Sept. 25, 2009

Box Score

Stockton, Calif. - After netting the first goal in the 11th minute, the Pacific women's soccer team relinquished three second-half goals to eventually fall 3-2 to USC on Friday, Sept. 25.

With the loss Pacific fell to 5-3-2 while USC improved to 6-3-0 on the year.

During the second half, USC regained control of the ball, keeping it away from Pacific. While freshman Maricela Padilla (San Jose, Calif.) notched an insurance goal early in the second half at 55:12, USC later climbed back in the game over a spano of 10 minutes. During Padilla's goal, with her left foot she bent the ball from the middle of the pitch 18 yards out, where it found the top left corner of the goal and gave Pacific 2-0 advantage.

However, the Trojans crept back in the game and cut the deficit in the 60th minute. Brittany Kerridge netted USC's first goal off of a corner kick which she initiated and found Megan Ohai. Ohai tapped to Kerridge from the middle of the box and snuck the ball past junior goalie Jill Medigovich (San Diego, Calif.) to bring the score to 2-1.

One minute and one second later, USC struck the equalizer off of a misclearance by Pacific's defense with Medigovich already out of the box. Marihelen Tomer seized the misclearance at 60:51 and landed a shot from 15 yards out that knotted the score at 2-2.

The damage was done in the 70th minute, as the Trojans found the back of the net for the third and final time when Courtney Garcia rebounded a shot by Samantha Johnson fractions of a second prior.

Sophomore Kristina Wavomba (Encinitas, Calif.) tried to make things interesting and get the Tigers back in the game twice after they were down 3-2.

At 72:57, Wavomba looked to put the Tigers back in the game after receiving a cross that she launched high over the crossbar. Five minutes later during a counter-attack, Wavomba received a cross from freshman Sarah Grable (Chula Vista, Calif.) and attempted to head the ball into the goal, but it went wide and out of play.

During the first half, Pacific outplayed USC and kept the Trojans scoreless. The Tigers began their aggressive style of play and struck first at 10:53 when Topp headed the ball towards the goal, bouncing off the cross bar and down into the bottom left corner of the goal. Junior Kylee Ah Choy (Mililani, Hawaii) took a free kick in the 11th minute and found Wavomba who flicked to Topp. The goal marked Topp's second of the season as Pacific went up 1-0.

Earlier in the game, Topp started off Pacific's scoring attempts at 2:32 when she took a wide shot from 15 yards to the right of the goal which flared wide across the goal and to the left out of play.

Pacific's defense held on to protect its 1-0 lead and the Tigers caught a huge break at 21:53, when Claire Scholemer received a tap pass and tried to emulate Pacific's header goal. Instead the shot went across the goal and bounced off the right post. Ohai followed up with the rebound and took shot that went high.

Pacific out-shot USC seven to five to cap off the first-half attack, but roles reversed after the second half. The Trojans out-shot the Tigers 16 to 12 over the course of the entire game. Wavomba led all players with five shots and two on goal. Medigovich snagged down seven saves in the loss.

The Tigers next return to action on Sunday, Sept. 27, when they host Air Force at 12 p.m. in Stagg Stadium.