PALO ALTO, Calif. - USC walked into Cagan Stadium and left with something it had not managed there since 2021: a result.
The Trojans battled No. 1 Stanford to a 2-2 draw on Thursday night, and they did it behind first career goals from Jaiden Rodriguez and Peyton Nakagawara.
For a USC team that entered at 1-3-2, it was a needed road response. For Stanford, it was a jolt - the Cardinals dropped their first points of the season and moved to 5-0-1.
USC also became the first team to score on Stanford all year, a notable break in a game that swung back and forth before the Cardinals finally pulled even late.
Stanford struck first in the 36th minute when Charlotte Kohler capitalized on a deflected clearance and finished after Peyton Marinos set up the chance with an assist. The lead held until just before halftime, when Rodriguez answered in the 43rd minute with a shot from just outside the penalty area that bent inside the left post and into the side netting.
The Trojans then grabbed the lead in the 54th minute on Nakagawara’s first collegiate goal. Charlotte Ward delivered the cross from the left, and Nakagawara punched it home to put USC in front.
That advantage survived until the 87th minute, when Brooke Holden connected with Milly Bray’s cross and redirected the first-time attempt into the side net to level the match for Stanford.
USC goalkeeper Josie Biehl was a big reason the Trojans hung around. She finished with a career-high seven saves against one of the country’s most dangerous attacks, bringing her season total to 20.
GOALS
43' - USC: Jaiden Rodriguez (unassisted)
54' - USC: Peyton Nakagawara (assisted by Charlotte Ward)
87' - Brooke Holden (assisted by Milly Bray)
UP NEXT
USC opens Big Ten conference play against Michigan State at Rawlinson Stadium on Sept. 10. The match will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
In Other News...
USCs Shutout Made A Statement But The Real Standouts Spark Debate
USCs 39-0 win over Fresno State did more than push the Trojans to 2-0, it also gave Pro Football Focus another full game to sort through as it handed out its weekly player grades. PFFs film review is built to be play-by-play and supposedly removes the usual box-score noise, which makes its numbers a useful, if sometimes controversial, way to judge who actually stood out on a night when the defense never let Fresno State breathe.
Thats where the conversation gets interesting for USC, because the shutout naturally points to a dominant team effort, but the grading sheet can complicate the easy narrative about which players were truly driving the performance. With PFF treating an 85-plus grade as NFL-caliber work, the Trojans came away from this one with more than just a lopsided result, they also left behind a fresh round of debate over who looked the part when the film was stripped down and every snap counted. [Read more 🡒]
Corey Simms Is Giving USC's Receiver Battle A New Twist
Corey Simms entered the offseason as one of the more intriguing names in USCs receiver room, a player whose freshman year hinted at usefulness but not yet a major offensive role. He still found ways to contribute on special teams, then spent the months since pushing for more snaps in a wideout group that has remained crowded around quarterback Jayden Maiava.
The early return has been enough to change the tone of that competition. Simms made his first career start in 2026 and has already produced six catches for 87 yards across two games, a sign that his role is no longer just developmental. For a USC passing game looking to sort out where the targets go, his rise adds another layer to a battle that was already going to be worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Faces Immediate AP Poll Tension After Uneasy Week 1
USC followed up its opening win by handling Fresno State with a shutout, giving the Trojans a second victory as the first updated AP Top 25 poll of the season looms after the Week 1 slate wraps up. In a week where early rankings are likely to get plenty of scrutiny, USC has at least given voters a cleaner snapshot than some of the teams around it, with the coming update offering an early read on how much stock the poll will put into those first impressions.
The bigger picture still has a few moving parts, and that is what makes the first poll release worth watching. USC is part of a crowded early-season conversation that includes programs like Michigan, while upcoming games across the country could keep reshuffling the picture before the rankings settle in. For the Trojans, the next stretch will matter not just for the record, but for whether this start begins to look like something voters can trust. [Read more 🡒]