Thursday, August 15
Las Cruces, N.M.
6:00 p.m.
USC
at
New Mexico State
Players Mentioned
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
Photo by: Katie Chin/USC Athletics
No. 23 USC Women's Soccer Opens Season at New Mexico State, CBU
August 13, 2024 | Women's Soccer
LOS ANGELES – The No. 23 USC women's soccer team opens the 2024 season with a pair of games this week, playing at New Mexico State on Thursday and then at California Baptist on Sunday.
HOW TO FOLLOW - Both contests will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Links for the broadcasts and live stats can be found on the women's soccer schedule page at USCTrojans.com. In-game updates will also be available on X (formerly Twitter) by following @USC_Wsoccer.
SOCIAL MEDIA - Keep up with everything USC women's soccer this year by following the Trojans on all of their social media platforms. You can follow @USCWsoccer on Instagram, @uscwomenssoccer on Tik Tok @USC_Wsoccer on X, and like USC Women's Soccer on Facebook.
B1G SEASON - USC is playing in its first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference. USC announced in June of 2022 that the school would be making a move to the Big Ten. UCLA, Washington and Oregon also announced they would be moving to the conference with the Trojans. USC women's soccer's conference opener against Washington on Sept. 12 will be the first Big Ten game for any of the school's programs.
RAWLINSON STADIUM - USC is making a big investment in its women's soccer program as the school is currently building a new home on campus for the team. Rawlinson Stadium will replace and expand upon the previous site of play for the team: Soni McAlister Field at 30th and Hoover streets just north of the University Park Campus. The $38 million project broke ground on April 9 of this year and is scheduled to be completed early in 2025.
HOME SCHEDULE - With construction on Rawlinson stadium ongoing, the Trojans will play the majority of their home games at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. Two of USC's games will be at the LA Memorial Coliseum, with the Trojans hosting Ohio State (Oct. 17) and UCLA (Oct. 27) at the historic stadium. None of USC's non-conference schedule will be played at home.
LAST SEASON - The Trojans finished their final season in the Pac-12with an 11-5-3 overall record and 5-2-2 conference record, good for a third-place finish in the league. For the 10th consecutive season, USC made the NCAA postseason, playing into the second round before falling to BYU. After dropping two of its first three matches to start the season, USC ripped off a six-match winning streak, climbing as high as No. 11 in the national rankings.
POSTSEASON HISTORY - USC made it's 22nd NCAA Postseason appearance last season and 10th straight since 2014. USC has won two National Championships in its history, taking the title in 2007 and 2016. The Trojans have only missed the postseason nine times in the program's 29-year history, advancing past the first round 13 times.
Last trip to each round
1st Round: 2023 - W vs. Grand Canyon
2nd Round: 2023 - L vs. BYU
Sweet 16: 2019 - W vs. Santa Clara
Elite Eight/Quarterfinals: 2019 - L at North Carolina
College Cup Semifinals: 2016 - W vs. Georgetown
College Cup Final: 2016 - W vs. West Virginia
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE - The Trojans again play one of the most challenging schedules in the country, with seven of USC's 17 opponents making last year's NCAA Tournament (Pepperdine, Stanford, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State and UCLA), and that group recording a total of nine combined wins in the postseason, including Stanford making a run to the College Cup final and Penn State playing into the Elite 8. Four of the Trojans' opponents are currently ranked in the Top 25 (No. 2 Stanford, No. 4 Penn State, No. 11 UCLA, No. 19 Wisconsin).
FRESHMAN PHENOM - Maribel Flores took home the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Award last season, becoming the fifth Trojan to earn the honor and the first since Penelope Hocking in 2018. Flores started 13 games in 18 appearances last year, scoring 6 goals (tied for the team lead) and tallying a team second-best 17 points in 2023. The freshman attacker also earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 third team.
FLORES WITH MEXICO - Maribel Flores will start the season with the Mexican U20 squad at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Colombia. The tournament starts on Aug. 19, with Pool Play wrapping up on Sept. 3 and the championship match on Sept. 22. Flores has previously competed in the 2022 U17 World Cup with Mexico and with the Mexican U20 side in the 2023 CONCACAF Championship.
TROJANS AT THE OLYMPICS - USC had three alums at the Paris Olympics this summer, with Simi Awujo playing for Canada, Nicole Payne playing for Nigeria and Croix Bethune winning a gold medal with Team USA. Bethune was elevated from alternate status before the USA's first game and appeared in the final pool play contest against Australia. Awujo played in three of Canada's four games and made two starts in the midfield, and Payne saw time as a substitute in all three of Nigeria's matches.
