda Johansen chosen to the third team. Michael repeated her first-team honors in 2017 and defender Lydia Sutton earned third-team honors.
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SISTER SITUATION: Four pairs of sisters have suited up for the Women of Troy. The first duo to do so was fraternal twins Glade and Shannon Nugent (2014-16). The two Nugent sisters played in a total of 10 games together in three seasons. All-American Amanda Johansen (2013-16) was on the Trojans' inaugural team and graduated before younger sister Kelly Johansen joined the team for the 2017 season. In 2018, sophomore midfielder Kaeli Huff will be joined by sister Kelsey Huff. The Huffs comprise only the second sister pair to be on the same roster for the Trojans. All-MPSF attacker Gabby McMahon (2014-17) has departed but younger sister Izzy McMahon (Isabel) joins the Women of Troy in 2018 following her transfer from Army. The two McMahons are also the older sisters of Daniella McMahon, who is a sophomore at Pac-12 rival Stanford.
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HAT TRICK MAGIC: Three Trojans enter 2018 as members of the program's hat-trick club. Sophomore midfielder Kerrigan Miller had six such games as a freshman. Sophomore midfielder Kaeli Huff had three. Senior attacker Alexis Kardias has one hat-trick game under her career belt. USC's all-time leader is Michaela Michael, who finished her career (2014-17) with 41 games of three goals or more.
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STATE YOUR CASE: USC's roster is made up of players from 15 different states. In a bi-coastal battle, New York takes the edge with nine players from the Empire State on the 2018 Trojan squad. California is represented by seven Women of Troy. Three players hail from New Jersey, with two each from Oregon and Florida. Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, Washington D.C., and the Canadian province of Ontario each have one player on USC's roster.
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POWER 100 PLAYERS: Freshman goalie Riley Hertford and freshman midfielder Kelsey Huff were each part of the ILWomen.com Power 100. Hertford landed in the No. 12 spot and Huff was rated the No. 13 recruit by the publication. The duo, in addition to USC's other incoming freshmen, comprise ILWomen's No. 7-ranked freshman class. In 2016, the Women of Troy landed the country's No. 1-rated recruit in Kerrigan Miller.
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PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICANS: Seniors Lydia Sutton (1st Team) and Gussie Johns (3rd Team) were each chosen to the Inside Lacrosse Media Preseason All-America Teams. Sophomore Kerrigan Miller received honorable mention.
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TRANSITIVE PROPERTIES: The Trojans welcome three transfers to the fold in 2018. Sophomore attacker Hope Anhut (Skillman, N.J.) was an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection in 2017 and scored 33 goals in 17 games. Sophomore attacker Izzy McMahon (Bardonia, N.Y.) was a member of both basketball and lacrosse teams at Army in 2015-16. She played in eight games for the Knights and scored 16 goals during the 2016 campaign. Graduate midfielder Maeve McMahon (Duxbury, Mass.) scored 69 goals, 22 assists, and 112 draw controls at Harvard.
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RING IT UP: USC head coach Lindsey Munday owns a pair of NCAA titles as a player at Northwestern (2005-06) and has three more as an assistant coach with the Wildcats (2007-09). She is also a two-time FIL World Champion (2009 and 2013). Director of operations Megan Ward brings two more NCAA championships to the staff as the starting goalie for North Carolina when the Tar Heels won crowns in 2013 and 2016. While she may not have an NCAA championship, associate head coach Devon Wills helped Dartmouth finish as NCAA runners-up in 2006 (to Northwestern) and she can claim three World Championships as the starting goalie for Team USA (2009, 2013, and 2017). Assistant coach Amanda Johansen won an MPSF conference championship with the Trojans in 2016.
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The Trojans have won each of their last two season openers: a 21-2 decision over Stetson in 2016 and a 20-2 win over Saint Mary's College in 2017. USC has also prevailed in 38 of its last 43 contests—a span that has included a 20-game and a 12-game winning streak; the two longest in program history.
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Winners of the final two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) titles, the Women of Troy will play under the banner of the Pac-12 Conference for the first time in 2018. Lacrosse became the 13th women's championship sport sponsored by the Pac-12 with the addition of Arizona State this season.
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USC was 18-4 overall in 2017 and returns a pair of senior defensive anchors in IWLCA All-American defender Lydia Sutton (35gb, 27ct) and All-Region goalie Gussie Johns (8.53gaa, 98gb, 25ct). Last season's MPSF Rookie of the Year, sophomore midfielder Kerrigan Miller (36g, 18a, 48gb, 44dc, 31ct) brings back her all-around game to lead the Trojans' attack.
