Box Score

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --- Portland’s Amanda Frisbie continued her success on the road with two goals and Kaila Cameli tallied the game-winner in the 69th minute as the No. 19 Pilots registered a clutch 3-2 win over the Southern California Trojans at McAlister Field on Sunday afternoon. Frisbie now has six goals on the season, which have all come away from Merlo Field, Portland’s famed home pitch.
 
Portland extends its unbeaten streak to five games and improves to 5-1-1 on the year. USC drops to 3-4-1.
 
Frisbie started the scoring on Sunday with two goals on her first two shots of the game. Her second goal came in the 59th minute to give the Pilots a 2-0 lead, but it also sparked a flurry of activity from both sides.
 
USC’s Katie Johnson quickly matched Frisbie’s two goals with two of her own, the first coming just moments later to pull the Trojans within 2-1 in the 61st. It was then only six minutes later when Johnson came up with the equalizer. She finished from inside the 18-yard box on a long USC throw-in.
 
But then it was Cameli’s turn to get on the score sheet when she tallied her third goal of the year, which capped a 10-minute, four-goal outburst by both teams. Junior outside back Kendall Johnson whipped a cross into the box, where the bouncing ball fell to the feet of Cameli. The junior forward calmly finished into the back of the net to give the Pilots a 3-2 lead, which they would hold onto.
 
“I thought it was a good road win,” head coach Garrett Smith said. “The team showed a lot of composure and we were able to find the game-winner. It’s always tough to win on the road, and USC was a tough and energetic opponent.”
 
It was Frisbie who gave the Pilots the two-goal cushion, with her first goal breaking a scoreless tie in the 35th minute. Michelle Cruz sent a pass to Frisbie from the endline right of the goal, and the junior forward was able to tap it into the net from six yards out.
 
The next goal came on a break-away 13 minutes into the second half after Micaela Capelle sent a through ball to Frisbie. The McKinney, Texas, native stayed composed, outran a chasing defender and tucked a shot underneath USC goalkeeper Caroline Stanley.
 
“Last year we didn’t have a great offensive showing on the road, so we’ve been trying to focus on that because we know we’re capable of scoring,” said Frisbie. “USC was a high-energy team, but we matched their energy. We came here to get the win and we fought hard.”
 
The Trojans out-shot the Pilots 22-9 overall, while claiming a slim 8-6 edge in shots on-goal. Portland junior goalkeeper Erin Dees finished with five saves, while Stanley countered with three.
 
The Pilots next return home for a pair of non-conference games at Merlo next weekend. Seattle visits for a 7 p.m. match on Friday night, while Denver comes to town for a 1 p.m. tilt on Sunday.
 
“We’re excited to get back in front of the best fans in the country,” Frisbie said. “We want to put on a show and hopefully get the two wins.”