Maile Hayes scored the game’s only goal in the 36th minute Sunday, lifting the USC women’s soccer team to a 1-0 win over UCLA at Dignity Health Sports Park, giving the Trojans their first outright conference championship in school history.
And that championship comes in the newly expanded Big Ten, which USC joined last summer after three decades in the Pacific-12.
Hayes, a senior forward, ran on to a nice feed from Helena Sampaio and one-timed a right-footed shot through the legs of UCLA keeper Ryan Campbell for her team-leading eighth goal of the season. It was just the second score Campbell has given up in six games this month while for Sampaio the assist was her sixth of the year, also a team best.