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After graduating over 200 goals from a season ago, USC will turn to sophomore midfielder Kaeli Huff (29g, 3a), junior attacker Gabbi Klein (10g, 13a), and a host of underclassmen and transfers to power the offense. Fifth-year head coach Lindsey Munday (69-30) leads the Women of Troy into their sixth year of competition.
GAME #1
No. 8 USC (0-0) at Virginia Tech (0-0)
Indoor Practice Facility • Blacksburg, Va.
Saturday, Feb. 10 • 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT)
Series History: First meeting
Live Stats: HokieSports.com/lax/live
Web Stream: ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN.com
Opponent Web: HokieSports.com
CROSSExamination
- USC is ranked No. 8 in the first IWLCA Coaches Poll.
- The Trojans are two-time defending MPSF champions but are now part of the Pac-12 in its inaugural season.
- The Women of Troy were picked to fiinsh first in the Pac-12.
- USC is 2-3 in all-time season openers but has won each of the last two and will play its first-ever season opener on the road.
- Head coach Lindsey Munday is 69-30 in her first five seasons.
- USC is 2-5 against opponents from the current ACC.
- The Trojans have won 38 of their last 43 games.
- The Women of Troy are 9-12 all-time in games played on the East Coast (ET) and will make their first-ever visit to Commonwealth of Virginia.
- USC returns IWLCA third-team All-American defender Lydia Sutton, MPSF Rookie of the Year midfielder Kerrigan Miller, and All-Region and All-MPSF goalie Gussie Johns to the lineup this spring.
TRACK THE TROJANS: Fans of USC lacrosse can follow the Trojans on Twitter and Instagram. For a behind-the-scenes look at the program, scores, and news updates, follow @USCTrojansLax. The Women of Troy are scheduled to appear in three Pac-12 Networks broadcasts this spring. USC's home games against Colorado (March 16) and against California (March 30) and Stanford (April 1) will each be shown on the networks' national and regional channels. Pac-12 championship games will also all be televised on the Networks. The Trojans face Virginia Tech (Feb. 10) in a game to be shown on ACC Network Extra. All of USC's non-broadcast conference games will be shown on the Pac-12+ platform.
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PAC IT UP: USC won the 2016 and 2017 MPSF (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) championships but will play under the banner of the Pac-12 Conference in 2018. Women's lacrosse became the 13th women's sport sponsored by the Pac-12 when it was added for 2018. With the addition of Arizona State, the Pac-12 reached the minimum requirement of six teams to receive an automatic qualifier bid into the NCAA championship. The first-ever Pac-12 Lacrosse Championship will be held April 26-29 at Prentup Field on the campus of host University of Colorado. USC has won 18 consecutive conference games dating back to the end of 2015. The Trojans were undefeated in the MPSF in 2016 (9-0) and 2017 (8-0).
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EAST COAST BIAS: USC has played 21 games on the East Coast (in the Eastern time zone) and holds a 9-12 overall record in those games. The Trojans own wins over Stetson, Dartmouth (2), LIU Brooklyn, Marist, and Florida in true road games. USC defeated James Madison at a neutral location in the 2015 NCAA first round in Durham, N.C.; beat Ohio State in a game played in New Jersey; and took down Jacksonville in Gainesville, Fla., in the first round of the 2017 NCAA tournament.
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POLL POSITION: The Trojans open the season ranked No. 8 in the IWLCA Coaches' preseason poll. USC has spent 29 consecutive weeks ranked in the IWLCA poll (including 24 straight in the top 10) dating back to a No. 19 ranking in the 2016 preseason poll. The Trojans are 9-11 against teams ranked in the top 10 of the poll and 2-7 against teams ranked among the top five.
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RED, WHITE, AND BLUE TIMES TWO: Senior goalie Gussie Johns and associate head coach Devon Wills were each part of the U.S. Lacrosse Women's National Team roster that won the 2017 FIL Women's World Cup in Guildford, England. The two Trojan goalies also won gold medals at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, where Johns played the entire tournament in the cage. Johns is the first-ever USC player to receive a call up to the senior national team. Wills, Johns' mentor, represented the U.S. for her third consecutive World Cup. She also helped lead Team USA to world titles in 2009 and 2013 and was named Player of the Match in the 2009 gold-medal game as she preserved an 8-7 win over Australia.
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OH, CANADA: Senior Lydia Sutton and junior Avery Hogarth were each part of the Canadian Lacrosse Association's Senior National Team roster that took silver medals at the 2017 FIL Women's World Cup and the 2017 World Games. The duo helped Canada win its first gold medal in the 2015 FIL U19 World Championship. Sutton was also a part of the 2013 Canadian roster that took silver in the FIL World Cup when it lost to the U.S. in the final.
