No. 18 USC Women's Soccer Wins Thriller Over Washington State, 3-2
LOS ANGELES – The No. 18 USC women's soccer team picked up one of its most thrilling wins of the season on Sunday afternoon, taking down Washington State 3-2 in a contest that saw each team erase one-goal deficits.
USC moves to 11-2-3 overall and 7-1-2 in Pac-12 play, while Washington State falls to 8-6-4, 2-5-3. The Trojans had three different goal scorers in the game, while Margie Detrizio scored both for the visitors.
USC jumped ahead early, getting a goal in the fourth minute thanks to a beautiful give-and-go between Simone Jackson and Jaelyn Eisenhart that sent Eisenhart on a run up the left side and allowed her to feed Zoe Burns in the box for the score. The lead lasted until midway through the first half when Detrizio scored off a corner for the Cougars. The teams would go into the break knotted at 1-1.
Just under four minutes into the second half, Detrizio gave Washington State the lead, poking home her own rebound to make it 2-1. That advantage lasted until the 53rd minute, when Angeles Escobar came off the bench and sent home a rebound on a free kick to make it 2-2. It was Escobar's first goal of the season.
Simone Jackson would net the game-winner for the Trojans with an incredible individual effort in the 64th minute. Jackson received the ball at midfield, turner her defender and made a long run into the area where she beat the keeper to the near left post.
The USC defense turned it up a notch from there on out, holding the one-goal lead for the final 26 minutes. Anna Smith had six saves in the contest and the Trojan defenders made several game-saving tackles in the waning minutes.
GOALS
4' – USC: Zoe Burns (assisted by Jaelyn Eisenhart, Simone Jackson) – Jackson and Eisenhart played a give-and-go near midfield that released Eisenhart on a run up the left side where she would play a ball into the area for Burns. Burns collected and fired a shot inside the far right post.
23' – WSU: Margie Detrizio (assisted by Sydney Studer, Grayson Lynch) – Lynch sent in a corner from the right side that was headed across by Studer and tapped in by Detrizio.
49' – WSU: Margie Detrizio (unassisted) – Detrizio made a run into the area and fired a shot that was saved by Smith, but followed her shot and sent home the rebound.
53' – USC: Angeles Escobar (assisted by Helena Sampaio) – Sampaio put a free kick on frame that was saved, but Escobar pounced on the rebound and tapped it home from point-blank range.
64' – USC: Simone Jackson (unassisted) – Jackson turned her defender at midfield and made a long run into the area, where she fired home a shot past the charging keeper and inside the near left post.
UP NEXT
The Trojans close out the regular season with a crosstown showdown against No. 1 UCLA on Friday. That game will kick off at 2 p.m. at McAlister Field and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.