No. 18 USC Lacrosse Climbs To The Top Of The Pac-12 Mountain After Defeating Colorado

Friday, March 24

Los Angeles, Calif.

3:00 PM

USC

7-2, 2-0Pac-12

Colorado

3-5, 2-1Pac-12

Colorado

USC

Photo by: Harrison Cho

No. 18 USC Lacrosse Climbs To The Top Of The Pac-12 Mountain After Defeating Colorado

March 24, 2023 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Highlights

Isabelle Vitale contributed a game-high seven points (four assists, three goals), and Ella Heaney posted five points (three assists, two goals) in the 17-13 victory.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The 18th-ranked USC Lacrosse program utilized second and third-quarter surges to best Colorado, 17-13, and sit alone at the top of the Pac-12 standings.

KEY PLAYERS:

Redshirt sophomore Isabelle Vitale and junior Maggie Brown led the offensive charge for the Trojans as they both posted a hat trick in the game. Vitale also helped with seven total points, as she dished out four assists. Junior Ella Heaney joined Vitale as the other player from USC to contribute three or more assists. Heaney, in the outing, posted three assists and netted two goals to give her five total points.
On the defensive side, graduate transfer Emma Wightman and graduate student Katie Ramsay caused three turnovers each. Wightman also picked up three groundballs on top of that. Two players led the Women of Troy in groundballs, junior Claudia Shevitz and senior Danielle Carson had four.
Junior goalie Kait Devir claimed the official decision on the day, as she picked up 11 saves and allowed 13 goals.
Colorado's Charlie Rudy posted the game-high total for goals with four.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Trojans started on the right foot as they produced the game's first two goals. Ramsay found the netting first at 13:31 before junior Claudia Shevitz joined her off a rebound at 11:24. Colorado found that lead null and void as it gathered the momentum to score three straight to make it 3-2. USC took in two more before the first break to give them the one-goal lead.
In a heated affair, the Buff's continued to match the Trojans, as they tied it at 8:21 in the second. However, the wind shifted towards the Trojans at the 7:10 mark. USC claimed four straight goals within three minutes and 39 seconds, as Heaney supplied two to take control of the game 10-7. Colorado would add one more before the half, but everything remained in the Women of Troy's corner as Vitale found the net with a behind-the-back shot and a fastbreak opportunity to make it 12-7.
USC owned the third quarter, as goalie Kait Devir secured three saves, and the Trojans outscored Colorado 4-1. All four goals came from different athletes, as senior Sloane Murphy grabbed her second of the game, Brown got her hat trick, Vitale racked up her seventh point and sophomore Maddie Dora got her second.
Heading into the fourth, the Trojans had a commanding 16-8 lead but felt too comfortable in the end, as the Buff's outscored them 5-1 in the final quarter.

UP NEXT:
The Women of Troy return to McAlister Field for the second leg of their Pac-12 weekend with Oregon at noon Sunday (Mar. 26).

GAME NOTES:

USC is 8-0 since 2016, when facing Colorado for the first time in a new season, this includes a 7-0 record at home.
The Trojans are 37-8 in conference home games (18-5, Pac-12; 18-3, MPSF).
USC is 103-17 all-time versus unranked opponents.
The Trojans are 33-10 all-time in Pac-12 games.
Isabelle Vitale's officially reached 48 career assists, which ranks her tied for fifth all-time in USC history.
Six student-athletes claimed multiple goals in the affair.