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ALL-AMERICAN GIRLS: USC has celebrated six IWLCA All-America selections through five years as a program. Michaela Michael was the first-ever All-American selection as a third-teamer in 2015. Michael and defender Courtney Tarleton were each named to the first team in 2016, with midfielder Amanda Johansen chosen to the third team. Michael repeated her first-team honors in 2017 and defender Lydia Sutton earned third-team honors.
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SISTER SITUATION: Four pairs of sisters have suited up for the Women of Troy. The first duo to do so was fraternal twins Glade and Shannon Nugent (2014-16). The two Nugent sisters played in a total of 10 games together in three seasons. All-American Amanda Johansen (2013-16) was on the Trojans' inaugural team and graduated before younger sister Kelly Johansen joined the team for the 2017 season. In 2018, sophomore midfielder Kaeli Huff will be joined by sister Kelsey Huff. The Huffs comprise only the second sister pair to be on the same roster for the Trojans. All-MPSF attacker Gabby McMahon (2014-17) has departed but younger sister Izzy McMahon (Isabel) joins the Women of Troy in 2018 following her transfer from Army. The two McMahons are also the older sisters of Daniella McMahon, who is a sophomore at Pac-12 rival Stanford.
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HAT TRICK MAGIC: Three Trojans enter 2018 as members of the program's hat-trick club. Sophomore midfielder Kerrigan Miller had six such games as a freshman. Sophomore midfielder Kaeli Huff had three. Senior attacker Alexis Kardias has one hat-trick game under her career belt. USC's all-time leader is Michaela Michael, who finished her career (2014-17) with 41 games of three goals or more.
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STATE YOUR CASE: USC's roster is made up of players from 15 different states. In a bi-coastal battle, New York takes the edge with nine players from the Empire State on the 2018 Trojan squad. California is represented by seven Women of Troy. Three players hail from New Jersey, with two each from Oregon and Florida. Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, Washington D.C., and the Canadian province of Ontario each have one player on USC's roster.
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POWER 100 PLAYERS: Freshman goalie Riley Hertford and freshman midfielder Kelsey Huff were each part of the ILWomen.com Power 100. Hertford landed in the No. 12 spot and Huff was rated the No. 13 recruit by the publication. The duo, in addition to USC's other incoming freshmen, comprise ILWomen's No. 7-ranked freshman class. In 2016, the Women of Troy landed the country's No. 1-rated recruit in Kerrigan Miller.
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PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICANS: Seniors Lydia Sutton (1st Team) and Gussie Johns (3rd Team) were each chosen to the Inside Lacrosse Media Preseason All-America Teams. Sophomore Kerrigan Miller received honorable mention.
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TRANSITIVE PROPERTIES: The Trojans welcome three transfers to the fold in 2018. Sophomore attacker Hope Anhut (Skillman, N.J.) was an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection in 2017 and scored 33 goals in 17 games. Sophomore attacker Izzy McMahon (Bardonia, N.Y.) was a member of both basketball and lacrosse teams at Army in 2015-16. She played in eight games for the Knights and scored 16 goals during the 2016 campaign. Graduate midfielder Maeve McMahon (Duxbury, Mass.) scored 69 goals, 22 assists, and 112 draw controls at Harvard.
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RING IT UP: USC head coach Lindsey Munday owns a pair of NCAA titles as a player at Northwestern (2005-06) and has three more as an assistant coach with the Wildcats (2007-09). She is also a two-time FIL World Champion (2009 and 2013). Director of operations Megan Ward brings two more NCAA championships to the staff as the starting goalie for North Carolina when the Tar Heels won crowns in 2013 and 2016. While she may not have an NCAA championship, associate head coach Devon Wills helped Dartmouth finish as NCAA runners-up in 2006 (to Northwestern) and she can claim three World Championships as the starting goalie for Team USA (2009, 2013, and 2017). Assistant coach Amanda Johansen won an MPSF conference championship with the Trojans in 2016.
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FEATURE: USC Lacrosse Midfielder Casey Roberts and LoTime.inc
Thursday, April 09
USC Lacrosse at Central Michigan Highlights | Trojans win 15-4
Monday, April 06
USC Lacrosse at Northwestern Highlights | Trojans lose 11-5
Saturday, April 04
USC Lacrosse vs. Rutgers Highlights | Trojans lose 15-8
Saturday, March 28
