No. 18 UCLA women’s soccer (10-4-2, 6-2-2 Big Ten) will wrap up its homestand in the regular season finale against crosstown rival USC (7-6-2, 4-5-1) on Sunday afternoon at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The Bruins are heading into this matchup on a two-game winning streak at home after consecutive 3-0 victories against then-No. 5 Iowa and Nebraska on Oct. 16 and 19, respectively. The Bruins boast a 7-1 home record this season. The Trojans, on the other hand, are coming off a four game winless streak, with their most recent victory coming against Oregon on Oct. 3. Daily Bruin Sports contributor Andrew Wong provides a scouting report for Sunday’s clash in Westwood.
USC:
Goals per game: 1.67
Goals allowed per game: 1.47
X-factor: Maribel Flores
Postseason dreams and prime seeding positions hang in the balance this weekend.
USC is currently clinging on to 10th place in the Big Ten – the lowest standing that can ensure eligibility for the Big Ten Tournament – and a win over UCLA would secure its place in the postseason bracket. However, a tie or a loss would put the Trojans’ postseason fate in the hands of Indiana, Nebraska or Michigan, which are all within three points of USC and stand to bump the latter out of contention.
Despite its recent winless streak, USC started the season strong, at one point peaking at No. 4 in the nation after an opening trio of wins.
Since then, USC’s defense has shown significant cracks, and its offensive productivity has slumped.
Across the Trojans’ two biggest loss margins of the season, they conceded a combined nine goals while notching only one of their own. Goalkeeper Bella Grust has allowed 22 goals this season but carries a solid 0.672 season save percentage, which may instead point to a weakened backline that has put her under frequent offensive fire.
If the Bruins want to secure a victory, they should dial in their pressure on the Trojans’ defense and execute an aggressive style of attack, perhaps with cross-heavy passing that creates easy aerial opportunities for their forwards.
In what has been an up-and-down 2025 campaign for the Trojans, forward Maribel Flores has been a bright spot. She has tallied nine goals and four assists on the season, displaying her offensive versatility.
Flores scored on 2 of 3 shots in two separate games against Pepperdine and Michigan. With 11 shutouts in 16 matches and a nation-leading goals allowed average of 0.31, UCLA is poised to extinguish opportunities for USC’s attack.
However, the Bruins should be careful of employing schemes involving double teams to neutralize Flores, as another Trojan scoring threat still looms in the form of forward Jaiden Anderson. Anderson is USC’s second-highest goal scorer with six goals and four assists, adding depth to USC’s offense.
Although UCLA has already secured a postseason berth, the match still carries weight, as the team looks to maintain its position as a top-three seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Bruins are currently trailing second-place Michigan State by one point. Therefore, a win or tie against USC coupled with a Michigan State loss against Nebraska would allow UCLA to sneak into the Big Ten’s top two.
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