USC women’s soccer ties program record with 10th straight win, beating Utah 7-0

LOS ANGELES – The No. 11 USC women’s soccer team matched a program record on Sunday, winning its 10th straight match thanks to a 7-0 thrashing of Utah.

The seven goals the Trojans put up were the most since a program record 9-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2014 and match the third highest goal total in program history. It was also the most goals a USC team has ever scored in Pac-12 play. The Trojans move to 10-2 overall with the victory and 5-0 in conference play, maintaining their spot atop the Pac-12 standings. Utah, which was coming off a 1-1 draw with No. 3 UCLA on Thursday, falls to 5-6-3 overall and 0-3-2 in Pac-12 action.

USC jumped ahead with a pair of goals in the first half, getting the opening strike from Zoe Burns in the 38th minute and the second from Helena Sampaio in the 43rd minute. Burns goal was her first of the season and Sampaio’s was the first of her collegiate career.

The Trojan defense held Utah without a shot in the first half and gave up just three shots and only one on goal in the second half. It was the fifth shutout of the year for USC.

The floodgates opened in the second half, as the Trojans scored five times in the final 45 minutes. Savannah DeMelo and Hannah White scored within two minutes of each other in the 57th and 59th minutes, and then Penelope Hocking got in on the action three minutes later to make it 5-0 USC.

The sixth Trojan goal was ruled an own goal after Olufolasade Adamolekun’s cross hit off a Utah defender and in. Freshman Izzy Kimberly capped the scoring with her first career goal, punching one home in the 87th minute.

The Trojans used 21 players in the game and had six different goal scorers. Croix Bethune posted two assists in the game, as did Simone Jackson off the bench.

GOALS

38′ – USC: Zoe Burns (assisted by Simone Jackson) – Jackson slipped a beautiful through ball to Burns near the left side of the penalty area and Burns buried her shot inside the far right post.

43′ – USC: Helena Sampaio (assisted by Simone Jackson) – Jackson sent a cross in from the left side and Sampaio headed it home inside the right post.

57′ – USC: Savannah DeMelo (assisted by Croix Bethune) – Bethune battled past a defender and made a run up the middle of the pitch before sending a through ball ahead to DeMelo, who ran on it and fired in a one-touch shot past the keeper and inside the left post.

59′ – USC: Hannah White (assisted by Croix Bethune) – Bethune collected a bouncing ball in the middle of the penalty area, turned on a defender and sent a pass to the left of the area where White ran on it, took one touch and then fired a shot inside the near post.

62′ – USC: Penelope Hocking (assisted by Jaelyn Eisenhart) – Eisenhart made a run up the left side and sent a cross into the box, where Hocking was waiting to guide it in with her right foot in mid-air.

84′ – USC: Own Goal – Adamolekun sent a cross into the box from the right side and it hit a defender at the near post and went in.

87′ – USC: Izzy Kimberly (assisted by Savannah Kessler, Olufolasade Adamolekun) – Adamolekun sent a pass to Kessler, who sent a one-touch pass into the middle of the penalty area, where it fell to Kimberly and she fired it home inside the right post.

UP NEXT: The Trojans hit the road for one game at Oregon next week on Thursday. That game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.