A group of players, inspired by sideline protests during the national anthem at NFL games, told McAlpine they wanted to do the same. An issue that could have separated them instead united them, and the Trojans have lost just twice since then en route to the national championship game against West Virginia at Avaya Stadium. The most recent victory came Friday, over Georgetown, to lift USC (18-4-2) into Sunday’s 3 p.m. final against top-ranked West Virginia (23-1-2). “They’re super-athletic, super-confident and haven’t given up many goals,” McAlpine said of West Virginia, which beat North Carolina, 1-0, in its semifinal. They remind us why we are here, because we love playing soccer and we enjoy it,” she said.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 04, 2016 04:18 UTC