Sept. 30, 2005

Box Score

LOS ANGELES -- USC took an early lead and refused to go away on the way to its sixth shutout victory of the season, posting a 3-0 win over visiting Loyola Marymount on Friday afternoon at McAlister Field. The Lion offense sputtered in the game, managing just three shots in the game. The Lions fall to 3-5-3 on the year.

After the game opened to play largely within the mifield, USC got deep into LMU territory and made the most of the opportunity. Amy Rodriguez put the ball into the box, where it was eventually knocked down by a defender. Stacey Strong was in perfect position for the chance, and the midfielder one-touched the ball off the post and in for the 1-0 USC lead at the 12-minute mark.

Neither team had many further scoring chances in the half, leaving it at a 1-0 game going into the second half of play. In the second frame, USC came out firing. Barely two minutes into the half, Rodriguez got deep and ripped a cross from the left side that Nini Loucks was ready for with a quick shot for the speedy freshman forward's first collegiate goal as a Trojan. USC's third goal of the game was care of Tina Sutorius, who sliced the ball along the ground and through the defense, where Rodriguez let it go through and in for the crosscage score.

The Women of Troy lined up for several more scoring chances with a series of corner kicks late in the game, but the LMU defense managed to turn them away. Meanwhile, the USC defense held strong for the shutout victory, marking sophomore goalkeeper Veronica Simonton's fifth complete shutout of the year. Freshman Allyssa Clark made her Lion debut in the game, making one save in the game.

Jamie Bell had LMU's only shot on goal in the game, while Jessica Johns and Vanessa Rojas took shots for the Lions.

LMU returns to Sullivan Field on Sunday, hosting Utah at 1:00pm.

LMU (3-4-3) 0 0 -- 0
USC (5-3-1) 1 2 --- 3

Scoring Summary:
USC 12:13 Stacey Strong (unassisted)
USC 46:51 Nini Loucks (Amy Rodriguez)
USC 64:06 Tina Sutorius (unassisted)
Shots: USC 10, LMU 3 Corners: USC 7, LMU 2 Fouls: USC 7, LMU 13
Saves: Veronica Simonton (USC) 1; Allyssa Clark (LMU) 1