University Southern California Trojans
Friday, August 31
Tallahassee, FL
4:00 PM
USC
at
Florida State
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F/D
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F/D
/ Women's Soccer
Mid.
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
No. 7 USC Hits the Road Against No. 4 Florida State, No. 22 Florida
August 28, 2018 | Women's Soccer, Features
THIS WEEK - The No. 7 USC women's soccer team hits the road for a pair of Top 25 matchups in Florida, heading to No. 4 Florida State on Friday and then No. 22 Florida on Sunday.
GAME 4 - No. 7 USC (3-0) at No. 4 Florida State (4-0) - Aug. 31, 4 p.m. PT (Tallahassee, Fla.)
GAME 5 - No. 7 USC (3-0) at No. 22 Florida (2-2) - Sept. 2, 3 p.m. PT (Gainesville, Fla.)
HOW TO FOLLOW - Friday's game will be broadcast live on ACC Network/Watch ESPN and Sunday's game will be on SEC Network+. Both can be accessed through the Watch ESPN app. Links to the broadcasts and live stats for both games will be available on the USC soccer schedule page at USCTrojans.com. Fans can also follow @USC_Wsoccer on Twitter for in-game updates all season long.
SOCIAL MEDIA - Keep up with everything USC soccer this year by following the Trojans on all of their social media platforms. You can follow @USCWsoccer on Instagram and @USC_Wsoccer on Twitter, and like USC Women's Soccer on Facebook.
LAST WEEK - The Trojans had an impressive 2-0 week, picking up a 6-1 win over Cal Poly on Friday and then scoring a 5-0 win on the road at Pepperdine. The Trojans' 11 goals were the program's most in a two-game span since 2014. It was also the first time since 1996 that the team has scored at least five goals in back-to-back games.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS - Savannah DeMelo and Leah Pruitt led the charge offensively in the Trojans' two wins last week. DeMelo had a team-high seven points, posting two goals and an assist at Pepperdine and two assists against Cal Poly. Pruitt had two goals and an assist against Cal Poly and then added another assist at Pepperdine. The two players are tied for the team lead with seven points on the year. For her efforts, DeMelo was named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week.
SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE - The Seminoles come in undefeated having outscored their four opponents 12-0 so far ... Florida State finished last year 13-7-1 and seventh in the ACC with a 5-4-1 record ... The Seminoles fell to Stanford in the third round of the NCAA Tournament ... USC is 2-3 all-time against the Seminoles, with the teams last playing in 2015, an early-season non-conference matchup on a neutral field at New Mexico which FSU won 1-0.
SCOUTING FLORIDA - The Gators are 2-2 after dropping both of their games last week ... Florida finished last year 17-7, third in the SEC with a 7-3 record ... Florida fell to South Carolina in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament ... The Trojans are 1-3 all-time against the Gators, with the teams last playing in 2007, a game USC won 1-0 in the Coliseum.
DYNAMIC DEBUT - Natalie Jacobs scored the game-winner in her first game in a Trojan uniform (Aug. 16 vs. UC Irvine), which also happened to fall on her 21st birthday. Jacobs was Notre Dame's leading scorer last year before transferring back to her home state of California to play at USC.
QUICK HITS
IN THE POLLS - USC has moved up in each poll this season after starting the year at No. 12 in the Preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Trojans are up to No. 7 in the coaches poll and No. 7 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings.
LAST YEAR - The Trojans are coming off a 15-3-2 season in which they made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Baylor in penalty kicks. USC finished tied for second in the Pac-12 after losing only to UCLA and Stanford, and drawing with Utah, during conference play. The Trojans hosted Eastern Washington in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, advancing with a 2-1 win.
2018 ROSTER AT-A-GLANCE - USC brings back a pair of All Pac-12 first-teamers in senior Ally Prisock and sophomore Savannah DeMelo, along with All Pac-12 second team honoree Leah Pruitt. DeMelo was also named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team along with fellow returners Tara McKeown and Kaylie Collins. The Trojans added the second-ranked recruiting class in the nation this offseason and bring in four highly-experienced transfers as well in Natalie Jacobs (Notre Dame), Megan McCashland (Notre Dame), Alea Hyatt (North Carolina) and Jessie Holmes (Florida).
