Riverside-The UC Riverside Women's Soccer Team battled for 90 minutes Friday evening in front of a record crowd of 1,156 at the UC Riverside Soccer Stadium, but two late scores gave #17 USC a 2-0 victory (watch video recap).

The Highlanders hung tough with the Trojans surviving an early scare on the first possession of the match, and turning away eight first half USC shots, three of which were on goal.

The teams were scoreless after the first period, and it remained tied midway through the second when the Highlanders had their best scoring opportunity. With just over 25 minutes to go, Blanca Barrio gained some separation between her defender and the Trojans' goal, but USC keeper Sammy Jo Prudhomme was up to the challenge, snuffing out the shot to keep the score even.

USC broke through the UC Riverside defenses with 15:52 to go as Dominique Randle found Taylor McKenzie for her first score of the year, and eight minutes later, Nicole Moten and Sydney Johnson connected on a give-and-go for Johnson's first goal of the season.

The Highlanders remain at home this weekend hosting Southern Utah on Sunday beginning at 1 pm PT.