No. 19 USC Women's Soccer to Host Arizona on Friday
THIS WEEK - The No. 19 USC women's soccer team returns to the Coliseum for a Pac-12 play as they host Arizona on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
GAME 8 - No. 19 USC (3-3-1, 2-3) vs. Arizona (6-3, 1-3) - Friday, March 23, 12:30 p.m. PT (LA Memorial Coliseum) - Pac-12 Network
HOW TO FOLLOW - Friday's Pac-12 matchup will be televised on the Pac-12 Network and via the Pac-12 Now app. Links for the broadcast and live stats can be found on the women's soccer schedule page at USCTrojans.com. In-game updates will also be available on 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 and @USC_Wsoccer on Twitter, and like USC Women's Soccer on Facebook.
LAST WEEK - The Trojans faced No. 3 UCLA for a non-conference matchup in Westwood, playing to a hard-fought 2-2 draw. Tara McKeown scored twice in the game and narrowly missed a winner in OT, hitting the crossbar on a free kick.
SERIES VS. ARIZONA - USC leads 20-4-2. The Trojans have won six in a row, dating back to 2014. USC won 1-0 on the road in Tucson in 2019, getting a goal from Tara McKeown.
HOCKING CLIMBING THE LIST - Penelope Hocking continues to climb the USC career scoring list, with her four goals this season giving her a total of 36 for her career, putting her third on the Trojans' career list. The junior forward scored a pair of goals in the Trojans' 2-0 win over Oregon State earlier this year for the fifth multi-goal game of her career.
McKEOWN STILL ROLLING - Tara McKeown currently sits second in the Pac-12 and first on the team with five goals this year. She is sixth on USC's all-time scoring list with 38 career goals. The senior forward earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors after scoring two goals in the Trojans' season-opening win over then-No. 10 BYU at home. McKeown was drafted eighth overall by the Washington Spirit in the 2021 NWSL Draft earlier this year.
MIDFIELD RETURNING TO FORM - Both of the Trojans' attacking midfielders, Savannah DeMelo and Croix Bethune missed last year with injury, but seem to be working their way into playing form this spring. The two share the team lead with three assists each, with DeMelo starting every game and Bethune starting five of seven this year.
2020-21 SEASON - Like all things, the 2020 women's soccer season was upended by the Covid-19 pandemic. The NCAA made the decision to move all fall championships to the spring back in August. The Trojans will play an abbreviated schedule this spring, with the NCAA College Cup being held May 13-17 in North Carolina. All players who compete this spring will not lose a season of eligibility and will still be able to play in the fall even if they are seniors.
KICKIN' IT IN THE COLI - The Trojans will play their 2020-21 spring season home games in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. With the USC women's lacrosse team also playing on the Trojans typical home, McAlister Field, soccer's move to the Coliseum will reduce game conflicts, as well as wear and tear on the field.
MEDIA POLICY - Limited media members will be allowed to apply for credentials to USC women's soccer home games. Credentialed media members will only have access to a designated media area, and no in-person interviews will be allowed. All postgame and weekly interviews will be conducted virtually and upon request. Please contact Jacob Breems (Breems@usc.edu) for more media information and to apply for credentials.
LAST YEAR - The Trojans made another NCAA Tournament run last year, coming up just short of the College Cup. USC finished the 2019 season 17-5-1 overall, ending their campaign in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament against national runners-up North Carolina. USC reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings in 2019 and made their sixth straight postseason appearance.
MAC HERMANN WATCH - Three Trojans were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list this year, with Tara McKeown, Penelope Hocking and Savannah DeMelo all on the 54 player list. McKeown was a semifinalist for college soccer's top award last year and DeMelo has been on the watch list each of the last three seasons. USC has had at least a semifinalist for the award three of the last four years.
NWSL DRAFT - Two NWSL Drafts have passed since the Trojans last played a game and four USC players have been selected. Following the 2019 campaign, Natalie Jacobs was selected by the Washington Spirit with the 13th overall selection, and Julia Bingham was taken by the Chicago Red Stars 15th overall. Both went on to play for their respective teams the following season. This year's NWSL draft was unique in that selected players are still eligible to compete in both the spring and fall of 2021, if they choose. Tara McKeown was taken eight overall by the Spirit and Kaylie Collins was selected in the fourth round by the Orlando Pride. Both McKeown and Collins will play with the Trojans this spring.