February 9, 2009 – The USC Trojans Men’s Lacrosse Team lost two games this weekend against #9 ranked UC Santa Barbara and #25 ranked Santa Clara University.

The Men of Troy were in Santa Barabara on Saturday for a cold, gray afternoon of lacrosse.  The always rowdy UCSB fans didn’t phase the Trojans as they came out of the gates strong and kept pace with UCSB, tying the score at 2 by end of the first quarter with solo goals by  sophomore midfielder Ricky Giancola and freshman attackman John Duddridge.  However, with the start of the second quarter, it became clear that USC was going to have trouble clearing the ball as UCSB turned up the heat on its ride.  Unable to get the ball to the offense, the Trojans only posted 1 goal in the second quarter: a rip from Duddridge, fed by sophomore attacker Jordan Levitz.  Meanwhile, UCSB took advantage of their extended possession time and drove up their score by 5, leaving the half-time score at 7-2.

The Trojans offense, who had lost Giancola shortly after his first goal due to an injury, had little opportunity left.  Spending too much time in the penalty box and too little time clearing, USC came up short in the second half, producing only 3 more goals: a solo by senior captain Corey Janoff, another solo by Levitz, and a quick shot by attackman Nima Majd off a feed from Levitz.  UCSB finished off the second half with 6 more goals, making the final score of this conference game 13-6.

Sunday brought USC’s second home game – a faceoff with former WCLL rival and now out of conference opponent, Santa Clara University.  The Trojans were not as fast out of the gate in this game, allowing Santa Clara to rack up 8 goals in the first quarter, to USC’s 2: a feed from Janoff to Levitz, and a connection from junior midfielder Kase Lawal to Duddridge.  Mistakes and penalties continued to plague the Trojans for the rest of the first half, and Santa Clara cranked up their lead to 13-3 by halftime.  The sole USC goal in the second quarter was a Levitz to Duddridge shot.

The second half showed an entirely different USC team.  Rejuvinated and refocused by some outstanding play by sophomore captain and goalie Alex Rice, the Trojans won the second half of play.  USC posted 6 more goals in the second half (Levitz solo, Levitz fed by Majd twice, sophomore attacker Peter Randaccio fed by Majd, Janoff solo, and Janoff fed by Levitz), and held Santa Clara to only 5.  Unfortunately, it was not enough to overcome the early lead Santa Clara had created and the final score ended up 18-9.

The Trojans will spend this week regrouping and preparing for their upcoming trip to the Pac-10 Shootout at Stanford University where they will face Stanford (on 2/14) and Cal (on 2/15).

Feb. 04, 2009 – The USC Trojans Men’s Lacrosse Team announces it’s captains for the 2009 season.  Corey Janoff, David Krumwiede, and Alex Rice will lead the team both on and off the field.

Senior and returning captain Corey Janoff (West Linn, OR/West Linn High School) is the Trojans’ face-off specialist and one of the teams strongest offensive weapons.  Corey was a high school First-Team All-State player and Oregon’s only Academic All-American.  Corey brought his leadership skills to USC and continues to be an inspiration to the team on and off the field.

Senior and returning captain David Krumwiede (Paradise Valley, AZ/Phoenix Country Day School) is the driving force behind what is sure to be a dominant defense this season.  David is a charismatic leader whose commanding presence is felt on the field at games and around the table at team meetings.

Sophomore Alex Rice (Hollywood, CA/Blair Academy)  is the newest and youngest of the three players receiving the honor of being named captain, but you wouldn’t know it by his demeanor.  Alex is a hard-working athlete who is returning to the team after a strong showing last year as a starting freshman goalie.

“This is going to be a challenging year for the team,” commented Head Coach David Aktary.  “We are undergoing a lot of changes in almost every aspect of the program and we are facing competition from some of the best teams in the league.  Fortunately, we have three bright, hard-working, and capable young men to help guide the team through this transition.  The leadership and dedication they have already demonstrated gives me confidence that we are on the right path with the right leadership.”

The USC Trojans were ranked #8 in the SLC in a preseason poll by MCLA The Lax Mag, and won their first game against Pepperdine, 17-2.  The Trojans look to build upon that win in their games against conference rival UCSB on Saturday, February 7 in Santa Barbara and at home against WCLL powerhouse Santa Clara on Sunday, February 8.