Score: No. 17 USC 17, VCU 14
Location: Richmond, Va. (Cary Street Field)
Records: VCU 1-5, USC 5-2
 
The short story: VCU trailed by as many as eight goals in the second half against No. 17 USC before rallying to get within three goals at the end. The Rams were ultimately unable to overcome the early deficit.

QUICK FACTS

• Mia George scored a team-high four goals, scoring on all four of her shot attempts
• Kelsey McDonnell scored three goals and had two assists and two draw controls
• Ashley Karn had three goals and one caused turnover
• Sam Palmer scored twice while Mason Whitmore and Morgan Reed each scored once
• USC outshot VCU 33-25 and led 27-18 in shots on goal. USC also had a 23-11 edge in draw controls
• The Trojans got a game-high five goals from Maggie Brown

HOW IT HAPPENED

• VCU and USC were tied 1-1 with 13:30 left in the first quarter before the Trojans scored six unanswered goals to lead 7-1 with 5:01 left in the quarter
• The Rams answered with three unanswered goals of their own in the final two minutes of the frame to trail just 7-4 heading into the second
• USC pushed its lead to 13-4 with 6:57 left in the second quarter after six unanswered goals
• The Rams began chipping away at the USC lead before halftime with Reed's goal at 1:47 to get VCU within 13-7 at the half
• After USC pushed its lead back to 15-7, the Black and Gold's defense held USC to just two goals for the remainder of the contest
• VCU outscored the Trojans 7-2 to end the game over the final 25 minutes of the contest, cutting the deficit to 17-13 with 3:03 remaining
• The Rams got their final goal at 35 seconds from Palmer for the final score

UP NEXT
VCU travels to Saint Joseph's on Sunday, March 10 at noon in Philadelphia, Pa.