Dartmouth and USC Tangle Wednesday in LA on Pac-12 Network

GAME 7
Dartmouth Big Green (4-2) vs.
No. 8 Southern California Trojans (7-0)
▶ Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2016 // 5:00 PM Eastern (2:00 PM Pacific)
▶ Los Angeles, Calif. // McAlister Field
▶ All-Time Series: 0-1
▶ Last Meeting: Mar. 28, 2015 // L, 9-7 (Hanover)
▶ Streak: 0-1

WEDNESDAY'S GAME
The Dartmouth women's lacrosse team remains in Los Angeles to take on eighth-ranked Southern California Wednesday afternoon in a game broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network.

LAST TIME OUT
The Big Green are coming off an 8-6 win Sunday versus Denver at USC's McAlister Field, the site of Wednesday's tilt with the Trojans. Jaclyn Leto scored three times and Kellen D'Alleva notched the first two goals of her career in the program's first-ever win against Denver.

SCOUTING THE TROJANS
USC comes into the home contest with Dartmouth as one of just three undefeated teams in the nation to this point (Maryland and Cornell). At 7-0, only five teams in the nation have more wins than the Trojans do, but none of those remain without a loss. The team is potent at both ends of the field as Michaela Michael is second in the country in goals per game (4.00), while goalkeeper Gussie Johns leads all of Division I in goals against average (5.17). Michael also leads the country with 1.43 free-position goals per game and is fifth nationally with 5.0 points per game.

AGAINST USC
Wednesday marks just the second all-time meeting between the two programs after the Trojans took a 9-7 win last season in Hanover. A career day from Taryn Deck saw the then-sophomore midfielder score three times. Deck entered the contest having scored just one goal in her career, a figure she tripled on that cold Saturday afternoon at Scully-Fahey Field. Trailing 8-5 midway through the second half, goals from Courtney Weisse and Deck cut the deficit to just one in the final minutes, but a tally from Caroline Cordrey with 4:08 left was the insurance marker the visitors needed in the victory.

A FAMILIAR FACE
USC features a familiar face on the sidelines as former Dartmouth All-American goalkeeper Devon Wills '06 (2003-06) is in her fourth season as an assistant coach for the Trojans. Wills' 7.14 career goals against average ranks fourth all-time in program history, while her 6.59 mark as a senior and captain in 2006 is the fourth-best single-season mark by a Big Green keeper and led the nation that season. She ranks eighth in program history with a .519 career save percentage and led Dartmouth to back-to-back Final Fours in 2005 and 2006, securing a spot in the national championship game in the latter. After her playing career was complete, Wills served as a Dartmouth assistant under head coach Amy Patton for two seasons in 2007 and 2008. A member of the US Women's National Team since 2007, Wills is a two-time FIL World Cup gold medalist (2009 and 2013).

Amy Patton and Devon Wills embrace following last season's game between Dartmouth and USC in Hanover.

TWO OF THE BEST
In addition to Michael and her 4.0 goals per game, Dartmouth's Jaclyn Leto and her 3.83 goals per contest should make Wednesday's game interesting with two of the nation's top individual scorers going head to head. Leto's figure is the fourth-best in the nation, making the game the only one in the nation this week featuring a match-up of top-5 scorers.

MORE DRAW CONTROLS
Opponents have failed to out-draw Dartmouth in any game this season. The Big Green have more draw controls in all six games in 2016, a trend that continued with a remarkable 12-4 edge on Sunday against the Pioneers. Included in that figure was a 6-1 advantage in the second half alone when Dartmouth used a 4-0 run to start the frame to pull away for the win. Overall, the Green and White are averaging 13.17 per game, good for 20th in the country and first in the Ivy League.

VERSUS GOLDEN STATE TEAMS
This marks just the fifth contest all-time against California-based teams for the Big Green. Dartmouth had played Stanford on three previous occasions in 2004, 2006 and 2008 with the first taking place in Palo Alto followed by a pair in Hanover. That 2004 contest against the Cardinal was the only Dartmouth game played in the Golden State prior to Sunday's neutral-site meeting with Denver.

MAKING HISTORY
It was announced last week that Patton would also be the head coach of the Boston-based team in the United Women's Lacrosse League (UWLX). The first professional women's lacrosse league in the world will feature four teams from Boston, Long Island, Philadelphia and Baltimore and will begin play in May and run through July.

FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the action by tuning into the broadcast on the Pac-12 Network. Those who are unable to watch the game online or through the cable or satellite provider can also follow the action using live stats.

WHAT'S AHEAD?
There is a quick turnaround for the Big Green who will return to Hanover after the game and get ready to take on Ivy League foe Penn on Sunday at 1 p.m. for an Easter matinee.

Schedules