University of Washington
USC
Davidson Wows, But Huskies Drop Pac-12 Opener
September 21, 2012 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 21, 2012
LOS ANGELES - Pac-12 announcer Allen Hopkins referred to Kari Davidson as "Hope Solo-esque" for her performance in goal at USC on Friday afternoon. Davidson and the Huskies made 10 saves but the host Women of Troy pulled out a 1-0 win with 11 seconds left in the first overtime period in the 2012 Pac-12 opener on the Pac-12 Networks.
Samantha Johnson, who had several other great chances on goal, scored the game-winner for USC in the 99th minute (assisted by Elizabeth Eddy), just before the start of what would've been a second overtime period. USC took a header near the six yard box and the Huskies tried to clear but the rebound shot was hit hard, over the head of Davidson into the back right corner of the net.
Washington (7-1-1, 0-1-0) played just its second overtime game of the season as USC (4-4-1, 1-0-0) picked up the win on its McAllister Field on a sunny afternoon in LA with the Endeavor Space Shuttle flying overhead.
"Overall it was definitely a battle and one we knew we were going to be in down here with these guys," said head coach Lesle Gallimore. "They (USC) are physically a tough team to deal with. They have great speed and have some really dangerous people in the front half of the field. With that said, I thought we did a good job of absorbing the pressure at times."
Davidson, a fifth-year senior from Portland, Ore., made seven saves herself in the game (three were team saves) looking for her fifth shutout of the season. Along with the Husky defense, Davidson faced 24 shots from USC and intense pressure on goal the entire overtime period. USC possessed the ball well down in the final third and won 10 corner kicks. The Huskies took nine total shots and three corners.
Play was fairly even in the first half with both teams getting some chances as the entire field was played. The second half saw the Huskies winning the possession slightly before USC dominated the final 10 minutes of the game in extra time.
The UW's first shot came in the 24th minute as junior Allie Beahan (Sammamish, Wash.) deflected a ball off of a defender and Caroline Stanley made the save for USC.
Sophomore Chelsea Archer (Oakland, Calif.) tied for a team-high with two shots, both on goal in the 24th and 25th minutes.
Also with two shots in the game, junior Hillary Zevenbergen (Woodway, Wash.), got her head on two long balls from corner kicks but missed both just left of the frame.
At the halftime interview, Gallimore told the Pac-12 Networks, "We expected to see what saw from USC as far as pace and how dangerous they were out wide. We tried to find a way to slow it down and were fairly effective. We need to calm down on offense and pick someone out, find some space on the ground and try to finish."
The best opportunities for the Huskies to score came in the second half. After not winning a corner in the first 45 minutes, the UW was dangerous on those set pieces, barely missing all three times.
"In the first and second half there were major moments in the game where we played out and were able to get some numbers going forward but I just thought that we were flat again and I didn't think we laid things on the line to really work for a shot or get numbers in the box that were great for us," Gallimore added. "We were a little more stagnant then we like to be. Soccer is tough because a lot of times one of the biggest mental pieces of the game is the attacking part. Everyone wants goals and that's what wins games for you. We have to find a way after these last three games to get back to being a goal dangerous team and we are not going to rely on shots from the outside, we have to build as a group."
After 90 minutes and no score USC came out blazing with two quick shots but junior Lindsey Bos (Snohomish, Wash.) made a save on the line, similar to two saves fellow junior Stine Schoening (Bellevue, Wash.) made in the game to keep the shutout intact.
Davidson punched out a corner kick shot four minutes into overtime and batted out another ball from the box two minutes later.
"We can't give the ball away," Gallimore continued. "It puts way too much pressure on our team defensively. Kari was outstanding today, Stine was outstanding and our whole back line did collectively what they needed to do. Our midfield was good in portions. We started to lose the game a little in the second half and the same with overtime. It looked really lopsided. In the OT we got one opportunity where we didn't make it as dangerous as it could've been so we have to find that part of our game and get our rhythm back and make sure mentally we are not looking backwards but we are looking forward."
The Huskies have Sunday off and will head to Colorado on Sept. 28 to continue Pac-12 play.
"This is one game in an 11 game season," Gallimore added. "We have to pull ourselves up and get ready to go back to the altitude at Colorado and Utah against two very good teams and understand that every single game in the Pac-12 matters and you got to keep scraping and clawing. There is nothing that has been won or lost yet in league play so we will keep our heads up and get back at it."
