The Fresno State women’s lacrosse team (0-2) fell short in a 17-6 loss to the USC Trojans (2-2) at McAllister Field in Los Angeles Tuesday.

‘Dogs’ senior forward Marcy Levatino recorded two goals and one assist in the outing. She had the only assist of the game for the ‘Dogs, as they were outshot, 16-15.

It was the Trojans’ defensive pressure that kept the ‘Dogs at bay. The Trojans capitalized on the ‘Dogs 16 turnovers in the game, which led to a lot of transition goals for USC.

Freshman goalie Natalie Chaffin saved three goals and allowed 12. She was replaced by redshirt sophomore Meganne Weissenfels who saved five goals and only allowed five. Defensively, the Dogs’ were led by junior Ariel Ross who managed two ground balls and a draw control.

The ‘Dogs scored first at the 28-minute mark, then again at the 24-minute mark by first Levatino and then Caroline Dineen-Carlson. Fresno State was then held scoreless for nearly 30 minutes, opening up a huge scoring opportunity for the Trojans who went on a 12-0 run to close out the half. The ‘Dogs eventually put another point on the scoreboard at the 22-minute mark of the second half by Nicole Ortlieb.

USC was led by attackers Michaela Michael with three goals and an assist, followed by Caroline de Lyra with three goals and three assists in the game. Michael also managed 15 draw controls, while de Lyra chipped in with a ground ball.

Fresno State will be traveling to Boiling Springs, North Carolina, for its next game this Friday against Gardner-Webb at noon for its first cross-country trip of the season.