No. 17 USC Women's Lacrosse Lashes Out an Offensive Onslaught on UC Davis

Saturday, March 16

Carson, Calif.

12:00 PM

USC

7-2, 1-0Pac-12

UC Davis

7-3, 0-1Pac-12

UC Davis

USC

Photo by: John McGillen/USC Athletics

No. 17 USC Women's Lacrosse Lashes Out an Offensive Onslaught on UC Davis

March 16, 2024 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

The Trojans scored their most goals since 2022, as they won their Pac-12 opener

LOS ANGELES - The 17-ranked USC lacrosse team (7-2, 1-0 Pac-12) showcased its offensive prowess in the conference opener, as it outscored UC Davis (7-3, 0-1 Pac-12) 21-13 on Saturday, Mar. 16 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.

KEY PLAYERS:

Graduate student Ella Heaney tied both her career high and season high (at Army; Feb. 9) as she posted six goals on eight shots against the Aggies. Heaney also added two ground balls to her total. Senior Shelby Tilton racked up five goals, as she now has seven hat tricks in nine games played this season. Senior Claudia Shevitz was the other player to earn a hat trick with four goals in the affair. Heaney now has 18 for her career (5^th all-time), Tilton has 17 (6^thall-time) and Shevitz has 13 (tied for 12^th all-time).
Redshirt junior Isabelle Vitale picked up three more assists in the outing and now has 28 this season and has produced 96 for her career.
On the defensive side, Shevitz had two caused turnovers and graduate student Danielle Carson added two of her own caused turnovers.
Freshman Anna Regan tied the program record with 17 draw controls in a single game (Jackie Gilbert; vs. Arizona State, Apr. 20, 2019)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The offensive onslaught did not start that way as UC Davis tried to take control of the game early and succeeded, as it led 5-3 after one quarter of play. Much of that difference came as the Aggies converted five shots into five goals. UC Davis would score four straight goals, but the momentum swung when Heaney scored her second of the quarter at :57 left in the first.
The second quarter was the start of dominance as USC outscored the Aggies 6-1 in both a defensive and offensive showcase. Heaney was the main culprit in this second, yet again, as she secured two more to give her four by halftime. Included in this was a goal at the buzzer that was official called as a goal at :00. Another highlight of the quarter was redshirt sophomore Kailey Pelkey, who claimed her first career goal at the :50 in the second quarter. USC would be dominant in the circle, as they did all game, as they out drew the Aggies 5-2, which would only add a little to their total draw control mark which was 27 to ten.
USC tallied an even third quarter, as both teams would strike four times. The main players would find the net as Shevitz, Heaney and Tilton all contributed to the scoring margin. The Women of Troy would stay neutral in adding to the score in the third, as they would enter the fourth with a 14-10 advantage.
It is no question which quarter was dominated the most by one team, as USC outscored UC Davis 7-3 to finalize the score. Redshirt freshman Hollis Mulry would capture her first career at the 6:55 mark, and the same can be said for freshman Emma Bunting, as she secured her first career goal at :32 left in the game. That final goal would give the Trojans their most goals in over two years as they won 21-13.

UP NEXT:
The Women of Troy play Dartmouth in their final game at Dignity Health Sports Park and their final non-conference at 2 p.m. on Monday, Mar. 18 in Carson, Calif.

GAME NOTES:

The Women of Troy are 12-0 in conference openers (5-0 MPSF: 7-0 Pac-12), including a 6-0 record in home conference openers.
USC is now 8-0 all-time vs. the Aggies, and this is the most the Trojans have scored against UC Davis in any of those matchups. The previous best was when USC scored 20 on Mar. 7, 2021. This is the first-ever Pac-12 conference game between the two.
The last time that USC scored 21 goals in a game was Mar. 13, 2022, as it beat Oregon 21-5.
USC is now 73-19 all-time in home games and 3-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

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 X @USCTrojansLax.