USC women’s soccer is back home this week, and the Trojans are set for a two-game nonconference stretch at Rawlinson Stadium. New Mexico State comes in Thursday, followed by Saint Mary’s on Sunday, when USC will also honor its alumni with a halftime ceremony.
The Trojans have already been tested early, and the results have shown a little bit of everything. USC opened with a 3-1 loss to No.
3 Duke, falling behind by three goals in the first half before Eleanor Morrissey scored in the 63rd minute. Jaiden Rodriguez and Savannah Leifried assisted on that goal.
USC then went on the road and earned a 1-1 draw at Pepperdine, with Lily Biddulph scoring in the first half off a cross from Morrissey. Morrissey and Leifried had the assists on the Trojans’ only goal.
Last week brought another difficult road trip, this one to No. 9 BYU. USC stayed level for 70 minutes before the Cougars finally broke through, then added a late second goal as the Trojans pushed for an equalizer.
This week’s opponents both bring familiar history. USC is 2-0-1 all-time against New Mexico State, and the teams last met in 2025.
The Trojans won that matchup at home, 4-0, with Hana Mizumoto scoring one of the goals. Against Saint Mary’s, USC owns a 4-0-1 all-time mark.
The teams last played in 2015, when USC won 2-0 on the road. Their last meeting in Los Angeles came in 2012 and ended in a 4-1 Trojan win.
The home setting also carries a bigger backdrop. USC is entering its second season in Rawlinson Stadium in 2026 after opening the venue just before the 2025 campaign.
The $38 million project was announced in 2023, broke ground on April 9, 2024, and finished last summer on the site of the former McAlister Field. The stadium holds 2,500 fans, and USC held a ribbon-cutting ceremony before the season opener against CBU on August 17, 2025.
The schedule has hardly let up. USC is facing one of the nation’s toughest slates, with 12 of its 18 opponents having reached the NCAA Tournament last season.
Two of those teams, Stanford and Duke, made the College Cup. The list of 2025 tournament teams on USC’s schedule also includes Pepperdine, BYU, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Washington, Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa and UCLA.
Those 12 teams combined for 22 NCAA Tournament wins, and Stanford finished as national runner-up.
USC was picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten preseason coaches poll, and Annabel Austen, Mary Cochran and Alyssa Parsons were named preseason players to watch.
Head coach Jane Alukonis is in her fifth season leading the Trojans in 2026. She owns a 48-16-13 career record and was named the 2024 Big Ten Coach of the Year after guiding USC to a conference championship.
In her four seasons as a collegiate head coach, USC has won four NCAA Tournament games and reached the quarterfinals in 2024. The program also earned its first No. 1 seed under her watch and brought in the No. 1-ranked recruiting class this offseason.
That class includes 13 newcomers, with seven freshmen and six transfers, and Prep Soccer ranked it No. 1 in the country. USC’s incoming group includes the No. 3 player, Jordan Hill, the No. 5 player, Rhiannon Mahon, and the nation’s top goalkeeper, Josie Biehl. All six freshmen were ranked in the top six in their respective states and regions.
Among the early-season standouts, Morrissey has three points and scored her first career goal against Duke. Leifried, in her first collegiate game, assisted USC’s lone goal in that opener and also set up a score against Pepperdine.
Rodriguez picked up the first assist on the season-opening goal. Biddulph scored the first goal of her career against Pepperdine, kneeling home a Morrissey cross in the 17th minute.
Biehl took over in goal in the second half against Duke and kept the Blue Devils scoreless over the final 45 minutes with two saves, then started against Pepperdine, where the only goal she allowed came on a penalty kick.
USC’s six transfers are Annabel Austen from Penn, Mary Cochran from Georgetown, Taylor Jenkins from UConn, Maya McDermott from Syracuse, Hadley Snyder from Louisville and Ashley Thurk from Minnesota. Austen earned All-Ivy League first-team honors in both 2024 and 2025, Cochran appeared in 41 games with 24 starts, Jenkins earned All-Big East third team and All-East Region fourth team honors, McDermott started 40 games over three seasons, Snyder helped Louisville to 11 shutouts as a senior center back, and Thurk was a Top Drawer Soccer Freshman Best XI selection and Big Ten All-Freshman Team pick in 2024.
In Other News...
USC Gets An Early Shot In A Recruiting Fight Fans Will Watch
USC is getting an early look at one of the most coveted defensive backs in the 2028 class, as four-star safety Jalen Flowers is set to be on campus for the season opener against San Jos State. Flowers, one of the top California talents in his class, already has a profile that has made him a priority for major programs across the country, and the Trojans will have one of their first chances to make a strong impression in person.
The visit schedule could only sharpen the competition. Flowers is also expected back for USCs game against Ohio State, giving the Trojans another shot at showing what their program has to offer while he continues to sort through nearly 40 scholarship offers. For USC, landing a player with that kind of national attention will take more than a game-day atmosphere, but getting him on campus this early is a meaningful first step. [Read more 🡒]
USC May Have Found A New Defensive Strength Under Gary Patterson
Lincoln Riley sounded noticeably more confident about USCs linebacker room during a recent media appearance, and it is not hard to see why the group has become one of the more intriguing parts of the defense. The Trojans have spent plenty of time trying to stabilize that side of the ball, and linebacker play has long been a key indicator of whether the unit can hold up against better Pac-12 offenses. Riley pointed to the groups physicality and athleticism, while Desman Stephens II, who led the team in tackles last season, has been working through a new defensive system under coordinator Gary Patterson.
For Stephens, the adjustment has come with some clear buy-in, and that matters for a position group that is expected to carry a heavier load this fall. Transfers and younger linebackers are also in line to factor in, giving USC a mix of experience and upside as Patterson continues shaping the scheme. The bigger question now is whether the Trojans can turn that confidence into a real edge on Saturdays, because if this group settles in quickly, it could quietly become one of the most useful pieces on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
USC Freshmen Are Making An Early Offensive Statement In Camp
Fall camp has quickly turned into a showcase for USCs newest offensive pieces, with several freshmen already forcing their way into the conversation for real roles this season. Deshonne Redeaux has drawn attention at running back, while Ethan Boobie Feaster and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt have both flashed as receivers in a room that always benefits from fresh speed and separation.
Trent Mosley has also emerged as more than just another young wideout, with the staff viewing him as a potential playmaker who can help on special teams right away. On the line and at tight end, Mark Bowman is trending toward the starting job and Keenyi Pepe looks like a useful backup tackle, giving the Trojans a first-year group that could end up shaping the offense sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]