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
PRESEASON HONORS - Several Trojans garnered preseason recognition heading into the 2018 season, most notably Ally Prisock and Savannah DeMelo, who were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list. Prisock and Natalie Jacobs were also named to Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Best XI second and third teams respectively.
PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL - Stanford and UCLA again came in at No. 1 and 2 in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll after playing in last year's title game. The Trojans were picked third with a total of 98 points in the poll. Stanford had 121 points and 11 first-place votes, while UCLA had 109 points and one first-place vote. Coming in behind USC was California with 90 points and then Colorado rounded out the top five with 74 points.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE - The Preseason Top 25 was littered with Trojan opponents this season, with three conference opponents and three non-conference opponents ranked coming into the season. Pac-12 teams Stanford (No. 1), UCLA (No. 2) and Washington State (No. 21) were all ranked, along with the three receiving votes (Cal, Colorado and Arizona). Also in the preseason rankings were No. 7 Florida, No. 10 Florida State and No. 18 Pepperdine.
U-20 WORLD CUP - Four Trojans played for their U-20 National Teams at the U-20 World Cup this summer, with Savannah DeMelo, Tara McKeown and Penelope Hocking representing the U.S., and Ashley Soto playing for Mexico. DeMelo scored four times in three starts for the U.S., including a hat trick against Paraguay. McKeown got one start against Paraguay and Hocking appeared as a sub against Paraguay and Spain. Soto started all three games on the backling for Mexico.
TROJANS IN THE PROS - Trojan alums currently playing in the NWSL include Morgan Andrews (Seattle Reign), Sammy Jo Prudhomme (Houston Dash), Mandy Freeman, Katie Johnson (Sky Blue FC), Elizabeth Eddy (NC Courage), Samantha Johnson and Amy Rodriguez (Utah Royals FC). Several other Trojans are playing overseas professionally, Savannah Levin with Ko in Sweden, Alex Quincey with Medkila in Norway and Nicole Molen with MTK Hungary.
GAME 4 - No. 7 USC (3-0) at No. 4 Florida State (4-0) - Aug. 31, 4 p.m. PT (Tallahassee, Fla.)
GAME 5 - No. 7 USC (3-0) at No. 22 Florida (2-2) - Sept. 2, 3 p.m. PT (Gainesville, Fla.)
HOW TO FOLLOW - Friday's game will be broadcast live on ACC Network/Watch ESPN and Sunday's game will be on SEC Network+. Both can be accessed through the Watch ESPN app. Links to the broadcasts and live stats for both games will be available on the USC soccer schedule page at USCTrojans.com. Fans can also follow @USC_Wsoccer on Twitter for in-game updates all season long.
SOCIAL MEDIA - Keep up with everything USC soccer this year by following the Trojans on all of their social media platforms. You can follow @USCWsoccer on Instagram and @USC_Wsoccer on Twitter, and like USC Women's Soccer on Facebook.
LAST WEEK - The Trojans had an impressive 2-0 week, picking up a 6-1 win over Cal Poly on Friday and then scoring a 5-0 win on the road at Pepperdine. The Trojans' 11 goals were the program's most in a two-game span since 2014. It was also the first time since 1996 that the team has scored at least five goals in back-to-back games.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS - Savannah DeMelo and Leah Pruitt led the charge offensively in the Trojans' two wins last week. DeMelo had a team-high seven points, posting two goals and an assist at Pepperdine and two assists against Cal Poly. Pruitt had two goals and an assist against Cal Poly and then added another assist at Pepperdine. The two players are tied for the team lead with seven points on the year. For her efforts, DeMelo was named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week.
SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE - The Seminoles come in undefeated having outscored their four opponents 12-0 so far ... Florida State finished last year 13-7-1 and seventh in the ACC with a 5-4-1 record ... The Seminoles fell to Stanford in the third round of the NCAA Tournament ... USC is 2-3 all-time against the Seminoles, with the teams last playing in 2015, an early-season non-conference matchup on a neutral field at New Mexico which FSU won 1-0.
SCOUTING FLORIDA - The Gators are 2-2 after dropping both of their games last week ... Florida finished last year 17-7, third in the SEC with a 7-3 record ... Florida fell to South Carolina in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament ... The Trojans are 1-3 all-time against the Gators, with the teams last playing in 2007, a game USC won 1-0 in the Coliseum.
