The USC women's soccer team lost to UCLA last week in the Coliseum but still walked away with something to hang its hat on.
The much-anticipated showdown was played before a crowd of 7,804. Although not quite what they were hoping for, it was the second-largest crowd to watch a women's college soccer game outside of the NCAA tournament and was the largest crowd for a Pac-10 game.
Kristina Larsen scored twice for the Bruins, sandwiched around a goal by USC's Megan Ohai.
Both teams were in the top 10 before the game and could very well cross paths again in this year's College Cup.
Records and pride are on the line Friday night at the Coliseum.
The Women of Troy will host UCLA in what should be the most intriguing soccer game Los Angeles will see all year. You'll be there if you love the sport, and if you made the mistake of hopping on the Beckham Bandwagon, here's your chance to repent. (Seriously, the Galaxy has two wins in the last four months and Becks is scoring a zero on the zeitgeist in L.A.) At least Chivas USA will make the postseason -- but both the Trojans and Bruins are legit national title contenders. Again.
Last year UCLA won the Pac-10 and was a heavy favorite to hoist the NCAA championship trophy for the first time. The Bruins beat USC in the regular season and historically dominate the series but were derailed by the upstart Trojans in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament -- which USC won on its way to its first title.
Each team boasts an Olympic gold medalist. USC's Amy Rodriguez and UCLA's Lauren Cheney teamed up in the Olympics this summer and became friends. Both have a big scoring punch and can go blow-for-blow on the scoreboard. But it won't be easy for either.
Each team boasts a shutdown threat. The Bruins have a practically impenetrable defense, leading the nation with just two goals allowed through 15 games. One of those was in the opener, so that's just one goal in the last 14 games. They're led by Erin Hardy, Lauren Wilmoth and Lauren Barnes, who all play on youth national teams. USC counters with two big-time net minders, including Kristin Olsen (who was a finalist for last season's national player of the year awards) and Brittany Massro. They combined for 15 shutouts in 2007.
Each team boasts excellent coaching. UCLA's Jillian Ellis has built one of the nation's elite programs in Westwood and also serves as an assistant coach for the national team (she joined Rodriguez and Cheney in Beijing). On the other bench, Ali Khosroshahin won the national title in his first season at USC and was a no-brainer pick for national coach of the year -- winning the honor in three publications.
Each team boasts a top-10 ranking and a chance to play for the national championship. Each is loaded with players who could make it to the professional ranks (the new women's league kicks off this year and had two Bruins taken in the first round of the inaugural draft). Each team is just darned good.
If that's not enough reason to go (trust me, it is), the schools are hoping to play in front of an NCAA record crowd. The game is being held in the Coliseum with the hope of having more than 15,000 fans in attendance. The previous record for a women's soccer game was 14,410 for a national title bout between North Carolina and Notre Dame in 1999. UCLA played before a crowd of 9,566 in the 2000 national championship game.
This game will not be a boring 69-0 blowout like that other USC "football" team had last week, and with tickets just $7 for adults ($5 for kids), it's a great game to bring the family to. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
On a sweltering 100-degree day, USC forward Amy Rodriguez pounded a shot into the top of the net during an Olympic tuneup for the U.S. women's national soccer team. It was her second game-winning goal against Brazil this year. The United States is currently the world's top-ranked squad, with Brazil fourth in the FIFA standings.
Before the game, Rodriguez was interviewed about her wild ride on 101Soccer.com -- a site run by a number of USC alums, including interviewer Danny Page. Click here for the audio.
[Note: If video player doesn't appear, email adam@laist.com.]
USC's Amy Rodriguez was named to the U.S. Olympic team today. She's the first Trojan to make the Olympics in women's soccer.
The 21-year-old is one of only three forwards to make this year's squad. She's the second youngest player on the roster (average age is 26) and one of only two with college eligibility remaining.
"She offers speed, and in international games you really need speed," said U.S. Coach Pia Sundhage. "The way she's been playing and actually running at people has been very good."
Trojan John Carden played soccer for Team USA in the 1956 games. Hugo Salcedo, who got his master's degree from USC, played footie in the 1972 games. And when it comes to a discussion about USC and world-class soccer, you can't leave out Andres Cantor.
Rodriguez will be back at USC as a senior this fall to help the Trojans defend their NCAA championship. Her national team bio is after the jump.
Past, present, and future Trojans made their presence felt at last week's 710 ESPN Southern California Sports Awards. Over 18,000 online votes were cast in a dozen categories. USC and its athletes (and athletes-to-be) walked away with five of the trophies.
Sedrick Ellis was named College Male Athlete of the Year. His performance on the defensive line helped USC's football team to win honors in the College Male Team category.
USC women's soccer got the nod as the College Female Team of the Year after their Cinderella season resulted in a national championship. Goalkeeper Kristen Olsen earned recognition as top College Female Athlete for her leadership and 12 shutouts on the season.
Matt Barkley (pictured, l) of Mater Dei, a Trojan commit, was named the best High School Male Athlete. Only a junior, he became the youngest football player to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year award. Locally, though, he just squeaked by. His 3-vote victory was the smallest margin in any category.
The Laker's Derek Fisher was named Inspirational Athlete of the Year. In of those rare cases where everybody is a winner, the Trojans had another reason to smile. Ricky Rosas, special assistant to Pete Carroll and renowned "Gatorade bartender," earned a nomination and was invited on stage along with Corona Centennial football coach Matt Logan.