AWUJO TO MAN U - Simi Awujo announced that she would be starting her professional career and signing with Manchester United just prior to the start of this season. The Trojan midfielder was a two-time All-Pac-12 honoree and had played with Canada at both the World Cup and Olympics during her three seasons at USC.
HOW TO FOLLOW - Both contests will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Links for the broadcasts and live stats can be found on the women's soccer schedule page at USCTrojans.com. In-game updates will also be available on X (formerly Twitter) by following @USC_Wsoccer.
SOCIAL MEDIA - Keep up with everything USC women's soccer this year by following the Trojans on all of their social media platforms. You can follow @USCWsoccer on Instagram, @uscwomenssoccer on Tik Tok @USC_Wsoccer on X, and like USC Women's Soccer on Facebook.
B1G SEASON - USC is playing in its first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference. USC announced in June of 2022 that the school would be making a move to the Big Ten. UCLA, Washington and Oregon also announced they would be moving to the conference with the Trojans. USC women's soccer's conference opener against Washington on Sept. 12 will be the first Big Ten game for any of the school's programs.
RAWLINSON STADIUM - USC is making a big investment in its women's soccer program as the school is currently building a new home on campus for the team. Rawlinson Stadium will replace and expand upon the previous site of play for the team: Soni McAlister Field at 30th and Hoover streets just north of the University Park Campus. The $38 million project broke ground on April 9 of this year and is scheduled to be completed early in 2025.
HOME SCHEDULE - With construction on Rawlinson stadium ongoing, the Trojans will play the majority of their home games at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. Two of USC's games will be at the LA Memorial Coliseum, with the Trojans hosting Ohio State (Oct. 17) and UCLA (Oct. 27) at the historic stadium. None of USC's non-conference schedule will be played at home.
LAST SEASON - The Trojans finished their final season in the Pac-12with an 11-5-3 overall record and 5-2-2 conference record, good for a third-place finish in the league. For the 10th consecutive season, USC made the NCAA postseason, playing into the second round before falling to BYU. After dropping two of its first three matches to start the season, USC ripped off a six-match winning streak, climbing as high as No. 11 in the national rankings.
POSTSEASON HISTORY - USC made it's 22nd NCAA Postseason appearance last season and 10th straight since 2014. USC has won two National Championships in its history, taking the title in 2007 and 2016. The Trojans have only missed the postseason nine times in the program's 29-year history, advancing past the first round 13 times.
Last trip to each round
1st Round: 2023 - W vs. Grand Canyon
2nd Round: 2023 - L vs. BYU
Sweet 16: 2019 - W vs. Santa Clara
Elite Eight/Quarterfinals: 2019 - L at North Carolina
College Cup Semifinals: 2016 - W vs. Georgetown
College Cup Final: 2016 - W vs. West Virginia
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE - The Trojans again play one of the most challenging schedules in the country, with seven of USC's 17 opponents making last year's NCAA Tournament (Pepperdine, Stanford, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State and UCLA), and that group recording a total of nine combined wins in the postseason, including Stanford making a run to the College Cup final and Penn State playing into the Elite 8. Four of the Trojans' opponents are currently ranked in the Top 25 (No. 2 Stanford, No. 4 Penn State, No. 11 UCLA, No. 19 Wisconsin).
FRESHMAN PHENOM - Maribel Flores took home the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Award last season, becoming the fifth Trojan to earn the honor and the first since Penelope Hocking in 2018. Flores started 13 games in 18 appearances last year, scoring 6 goals (tied for the team lead) and tallying a team second-best 17 points in 2023. The freshman attacker also earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 third team.
FLORES WITH MEXICO - Maribel Flores will start the season with the Mexican U20 squad at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Colombia. The tournament starts on Aug. 19, with Pool Play wrapping up on Sept. 3 and the championship match on Sept. 22. Flores has previously competed in the 2022 U17 World Cup with Mexico and with the Mexican U20 side in the 2023 CONCACAF Championship.
TROJANS AT THE OLYMPICS - USC had three alums at the Paris Olympics this summer, with Simi Awujo playing for Canada, Nicole Payne playing for Nigeria and Croix Bethune winning a gold medal with Team USA. Bethune was elevated from alternate status before the USA's first game and appeared in the final pool play contest against Australia. Awujo played in three of Canada's four games and made two starts in the midfield, and Payne saw time as a substitute in all three of Nigeria's matches.
AWUJO TO MAN U - Simi Awujo announced that she would be starting her professional career and signing with Manchester United just prior to the start of this season. The Trojan midfielder was a two-time All-Pac-12 honoree and had played with Canada at both the World Cup and Olympics during her three seasons at USC.
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