USC Lacrosse Drops 13-12 Pac-12 Semifinal Heartbreaker in Tempe

TEMPE, Ariz. – The second-seeded and 16th-ranked USC lacrosse team (13-4) fell, 13-12, to third-seeded No. 23 Arizona State (11-7) in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals at Sun Devil Lacrosse Stadium on Thursday, May 5. The win puts the host Sun Devils into the Pac-12 Championship Game set for Saturday, May 7, at noon PT.
 
KEY PLAYERS

• So. midfielder Madison Waters scored a game-high four goals with 100-percent shooting to post her third hat trick of the season; the sixth of her career. She also picked up a ground ball and caused a turnover.
• So. attacker Claudia Shevitz scored three goals for her fifth-career hat trick and had an assist for four points. Shevitz also raked in three draw controls for the Trojans.
• Redshirt Fr. attacker Isabelle Vitale handed out three assists and scored one goal for four total points.
• Sr. midfielder Katie Ramsay picked up three ground balls and scored one goal and caused a turnover.
• Fr. midfielder Catherine Lord corralled four draw controls and picked up a ground ball.
• Sr. midfielder Kelsey Huff scored one goal and had one assist and a ground ball.
• So. attacker Maggie Brown scored two goals including a buzzer beater at the end of the first half.
• For Arizona State, Carley Adams and Emily Munro each scored three goals for hat tricks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• USC was outshot for only the third time this season and fell to 1-2 in those games. Arizona State had a 30-23 edge in shots taken and was 21-16 in shots on goal. The Sun Devils also won the center circle by a 16-12 count and had a 23-15 advantage in ground balls collected. ASU had six yellow cards in the game and committed 41 common fouls.
• The Sun Devils broke a two-all tie with a 3-0 run to close the first quarter with a 5-2 lead. Ramsay and Shevitz scored goals to open the second frame, but ASU went on another 3-0 burst to lead by four with under five minutes left in the first half.
• Huff scored her goal with 1:11 left to play in the first half and then hit Waters with a pass for another goal with 43 seconds to halftime. Brown found the back of the net at the buzzer to pull USC within a goal, 8-7, at the break.
• USC scored one to open the third and tied the score at eight-all. The teams traded goals but Munro scored with four seconds left on the clock to give ASU a 10-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
• Shevitz and Brown scored goals to push the Trojans ahead, 11-10, with 11:15 to play, but the Sun Devils had one more 3-0 burst to reclaim the lead at 12-11 with 3:53 to play and increased the lead to two goals with 2:41 left on the clock. Shevitz scored with 32 seconds left on the game clock, but the Sun Devils received the next draw and held on to seal the win.

UP NEXT

• The Trojans—ranked No. 15 in the latest Ratings Percentage Index (RPI)—must now await the decision of the NCAA selection committee. 29 teams qualify for the national tournament with 15 automatic qualifiers and 14 at-large berths. USC has reached the NCAA tournament four times (2015, '16, '17, '19) and made its last appearance as the Pac-12's automatic qualifier in 2019. The Trojans have advanced as far as the NCAA quarterfinal twice (2016, '17).

GAME NOTES

• USC fell to 8-2 all-time against Arizona State and dropped its first game to ASU on the road (4-1).
• The Trojans drop to 3-3 all-time in Pac-12 Tournament games and go to 4-1 all-time in the state of Arizona.
• The Women of Troy fell to 84-24 in games played when they are ranked. USC's record against ranked opponents goes to 27-36 in 63 games all-time.
• USC had its season-long four-game winning streak snapped.

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.