DYNAMIC DEBUT - Natalie Jacobs scored the game-winner in her first game in a Trojan uniform (Aug. 16 vs. UC Irvine), which also happened to fall on her 21st birthday. Jacobs was Notre Dame's leading scorer last year before transferring back to her home state of California to play at USC.
QUICK HITS
- The Trojans' 3-0 start to the year is their best since 2013.
- USC's 4.0 goals per and 12.0 points per game are tied for 4th in the nation.
- The Trojans' 4.00 assists per game are 5th in the nation.
- Leah Pruitt and Savannah DeMelo's 3 assists are tied for 17th in the country.
IN THE POLLS - USC has moved up in each poll this season after starting the year at No. 12 in the Preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Trojans are up to No. 7 in the coaches poll and No. 7 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings.
LAST YEAR - The Trojans are coming off a 15-3-2 season in which they made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Baylor in penalty kicks. USC finished tied for second in the Pac-12 after losing only to UCLA and Stanford, and drawing with Utah, during conference play. The Trojans hosted Eastern Washington in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, advancing with a 2-1 win.
2018 ROSTER AT-A-GLANCE - USC brings back a pair of All Pac-12 first-teamers in senior Ally Prisock and sophomore Savannah DeMelo, along with All Pac-12 second team honoree Leah Pruitt. DeMelo was also named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team along with fellow returners Tara McKeown and Kaylie Collins. The Trojans added the second-ranked recruiting class in the nation this offseason and bring in four highly-experienced transfers as well in Natalie Jacobs (Notre Dame), Megan McCashland (Notre Dame), Alea Hyatt (North Carolina) and Jessie Holmes (Florida).
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
- Returners: 16 / Newcomers: 11 (4 Transfers, 7 Freshmen) / Players lost: 11
- By class - GRAD: 2 / SR: 3 / JR: 5 (1 RS) / SO: 9 (3 RS) / FR: 8 (1 RS)
- By position - GK: 4 / DEF: 10 / MF: 9 / FWD: 7 (3 players listed at multiple positions)
- By home state - CA: 19 / WA: 2 / NV, MA, CO, NE, GA: 1 / England: 1
PRESEASON HONORS - Several Trojans garnered preseason recognition heading into the 2018 season, most notably Ally Prisock and Savannah DeMelo, who were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list. Prisock and Natalie Jacobs were also named to Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Best XI second and third teams respectively.
PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL - Stanford and UCLA again came in at No. 1 and 2 in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll after playing in last year's title game. The Trojans were picked third with a total of 98 points in the poll. Stanford had 121 points and 11 first-place votes, while UCLA had 109 points and one first-place vote. Coming in behind USC was California with 90 points and then Colorado rounded out the top five with 74 points.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE - The Preseason Top 25 was littered with Trojan opponents this season, with three conference opponents and three non-conference opponents ranked coming into the season. Pac-12 teams Stanford (No. 1), UCLA (No. 2) and Washington State (No. 21) were all ranked, along with the three receiving votes (Cal, Colorado and Arizona). Also in the preseason rankings were No. 7 Florida, No. 10 Florida State and No. 18 Pepperdine.
U-20 WORLD CUP - Four Trojans played for their U-20 National Teams at the U-20 World Cup this summer, with Savannah DeMelo, Tara McKeown and Penelope Hocking representing the U.S., and Ashley Soto playing for Mexico. DeMelo scored four times in three starts for the U.S., including a hat trick against Paraguay. McKeown got one start against Paraguay and Hocking appeared as a sub against Paraguay and Spain. Soto started all three games on the backling for Mexico.
TROJANS IN THE PROS - Trojan alums currently playing in the NWSL include Morgan Andrews (Seattle Reign), Sammy Jo Prudhomme (Houston Dash), Mandy Freeman, Katie Johnson (Sky Blue FC), Elizabeth Eddy (NC Courage), Samantha Johnson and Amy Rodriguez (Utah Royals FC). Several other Trojans are playing overseas professionally, Savannah Levin with Ko in Sweden, Alex Quincey with Medkila in Norway and Nicole Molen with MTK Hungary.
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