UCLA women’s soccer to face crosstown rival USC in head-to-head battle for title

The Bruins are 90 minutes away from a conference championship.

But so are the Trojans.

No. 3 UCLA women’s soccer (15-0-3, 7-0-3 Pac-12) will welcome No. 8 USC (13-2-2, 8-0-2) to Wallis Annenberg Stadium for a Friday night showdown that will determine this year’s Pac-12 champion. The first-place Trojans lead the second-place Bruins by two points in the conference standings, meaning a USC win or tie grants it the outright conference title for the first time ever. For the blue and gold, a victory would earn it back-to-back Pac-12 titles for the first time since 2014.

The crosstown rivals’ matchups have drawn record crowds in previous years, and Friday will be no different as the match was sold out by Tuesday.

With only a limited number of fans able to spectate the game’s previous season as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, coach Amanda Cromwell said she expects this year’s rendition to be a completely different atmosphere.

“(Wallis Annenberg Stadium) is going to be rocking for sure,” Cromwell said. “We had fans for the game at ‘SC in the spring, but this is going to be a whole other deal. You’ll see a lot of energy out of both teams.”

The thousands of fans in attendance for these previous matchups have often witnessed extra soccer, as four of the last five games have gone into overtime – including both contests last season. In last year’s fixtures, the Bruins trailed 2-1 in the dying moments of play both times but managed to force extra periods of play by netting goals in the 86th and 88th minutes.

One late equalizer came courtesy of graduate student midfielder Olivia Athens. Athens also had a golden goal against the Trojans in 2018, lifting her team to a 3-2 comeback victory in front of 8,555 fans.

“(The rivalry) just brings out the best in people,” Athens said. “I’m hoping for us to have some more magic tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll have a picture-perfect ending and we can raise the trophy for fans.”

The crosstown rivalry matchup has historically been a high-scoring affair, as the teams have combined for at least four goals in each of their five previous meetings.

“Knowing that there’s going to be a lot of goals in this game is exciting because we’re ready to give it our all and celebrate in front of our fans and have a great atmosphere,” said senior midfielder Maricarmen Reyes. “As an attacker, just be ready for anything that’s in or outside the box, making opportunities happen for the team.”

USC has been without its all-time leading scorer, Penelope Hocking, for the last three matches, but midfielder Croix Bethune has made up the scoring in the forward’s absence. Bethune paces the team with 13 goals, including five in her last three games, to go with seven total assists.

While the Bruins are the last remaining undefeated team in the nation, the Trojans come in with a 15-game unbeaten streak of their own.

“(USC) is on fire,” Athens said. “They have two players in Croix and (midfielder Savannah DeMelo) that we’re really going to try to stop and hopefully slow down their attack a bit and find some success.”

With one day left on the regular-season calendar, both teams have positioned themselves within reach of the Pac-12 title but will have to go through their rival for the crown.

“The team is super excited to have this game, to have this opportunity to win Pac-12 and beat ‘SC at home in front of our fans on our turf,” Reyes said. “We’re going to come out with everything and win this game.”

Kickoff at Wallis Annenberg Stadium is at 8 pm.