Wildcat Soccer Shuts Out USC, 1-0

Oct. 24, 2003

Los Angeles, Calif. (Oct. 24) - A strong direct kick from Tucson native Mallory Miller was all the University Arizona women's soccer team needed to defeat USC, 1-0, in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon. The Wildcats ended a six-game winless streak and improved their records to 5-7-2 overall and 1-2-1 in Pac-10 play. The Trojans, who were ranked No. 19 in the Soccer America Top 25 this week, dipped to 6-6-4 overall and 2-2-1 in conference action.

The win marked Arizona's first victory over the Trojans in eight years, with the Cats last winning in Tucson (3-2) on Oct. 5, 1995. This is the second year in a row that the Wildcats have defeated a squad ranked in the Soccer America Top 25, as Arizona downed then-No. 20 Washington, 2-1 in overtime, on Nov. 1 of last year.

The Trojans had an 11-6 advantage over Arizona in shots during the first half, but Mallory Miller's free kick from 25 yards out at 18:26 proved to be the only shot the Cats really needed. Arizona did get the upper hand in shots during the second period, 5-3, but neither team scored.

USC out-shot the Wildcats, 14-11, for the game and had a 7-6 edge in shots on-goal. Miller and fellow sophomore Lisa Kosena logged team bests of three shots apiece, while Kosena had a team-high two shots on-goal. Five other Wildcats took one shot apiece. Sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Juarez tallied seven saves on her way to her second complete-game shutout of the season.

"What a tough game! USC is such a strong team, physically. They get forwards in the attack so much, and they are just a difficult team to play against, because they are so athletic and so strong in the air," said first-year head coach Dan Tobias, who picked up his first Pac-10 win as the Wildcat mentor. "After last week against ASU, we talked about having a performance to build on. Now we have a performance and a result to build on. We found a way to get it done today. The Pac-10 is so tough, any time you get a conference win on the road, it's a great thing."

Arizona remains in Los Angeles this weekend to take on No. 3 UCLA on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m. PST. The Wildcats play their final home series of the season next weekend against Oregon State (Oct. 31) and Oregon (Nov. 2) at Murphey Stadium, 15th Street and Plumer Avenue.

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GAME SUMMARY

          1   2   F
USC       0   0   0
Arizona   1   0   0

Scoring
Arizona - Mallory Miller (unassisted) - 18:26

Shots: Arizona -11; USC - 14
Shots on Goal: Arizona - 6; USC - 7
Corner Kicks: Arizona - 1; USC - 5
Fouls: Arizona - 18; USC - 14
GK Saves: Arizona - 7 (Juarez 7); USC - 5 (Peterson 5)
Attendance: 215
Records: Arizona 5-7-2, 1-2-1; USC 6-6-4, 2-2-1

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