Sacramento State’s season came to a close after a tough 0-5 loss to the No. 1 seeded USC Trojans in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday.
After winning the Big Sky Championship, Sac State got shutout in their final game against USC, who only lost one game all season. The Hornets got too aggressive, as the Trojans took advantage of their foul trouble early on.
“I thought the girls played hard. Super proud of their performance all year long,” Sac State head coach Randy Dedini said “The work that they put in to be able to get a championship and to be able to face off against the number one seed in USC.”
USC grabbed an advantage immediately following a slide tackle foul from Sac State’s redshirt senior defender Sydney Sharts, generating a penalty kick for the Trojans.
USC’s senior defender Brooklyn Courtnall shot a quick, low-rolling kick to the left of the net, as Sac State’s sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier dove to her left. The Trojans took an early 1-0 lead within the first five minutes of the game.
Nine minutes later, Sharts got called for another foul after bumping a Trojan from behind, giving the Trojans a shot outside the box.
Trojans’ senior midfielder Helena Sampaio sent the ball to the right of the Hornet’s wall off a set piece. The ball skipped off the ground before getting past a diving Palmatier to land in the right side of the net, giving USC a 2-0 lead less than 15 minutes into the game.
Shortly after, Trojan senior forward Simone Jackson faked to the right and dribbled left to separate from the defender. Jackson quickly shot the ball from the left side of the goal to the bottom right of the net, extending their lead 3-0 in the 16th minute.
“They’re a huge possession-oriented team,” redshirt senior midfielder Cassandra Herrman said. “The way they pass and move the ball throughout their back line to try and find the gaps within the shifting defense opponent in front of them is very different.”
The Trojans offense spread the ball around, forcing the Hornet defense to shift quicker than they were used to and play a little too aggressive, causing fouls.
“I think in the Big Sky play, you see a lot more dribbling and try to hit long balls over the back line, trying to isolate their forwards up high,” Herrman said. “[With] teams like USC, it’s very clear that they are trying to break down a defense through passing around them and through them.”
The Trojans dominated possession throughout most of the first half, as they had 7 shots on goal to the Hornets’ 0.
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Less than five minutes from the start of the second half, USC’s senior forwards Kayla Colbert and Maile Hayes both set up an assist, as Colbert passed it to Haynes towards the goal line. Haynes turned to rip a pass back into the box for senior Maria Alagoa, who scored with a backwards flick of her right foot to extend their lead to 4 in the 49th minute.
Throughout the second half, the Hornets were a little more efficient, finding some shots on goal and tightening up defensively to limit the Trojans’ shot attempts. However, the Trojans maintained control of the game, disrupting dribbling and passes, keeping the Hornets to only 1 shot on goal all game.
“Overall, they are more technical, sharper and experienced playing at the highest level with college soccer,” Palmatier said. “They know how to take advantage of their opportunities and make them count.”
With the game winding down, the Trojans sent one last punch from sophomore midfielder Florianne Jourde, who launched the ball into the net in the final minute.
Despite losing in the first round, the Hornets were able to get some experience playing a top team in the country.
“This experience is going to be valuable for us moving forward. When we get back here again, we feel like we’ve been here before and we’ve had this experience to draw from,” Dedini said.
Sac State ended their season with a conference championship and a 5-7-9 record, as their last three ties ended in wins from penalty kicks in the Big Sky Tournament.
