Watch highlights from Southern Cal's 3-1 victory over West Virginia in the #WCollegeCup final! pic.twitter.com/vfxAE1J5f6
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) December 5, 2016
The University of Southern California Trojans returned the Women’s College Cup to Los Angeles on Sunday evening.
Led by forward Katie Johnson who scored two goals in the final 16 minutes, the No. 2 ranked Trojans powered past No. 1 seeded West Virginia to win the Championship Game 3-1 at San Jose’s Avaya Stadium. For her efforts in the final, Johnson, who scored three goals during the tournament, was awarded the competition’s Most Outstanding Player award.
The win sealed the second women’s soccer national championship in the program’s history, adding to their title from the 2007 campaign. With their victory, USC becomes the fourth school to win multiple College Cup championships.
Top-ranked West Virginia dominated the match from start to finish, but found themselves trailing after just two minutes when Southern California’s Morgan Andrews put the Trojans ahead. Canadian international Ashley Lawrence equalized for the Mountaineers in the 66th minute, setting the stage for Johnson’s dramatics.
With USC goalkeeper Sammy Jo Prudhomme repeatedly denying West Virginia the go-ahead goal, the Trojans took the lead for good in the 75th minute. Leah Pruitt beat a Mountaineer defender along the left side and simply squared the ball to a waiting Johnson for the easy finish. Just 12 minutes later, Johnson completed her brace with a remarkable shot from distance to seal the championship for the Trojans.
The victory is the culmination of a remarkable season for the USC Women’s squad that saw the Trojans finish with 19-4-2 record. In the tournament, the Trojans were incredibly efficient as they outscored their six opponents by a total of seven goals—the smallest goal differential of any champion since the competition was expanded to 64 teams in 2001.