This was the second annual awards show, co-hosted by San Diego Charger LaDainian Tomlinson (pictured, r) and 710 ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd. Former Trojan wide receiver Curtis Conway was a presenter. For a complete list of winners, pictures, and a full podcast of the show, click here.
Amy Rodriguez hit the net in international women's soccer today as the United States downed Norway, 4-0. She scored the final goal of the game in the 90th minute. From U.S. Soccer:
Stephanie Cox played a long ball down the left wing that Wambach got a light touch on, sending Rodriguez behind the defense. She raced in on goal from the left and hit a soft shot with the outside of her right foot. Somehow, the Norwegian goalkeeper misjudged the spin on the ball, dove to corral it, but instead let it roll over her body and just over the goal line before she could recover. It was Rodriguez’s third international goal.
Earlier in the game, Rodriguez had a shot on goal that was deflected by a defender.
ESPN 710 has opened voting for its Southern California Sports Awards.
You may recall that a Trojan did pretty well at the LA Sports Council Awards this year. There's also a USC athlete up for the Sullivan Award (see below).
Among USC's five nomination listings from ESPN:
College Female Team of the Year: A true Cinderella story, USC's women's soccer team finished second in the Pac-10 standings (20-3-2, 6-2-1), but first in the nation as it claimed its first ever, and the Pac-10's first-ever national nhampionship. ... Prior to this season, USC had never advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament ... Sophomore goalkeeper Kristin Olsen was named the tournament's most outstanding defensive player.
College Male Team of the Year: The Trojans football team, under Pete Carroll, had another phenomenal season, finishing with a record of 11-2. That gave them the Pac-10 title, and a berth in the Rose Bowl, where they dominated Illinois, 49-17.
Inspirational Athlete of the Year: Ricky Rosas; USC ... Volunteer 'Gatorade Bartender' and office aide, Ricky Rosas has assisted the USC football office for nearly two years. Rosas enjoys working with the program and attends nearly every practice and home football game with the Trojans.
College Male Athlete of the Year: Sedrick Ellis, USC football ... Ellis played all 13 games for the Trojans and finished the season with 58 tackles, 8 1/2 sacks, seven deflections, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. He was a unanimous choice on the 2007 all Pac-10 first team. Ellis was named USC's Co-MVP.
College Female Athlete of the Year: Kristin Olsen, USC Soccer ... The USC goalkeeper collected 12 shutouts throughout the season. She was named the most outstanding defensive player of the NCAA Tournament, and she was named second team All American by Soccer Buzz and the National Soccer Coaches Assn. of America.
To participate in voting, click here. You will have to register for the ESPN 710 VIP Club.
USC sophomore golfer Jamie Lovemark has also picked up a big nomination -- for the Sullivan Award. The annual prize is presented to the nation's top amateur athlete. His profile in USA Today:
Lovemark, 20, of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., won the NCAA individual title as a freshman at Southern California last year. He also played on the victorious U.S. Walker Cup team, finishing 3-0 in his matches. Last spring he won the Pacific-10 individual title and led the Trojans to the team title.
To vote for this year's Sullivan Award (no registration needed), click here.
In front of 3,217 fans, Los Tricolores downed the Women of Troy, 3-1, in women's soccer action at the L.A. Coliseum.
Mexico was using the match as a tuneup for Olympic qualifying. Last week, it beat ASU, 3-0, and tied UCLA, 1-1.
To put things in perspective, the Bruins had been ranked #1 for much of the 2007 season and were the last No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, falling to the Trojans in the semifinals. USC went on to take their first national championship in the sport.
USC looked a little sluggish and was outplayed by Mexico for much of the game. It was tied, 1-1, in the closing minutes, but a couple of sloppy defensive mistakes -- rare for this Trojan squad -- gave the game away.
The squads are coached by close friends Ali Khosroshahin, who led the Women of Troy to the NCAA championship last year, and Leo Cuellar, who was a popular figure as captain of the Mexican men's team before taking the women to their first Olympics and World Cup.
Their relationship goes back a long way. Khosroshahin played for Coach Cuellar at Cal State Los Angeles and eventually became his assistant coach there. He had high praise for his mentor. "He's opened a lot of doors for me. He's definitely given me an education in this sport that I think most people living here don't get." During USC's championship run, "I think I called him at least once a day."
Cuellar was equally impressed with his student, calling him a part of his family. "He's very intense, he's very convinced of his ideas. He likes to study, he likes to prepare. He's obviously trying to innovate."
Khosroshahin was hired by Mexico when Cuellar took over the team in 1998 and has been involved with the program ever since. Asked what his formal affiliation was, he shrugged and smiled. "Scout. Assistant Coach. Whatever [Leo] decides!" In his last job at Cal State Fullerton, he connected Cuellar with Marlene Sandoval -- now one of the top players for Mexico.
USC freshman midfielder Ashli Sandoval (no relation) hopes to be in Marlene's shoes one day. As one of four Trojans of Mexican American descent, she told reporters that she views this game as a tryout.
Expect tonight's matchup to be a good one. USC is playing at almost full strength (Amy Rodriguez is training with the U.S. national team) and Mexico, ranked 22nd internationally, traditionally gets tough matches from American schools. Last week, Mexico tied UCLA, 1-1, and beat Arizona State University, 3-0.
With Beijing trials just around the corner, Cuellar feels that these matches are a critical preparation. “To come here and play the champions, as a part of our preparation for Olympic qualifying, is a great opportunity for us."
