Written by Grace DeWitt, USC blog contributor
For the second consecutive year, the USC women's soccer team saw its NCAA Tournament first round game go to penalty kicks. With last season's heart-breaking finish on their minds, the No. 11 Women of Troy wrote a new ending, defeating No. 25 Cal State Fullerton thanks to a Morgan Andrews hat trick and four straight penalty shots to advance to the second round of postseason play for the first time in five years.
Things looked ugly for the Trojans early on as Fullerton took a 2-0 lead in the 34th minute. The Women of Troy fought valiantly through the first half, and ultimately outshot the Titans 33-6 in the game, but their efforts before the break were unsuccessful, setting up one of the most exciting comeback victories in NCAA postseason play.
Andrews' heroic performance began in the 49th minute, when the junior midfielder finally drove a shot into the top right corner to cut into Fullerton's lead. Just 10 minutes later it was Andrews again, this time with help from junior defender Kayla Mills who laid the ball off to Andrews for a header to even the score.Â
Despite the quick turnaround, the Trojans would not stay comfortable for long as just two minutes later a Fullerton corner kick would roll by the top of Prudhomme's fingers to give the Titans the upper hand once again.
With less than 30 minutes on the clock, Andrews and Co. were determined to keep their season alive on their home field. The junior found the back of the net a career-best third time in the 67th minute, becoming the first Trojan to record a hat trick in NCAA Tournament play and securing a 3-3 tie that would endure until the whistle.Â
Play got increasingly more physical as the game wore on, with both teams trying to edge out the lead. The Trojan defense would prove impenetrable for the Titans, who could not get a single shot off following Andrews' third goal, and safely preserved the Women of Troy into overtime.Â
With their season on the line in golden goal overtime, the Trojans went into a voracious attack, dominating the duration of extra time by outshooting the Titans, 9-2, but failing to net the winning score. After 20 minutes of goalless play, the Women of Troy faced penalty kicks for the second time in two years of postseason play.Â
Prudhomme gave her team the best possible start, guessing the first shot correctly and making the diving save on the right side of the net. Then, Mills delivered the first kick for USC, putting the ball to the right of the keeper to give USC a 1-0 advantage. The Titans made their next three kicks to remain in the match, but the Trojans responded every time with Parker, redshirt sophomore midfielder Amanda Rooney, and junior Mandy Freeman each finding the back of the net to keep the Trojans ahead. In goal for the opening shot of the fifth round, Prudhomme cemented the Trojans' victory with another spectacular dive to end the both exhilarating and exhausting match and send USC on to the next round.Â
The Women of Troy will play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the winner of Boston College/Princeton University, next Friday, November 20. Be sure to follow @USC_WSoccer on their postseason journey.Â
