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USC Futbol Fails To Finish, Falls To Wazzu

Taiu Kunimoto |
October 7, 2013 | 12:15 a.m. PDT

Staff Writer

USC futbol hasn't won a game against a Pac-12 opponent this season. (Flickr)
USC futbol hasn't won a game against a Pac-12 opponent this season. (Flickr)
USC women’s soccer marked its fourth consecutive loss after a 2-0 defeat against Washington State on Sunday at McAlister Field. Despite their improvement in creating more chances, USC’s inaccurate passes to the penalty box and poor finishing cost them the entire game. The embarrassing defeat dropped the Trojans’ record to 5-6-1 overall and 0-3-0 in Pac-12.

The Trojans started out strong, playing more aggressively than they did on Friday against the Huskies. USC did not wait long until the first chance arrived. Three minutes into the game, Jordan Marada’s direct through-pass found Rachel Smith running on to the ball in the penalty box. Smith’s shot, however, was swapped away by the charging opponent keeper.

Although the Trojans’ readjustment through exploiting the flanks created more opportunities on the field, the team encountered the same problem as they did two days ago—converting chances to goals. USC experienced tough time applying passes to finish due 

USC’s inability to threaten the Cougar defense punished them hard in the 36th minute. WSU’s Mesa Owsley swerved a free kick from 30 yards out, which beautifully netted the top left corner of the goal.to the mediocre crosses from the side.

Trailing the Cougars 1-0, USC seemed determined to fight back. Nevertheless, neither Megan Broman’s header from the point blank range nor Katie Johnson’s shot with the goal wide open were able to change the score board.

The second half did not appear any better as the Trojans continued to suffer from failing to feed the ball to the striker. The strikers were often forced to retreat back to the center circle for a brief touch of the ball. Multiple errors in the midfield heavily impacted the Trojans' rhythm and the fluidity of the offense.

With the defensive line pushing up high to support the midfield, WSU took advantage of the huge vacuum left between the line and the goalkeeper with a counter attack. WSU’s Owsley recovered the lost ball at the edge of center circle and pushed a timely pass to Kourtney Guetlein who was cutting into the penalty box. Guetline, then, comfortably placed the shot into the bottom right pocket to double the lead to 2-0 in the 70th minute.

USC’s final chance to score a goal arrived on the 32nd minute. Marada’s soft touch with her heel dropped the ball on to the foot of Tanya Samarzich. Samarzich’s thunderous drive was only to find the side netting.

Poor finishing from USC has cost them a game yet again. Trojan futbol has yet to score against a team in the Pac-12 conference. With three defeats already in its pocket, USC needs something special to turn the tide around as they travel up north next weekend to match up against UC Berkley and Stanford.

 

Reach Staff Reporter Taiu Kunimoto here



 

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