LOS ANGELES – The No. 20-ranked USC lacrosse team (9-1, 4-0 Pac-12) won its sixth straight game with a 19-7 decision over California (4-7, 1-3) on McAlister Field on Saturday, March 23.
KEY PLAYERS
- Senior defender Jackie Gilbert dominated the center circle as she matched a career best with 12 draw controls to go with a caused turnover and one ground ball. She logs the 22nd all-time game by a USC player with double-digit draw wins.
- Junior attacker Izzy McMahon paced the Trojan offense and matched a career high with four goals. It was her third hat-trick game of the season and the seventh of her career.
- Junior midfielder Kaeli Huff scored three goals for her second hat trick of the season and also her seventh-career.
- Junior attacker Hope Anhut had four points with two goals and two assists.
- Junior midfielder Kerrigan Miller caused four turnovers and had two ground ball pickups with a goal and a draw control.
- For the Bears, Kirsten Swanson and Caroline Corzel each scored hat tricks. Marisa Kuberra had two assists and two draw controls. In the cage, Jenny Wilkens took the loss after surrendering 11 goals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- USC scored the game's first goal, but the Bears responded to get two and take the lead at the seven-minute mark. Emily Concialdi and Miller each scored goals to put the lead back on the Trojans' side of the scoreboard, but Corzel scored her goal to pull things even at three-all at the 17:23 mark.
- The Trojans used a big 6-0 run with two goals apiece from Kelsey and Kaeli Huff before the Bears got a pair back. Leading, 9-5, with five minutes to play, McMahon scored three goals and Concialdi added one more to send USC into the half up, 13-5.
- Sophia Donovan scored a goal to open the second half and extend USC to a 5-0 run. Corzel completed her hat trick to stop the bleeding, but USC pulled off another 4-0 run to start the running clock and held on for a 19-7 win.
UP NEXT
- The Women of Troy play the rare Saturday-Monday weekend and will host No. 19-ranked Stanford (7-2, 3-1 Pac-12) for a Monday-afternoon start on McAlister Field. First draw is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT and the game will be shown on Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Bay Area.
GAME NOTES
- USC won its seventh straight over California and improves to 7-1 all-time against the Golden Bears.
- The Trojans improve to 39-10 at McAlister Field and to 43-12 all-time in home games.
- The win is USC's second double-digit margin this season and matches a 12-goal win against Arizona State (15-3).
- USC has held its Pac-12 opponents to goal outputs of three, five, five, and seven for a 5.00 goals-against average.
- At least two different Women of Troy (Izzy McMahon and Kaeli Huff) scored hat tricks in the same game for the fifth time this season.
For more information on the USC women's lacrosse team, a complete schedule, and results, please visit USCTrojans.com. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow the team on Instagram and on Twitter @USCTrojansLax.
