The winning streak in football continues, reaching the Big Ten semifinals

No. 4 USC women's soccer started its first Big Ten Tournament game Monday morning in St. Paul, Minn., earning a dramatic 1-0 victory over No. 10 Ohio State. Despite an impressive 18 shots to three advantage over the Buckeyes (12-1-3, 7-1-2 Big Ten), including seven shots on goal, the Trojans (15-1-2, 10-0-1) To achieve this I failed to score the goal in 90 minutes of regular time and the game had to go into extra time.

But when the game started again, veteran midfielder Maria Alagoa fired an indirect shot that reached veteran striker Maile Hayes, who used her heel to deflect the ball and eventually hit new striker Jaiden Anderson. At 1:26 of overtime, Anderson took advantage of his chance and scored a last-minute goal that secured the win and the Trojans' ticket to the semifinals.

It was Anderson's second goal of the season and a monumental moment for head coach Jane Alukonis and the Trojans.

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Veteran goaltender Laurence Gladu was hardly fazed by the Buckeyes' attack throughout the game, making just one save the entire game and earning her 10th shutout of the year.

With this win, USC continues its impressive run in its first season in the Big Ten and remains undefeated in conference play. The Trojans now still have a chance to win both the Big Ten regular-season and postseason titles – which would be an incredibly impressive feat for Alukonis' squad.

USC now advances to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, where it will face No. 5 Rutgers (11-3-4, 6-2-3). Rutgers also pulled off a dramatic overtime win to advance to the semifinals, with sophomore forward Ashley Baran scoring 4:27 into the first overtime against No. 16 Michigan State (12-2-5, 7-1). 3) scored a golden goal.

Whoever emerges victorious in the battle between the Trojans and the Scarlet Knights will advance to the Big Ten Championship and face the winner of No. 9 UCLA (14-3-3, 8-1-2) and Washington (10-3 -3, 8-1-2). 5-3, 7-4).

In a direct comparison, USC appears to have better overall stats early in the game, with stronger offensive efficiency and greater control on set pieces. The stats show that USC has a stronger offense than Rutgers, scoring 1.78 goals per game while the Scarlet Knights score 1.44 goals.

Additionally, USC's 0.131 shooting percentage surpasses Rutgers' 0.105, indicating more accurate finishing in the final third.

Gladu made eight fewer saves than Rutgers senior goalkeeper Angele Amaya, indicating stronger overall defense with fewer shots per game. Both teams created 27 chances, showing similar efficiency in creating quality scoring opportunities.

This fight will be the first time in 20 years that the two teams will face each other. Their last meeting on September 5, 2004 marked the only time in women's soccer history that the Trojans and Scarlet Knights faced off, with USC winning 3-2. U.S. Women's National Team legend Carli Lloyd played for Rutgers in the game and scored two goals in the Scarlet Knights' narrow loss.

The stage is set for an exciting semifinal duel between USC and Rutgers on Thursday at noon local time at Citypark Field in St. Louis.