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USC Lacrosse Battles But Drops 16-15 Heartbreaker to No. 16 Stanford

by usctrojans.com
Apr 18, 2021

LOS ANGELES – The USC lacrosse team (8-6, 5-3 Pac-12) went toe-to-toe with No. 16 Stanford (8-0, 6-0) but came up on the short end of a narrow 16-15 decision against the Cardinal at McAlister Field on Sunday, April 18. It was the fifth straight game decided by one goal between the Trojans and the Cardinal and the eighth one-goal game in 15 all-time meetings.
 
KEY PLAYERS

  • Every available USC senior started the game on Senior Day, including Courtney Hutchinson, Natalie Byrne, Lizzy Wagner, Devon Heaney,Emily Stallings, Kelsey Huff, Maddie McDaniel, Izzy McMahon, Sarah Larkin, Madi O'Brien, and Riley Hertford. Attacker Sophia Donovan—out with an injury—was honored before the game but did not play.
  • Sr. attacker Izzy McMahon scored a career-high six goals and had two draw controls. It was her fifth hat trick of the season and the 15th of her career, which now ranks in a tie for sixth in program history. McMahon's six goals also give her 104 in her time at USC, which makes her the seventh Trojan to score more than 100 goals.
  • Sr. midfielder Kelsey Huff had her seventh hat trick of the season and finished with four points (1 assist) with a caused turnover. Huff's 22 hat-trick games moves her into a tie with Amanda Johansen for third most all-time by a Trojan. 
  • Gr. attacker Maddie McDaniel collected 11 draw controls for her eighth game in double digits this season.
  • So. attacker Ella Heaney recorded her fifth hat trick of the season with three goals and had an assist.
  • Defensively, Sr. goalie Riley Hertford had 12 saves for her third game in double-digit saves this season and added two ground balls. Lizzy Wagner had two ground balls and caused a turnover; So. Olivia Dooley had three ground balls and caused two turnovers; Jr. Kaleigh Brennan picked up three ground balls and caused two turnovers; and freshman Madison Waters had a career-high four ground balls and caused a turnover to go with a goal and an assist.
  • For Stanford, Genesis Lucero had 11 draw controls and three points (1g, 2a). Ali Baiocco scored eight goals including the game winner and finished with nine points (1a). Galen Lew had four points (3g, 1a) including the winning assist. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Stanford out-shot USC, 34-27, and produced more ground balls (23-19) and draw controls (19-14) than the Trojans. The Cardinal was efficient in its transition game with a 20-for-21 rate in clear attempts while USC was forced into turnovers five times on clear attempts (21-for-26).
  • The Women of Troy led by as many as four goals at 13-9, but the Cardinal mounted a 7-2 run in the final 18 minutes to seal a comeback victory.
  • McMahon racked up a hat trick quickly with three goals in the first 11 minutes to propel the Trojans to a 6-3 lead. Baiocco scored three and got the Cardinal within a goal, but Huff scored from free position to give USC an 8-6 halftime lead.
  • Stanford had three of the first four goals in the second half to knot the score at nine-all, but Waters' goal at 24:03 sparked a big 4-0 USC run to help the Trojans grab their largest lead of the game at 13-9.

UP NEXT

  • USC concludes the regular season with a game at Arizona State (8-4, 5-3 Pac-12) on Friday, April 23, at Sun Devil Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. First draw is set for 3 p.m. PT. The winner will secure second place in the final Pac-12 regular-season standings and a first-round bye in the conference tournament set for May 5-8 in Stanford, Calif. 

GAME NOTES

  • USC fell to 8-7 in 15 all-time meetings with Stanford and had a three-game winning streak over the Cardinal snapped. The Trojans also went to all 5-2 in home games against Stanford.
  • The Women of Troy dropped to 52-13 all-time at McAlister Field.
  • USC and Stanford played to a one-goal decision for the eighth time in series history and for the fifth straight time since April 27, 2018, in the Pac-12 tournament semifinal in Boulder, Colo. USC fell to 5-3 in one-goal decisions against the Cardinal and suffered its first one-goal loss to Stanford at home (4-1).
  • The 31 combined goals scored by USC and Stanford is the most in all-time meetings between the teams; previously 29 twice (March 8, 2013, and April 27, 2018; both Stanford wins).

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 on Twitter @USCTrojansLax.
 

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