Croix Bethune is leading USC women鈥檚 soccer
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — On Sunday, Oct. 31, the No. 10 ranked University of Southern California (USC) beat the No. 9 ranked Stanford University in a tightly contested overtime game. The win for USC brings them extremely close to winning the Pac-12 championship. USC went down 1-0 early in the game against Stanford, but a goal in regular time by Croix Bethune sent the game to overtime. Bethune followed up her regular time goal with a game winner in overtime to put USC in a prime position to win the Pac-12 championship. Her strong play has been a major catalyst for the successful season for USC, who are on a 15-game unbeaten streak. For her impressive performance, Bethune picked up the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week award.
The win against Stanford sees USC move to 13-2-2 on the season and 8-0-2 in the Pac-12. They face No. 3 University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) next and a win or a draw will secure them the title on the last game of the regular season. UCLA will be a tough test for the Trojans as UCLA has not lost a game all season.
Bethune has been the best offensive player for the Trojans all season. She missed her freshman season due to an ACL injury but came back stronger. The 5-foot-3 junior has had an impressive season, picking up from where she left off last season. In the shortened 2020-21 season, she scored three goals and added five assists, which was good enough to see her added to both the Pac-12 all-freshman team and the all-Pac-12 first team. This season, Bethune leads the Trojans in both goals and assists with thirteen and seven respectively.
Bethune is from Alpharetta, Georgia, and played soccer for one year at Alpharetta High School, where she scored 28 goals and notched 12 assists. She was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year that season. Her dominant play in high school and college saw her gain national attention, being named the best midfielder in the country in 2017.
She has been involved in the USWNT system since the age of 13 and has moved through the system, playing for the U-18 team most recently. The honors and awards she has received for her strong play are impressive, and she will hope to put it all together this season to win the Pac-12 Championship and receive a high ranking going into the NCAA college cup. The drawing for the NCAA college cup will be on Nov. 8 and the first round will take place on Dec. 3. USC will undoubtedly receive a high ranking, but a win against UCLA could see them receive a first round bye. After her strong performance this season, Bethune will hope to continue the momentum into the college cup and into her senior year. Her accolades and performances point to a professional career after college.
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