Women of Troy Suffer Second Pac-12 Loss to Washington
Urgency was USC head coach Ali Khosroshahin's favorite word at the end of Friday's game against the Washington Huskies; a concept his team could not convert on. Despite a strong second half surge, the Women of Troy fell to the Huskies, 1-0.
The Women of Troy suffered their second straight loss after falling 1-0 at Arizona State last Sunday, tallying their overall record to 5-5-1 and 0-2 in Pac-12 play. This was UW's first win at McAlister Field since 2001.
Known for their strong defense, allowing just one goal per game, the Huskies' offense was the strongest side on display in the first half. An unexpected domination of time of possession and productive passing generated many opportunities for UW.
A quick string of attacks tested the USC defense early, but the Women of Troy held off the aggressive Huskies, highlighted by a beautiful diving save by goalkeeper Caroline Stanley. Stanley racked up four saves on the day.
After a brief slow in action, UW regained its momentum and put together another charge. This time a great aerial pass across the box found the foot of a Huskies' attacker, who struck it past an outstretched Stanley only to be trapped on the end line by senior defender Mia Bruno. However, the Women of Troy could not remain this lucky.
With under a minute to play in the first half, Washington forward Allie Beahan netted a strike from 25-yards out into the top right corner of the goal.
Despite surrendering a goal in the closing seconds, the Women of Troy found new life in the second half. A change in formation on offense included a second forward which sparked more chances. Constant pressure in Huskies territory led to several UW mistakes and two corner kick opportunities in the first ten minutes. Senior midfielder Jordan Marada created a breakaway of her own with crafty footwork, but an ambitious chip shot soared wide right.
With intensity building late in the second half, USC mustered up another strong attack. Despite losing a shoe after a questionable no-call tackle, junior midfielder Alex Quincey received a terrific cross from sophomore Whitney Pitalo inside the six-yard box. Quincy connected with the pass, but the header went just over the crossbar.
"We were all over them at the end," said sophomore midfielder Jamie Fink. "I was thinking we were going to score. I kept on thinking it, but we just didn't put it away."
The Huskies were able to construct another offensive front after USC was captured offside's. This resulted in another lunging stop by Stanley to poke the ball over the bar and keep the deficit at one.
The Women of Troy had another opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds, but as time ticked off the clock USC's corner kick zoomed past the net, only to be headed out of bounds.
Despite three missed opportunities and a heart wrenching loss, USC looks to fix crucial mistakes before taking on Washington State on Sunday.
"We're sick of losing," said junior forward Jessica Musmanno. "We just threw everything we had into that last 45 minutes and it's unfortunate that we didn't get anything."
The Huskies' long awaited victory at McAlister Field also brought UW's head coach Lesle Gallimore her 200th career victory in her 20th year at Washington.
