UCLA
USC
UCLA Falls to USC 2-0 in Season Finale
November 07, 2015 | Women's Soccer
Los Angeles, Calif. - A school-record crowd of 6,253 filled into UCLA's Drake Stadium Friday night to see UCLA and USC battle it out in the regular season finale, but it was USC whose fans went home happy, as the 14th-ranked Trojans scored two late goals to win 2-0. The win gives USC 10 points in the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup standings, which are now tied at 15-15.
Much like UCLA won last season's game 2-0 at the Coliseum in front of a school record home crowd, USC turned the tables on the Bruins and did the same in a similar fashion. Last year, it was UCLA's Kylie McCarthy who broke open a scoreless tie with two late goals. This season, it was USC's Morgan Andrews, who scored in the 73rd and 79th minutes. Andrews' first goal came off a cross from the right side by Kayla Mills in front of goal. Andrews shot low to beat Bruin goalkeeper Siri Ervik for the game's first goal at 72:25. Goal number two was of a similar nature, with Sydney Johnson crossing in from the right and Andrews volleying it in from six yards out.
The Bruins had good chances to score in the contest. In the 34th minute, Darian Jenkins found Amber Munerlyn unmarked on the right side. Munerlyn dribbled into the box and shot to the far post as USC defenders closed in, but the shot went just inches wide. In the 41st minute, Taylor Smith hit Jenkins with a nice through ball, but a USC defender got a touch on the shot, giving UCLA a corner kick, which they were unable to convert into a score. Belden Long got UCLA's lone shot on goal in the 51st minute, a left-footed shot from 12 yards out that USC goalkeeper Sammy Jo Prudhomme stretched out to save. Courtney Proctor also had a good chance in the 71st minute on a great-looking free kick that curled just inches wide.
UCLA was outshot 11-7 in the game but had eight corner kicks to USC's three. Ervik finished with two saves, while Prudhomme had one.
UCLA's season ends with an 8-10-1 record, 4-6-1 in Pac-12 play. USC will move on to postseason play with a 14-5-1 record and a second-place finish in the Pac-12 with a 9-2-0 conference mark.
Notes: The Bruin senior class of Taylor Alderete, Kristiana Konkol-Mroczkowski, Kodi Lavrusky, Belden Long, Taylor Smith and Madison Tye started on Senior Night โฆ The seniors finish their careers with a four-year record of 69-15-9, with two Pac-12 titles and the 2013 NCAA title โฆ UCLA Soccer honored its alumnae in attendance at halftime. Among the attendees were UCLA Athletics Hall of Famer Traci Arkenberg, 2015 NWSL Defender of the Year finalist Lauren Barnes, All-American Krista Boling and NSCAA All-Region players Venus James, Skylar Little and Sarah-Gayle Swanson ... The win by USC was its first ever on UCLA's home field. The Bruins were previously 15-0 against the Trojans at home โฆ UCLA finishes the year with a home season attendance average of 1,809, also a new school record.
