USC Lacrosse Falls to Second in the Pac-12 with a Loss to Stanford

Saturday, April 13

Stanford, Calif.

1:00 PM

USC

10-4, 4-1Pac-12

Stanford

9-3, 5-0Pac-12

USC

Stanford

USC Lacrosse Falls to Second in the Pac-12 with a Loss to Stanford

April 13, 2024 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

The Trojans dropped the defensive showcase as the Cardinal bested them 8-6

STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 19-ranked USC lacrosse team (10-4, 4-1 Pac-12) dropped out of the top spot in the Pac-12, as it fell to No. 18 Stanford (9-3, 5-0 Pac-12) 8-6 at Cagan Stadium.

KEY PLAYERS:

Senior goalkeeper Kait Devir had an exceptional game, as she only allowed eight goals and posted seven saves to give her a .467 save percentage.
Graduate student Ella Heaney continues to be the top-points getter for the Women of Troy as she had three with two goals and one assist in the outing. Senior Shelby Tilton was the other player with multiple goals, as she had two on three shots.
Two players had multiple caused turnovers as junior Catherine Lord and graduate student Danielle Carson both had two. Lord also had three ground balls during the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Stanford came out the gate hot with two straight goals in less than a minute, as it first scored at 12:39 and followed with one at 12 flat. As the Cardinal scored so quick, the thought was that the offense would continue, as Stanford averages 15.91 goals per game and USC averages 13.08. However, the Trojans took back the game with two straight, as Christina Gagnon opened the scoring for USC at 9:08 and Tilton followed suit. From there it was all defense, as Stanford would score one more time before the quarter ended 3-2.
The defensive showcase continued to haunt the offenses in the second, as both teams were able to get on the board one time each. Devir picked up three saves in the period, while the Cardinal forced eight turnovers on the Trojans. Altogether the offense was smothered as the score at half was 4-3 in favor of Stanford.
In the third, the success of the defense did not wavier, as USC put up two goals and Stanford put up three. The Trojans were only able to put up three shots in the quarter, while the Cardinal put up eight shots. Another big mark was Stanford's ability to force turnovers on USC, as the Women of Troy turned it over five times, and Stanford was able to pick them up with a 7-3 ground ball advantage.
The fourth was much of the same, as USC scored once at the end of regulation to make it a two-point game. However, that point was nearly mute, as Stanford edged out USC 8-6 thanks to a strong defensive effort throughout.

UP NEXT:
The Women of Troy return to action at noon on Sunday, Apr. 21 as they face Colorado on Senior Day at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

GAME NOTES:

The Trojans are now 28-43 all-time versus ranked opponents, and now Stanford leads the all-time series 11-9.
USC is 64-32 in road games and is 3-6 up in Stanford, Calif.
The Women of Troy move to 1-2 this year when they score less than ten goals in a game.
The Cardinal now own the No. 1 spot in the conference with two Pac-12 games remaining for both teams.

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.