USC’s road trip gets no easier this week.
The Trojans head to Palo Alto on Thursday night to take on No. 1 Stanford as nonconference play continues, and the matchup comes with plenty to sort through for a USC side that has already shown both its bite and its volatility early in 2026.
USC is coming off a 1-0 home loss to St. Mary’s on Sunday, a game decided by a late second-half goal in the 75th minute. The Trojans actually controlled plenty of the action, finishing with a 19-5 edge in shots, but never found the equalizer.
That followed a much sharper attacking performance in a 4-0 win over New Mexico State on Aug. 27.
USC exploded for four second-half goals, starting with Jordan Hill’s breakthrough in the 61st minute off an assist from Rhea Moore. Lily Biddulph then took over late, scoring in the 80th and 82nd minutes for her first career multi-goal game, with Sophia Cavaliere and Rhiannon Mahon setting up the second finish.
Lauder Headrick added the final goal in the 84th minute.
Biddulph has been USC’s most productive scorer so far, leading the team with three goals and six points. Moore has also been a steady presence in the attack, piling up nine shots in 207 minutes and finally cashing in with an assist against New Mexico State.
The Trojans will need that kind of sharpness against a Stanford team that has owned the series. USC is 7-21-5 all-time against the Cardinal since the teams first met in 1993, and Stanford won the most recent meeting 5-1 in 2025. Still, USC has been more competitive in the recent run, going 2-2-2 over the last six matchups.
This year’s schedule has hardly offered any breathing room. USC is set to play 12 of its 18 opponents against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, including Stanford and Duke, both College Cup participants. Those 12 tournament teams combined for 22 NCAA Tournament wins, with Stanford finishing as national runner-up.
The Trojans were picked seventh in the Big Ten preseason coaches poll, and Annabel Austen, Mary Cochran and Alyssa Parsons were named preseason players to watch.
Jane Alukonis enters her fifth season leading the program in 2026 with a 49-19-14 career record. She was named the 2024 Big Ten Coach of the Year after guiding USC to a conference championship. In four seasons as a collegiate head coach, Alukonis has led the Trojans to four NCAA Tournament wins, a quarterfinal appearance in 2024, the program’s first No. 1 seed, and the No. 1-ranked recruiting class this offseason.
USC also continues to settle into Rawlinson Stadium, which opened just before the 2025 season after a $38 million project. The venue was announced in 2023, broke ground on April 9, 2024, and was completed last summer on the site of the former McAlister Field. It holds 2,500 fans, and the program held a ribbon cutting before its season opener against CBU on August 17, 2025.
A few individual storylines have already started to shape the Trojans’ season. Eleanor Morrissey scored her first career goal in the 63rd minute of the loss to Duke and has four points after also recording assists against Pepperdine and New Mexico State.
Savannah Leifried, making her first collegiate appearance, assisted Morrissey’s goal and added another assist against Pepperdine. Jaiden Rodriguez also picked up the first assist on USC’s opener.
In goal, Josie Biehl has already been asked to do plenty. She took over in the second half against No.
3 Duke and kept the Blue Devils off the board over the final 45 minutes with two saves. She also made her first career start against Pepperdine, logging six saves and allowing one goal, and has 13 total saves in five games.
Hill’s first collegiate game produced her first career goal and an assist. Headrick also scored her first career goal against New Mexico State after entering in the 83rd minute, while Cavaliere returned to the pitch after an early-season injury and delivered two assists in her first action of the year. Rhiannon Mahon has appeared in all five games as a freshman and picked up her first assist in the New Mexico State win.
Thursday’s game will be shown live on ACC Network Extra, with broadcast and live stats links available on the women’s soccer schedule page at USCTrojans.com. In-game updates will also be posted on X by following @USC_Wsoccer.
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