VERMONT WOMEN'S LACROSSE NOTEBOOK
The University of Vermont women's lacrosse team heads to California for a three-game swing on the West Coast during spring break. The team will face No. 11 USC on Saturday (March 5), UC Davis on Tuesday (March 8) and California on Friday (March 11) during the trip.
 
RELATED LINKS
USC Game - Live Stats
UC Davis Game - Live Stats | Live Video (free)
California Game - Live Stats | Live Video (free)

LAST TIME OUT
Vermont stands at 1-2 after a 15-14 loss at Marist in the first road trip of the year and the start of the current five-game road swing. Vanessa VanderZalm scored a season-high six goals and Meredith Moore added a career-high five assists, but it wasn't enough for the Catamounts. VanderZalm's sixth goal of the game tied the score up at 14-14, with 7:48 remaining in the contest. The teams traded possession for the next few minutes, but Marist gained possession and called a timeout with 3:44 left. Following the stoppage in play, Olivia Pitonzo's shot with 3:27 remaining was saved by Catherine Green. However, the Red Foxes retained possession and Kara McHugh's 14th goal of the season proved to be the game-winner with 37 seconds remaining.
 
VANDERZALM IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Senior Vanessa VanderZalm made her season debut in the win over Colgate. She netted two goals and became the seventh player in program history to surpass the 150 career-point mark. She needs five goals to move into fifth among the all-time scoring leaders at Vermont.
 
VanderZalm ranks among the NCAA active career leaders in five categories:
2nd in ground balls (150); 6th in caused turnovers (92); 7th in draw controls (219); 8th in draws per game (4.05) and she is 13th among active scoring leaders (157 points).
 
MOORE HELPING OUT
Meredith Moore registered five assists in the loss to Marist, that was one shy of tying the UVM single-game record for assists. Five different Catamounts have handed out six helpers in the program's history. Most recently Jessica Roach '15 recorded six assists against Binghamton on April 19, 2014.
 
SCOUTING USC
The 11th-ranked USC Trojans host Michigan on Friday (March 4) before facing Vermont on Saturday. The UVM game was moved from its original date of Sunday to Saturday due to a forecast of heavy rain in the LA area on Sunday. Game time is set for 3 p.m. (Pacific)/6 p.m. (Eastern).
 
The Trojans are 2-0 heading into Friday's game versus Michigan. USC earned wins over Stetson (21-2) and Duke (11-5). The Trojans, who were picked to finish second behind Stanford in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), posted a record of 14-6 overall and 8-1 in the league in 2015 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year.
 
Michaela Michael leads the team in scoring with nine points and eight goals. She also has a team-high 19 draw controls. Kylie Drexel has contributed five goals and six points, while Caroline de Lyra has a team-high three assists and six points.
 
Three different goalkeepers have seen time in the first two games of the year. Gussie Johns has started both games and owns a 4.00 goals against average. The Trojans are averaging 16 goals per game and have out scored opponents 32-7 on the year.
 
Head coach Lindsay Munday is in her third season at USC and started the program in 2011. The Trojans' first year of competition was 2013.
 
SCOUTING UC DAVIS
UC Davis stands at 1-1 and will face Furman before meeting the Catamounts on Tuesday (March 8). The Aggies opened the year with a 12-7 win over Bryant, but dropped a 17-4 decision to Temple during a season-opening trip to the East Coast. The game against Vermont marks the start of a month-long homestand for the Aggies.
 
Taylor Cuenin and Shannon Cross have combined for seven of the team's 16 goals this season. Melissa Kellan is also an offensive threat having scored 54 goals in 2015 and Ellie Delich has six points this season. Delich, a native of British Columbia, led the Canadian National Box Lacrosse Team to a national title this past summer.
 
UC Davis was picked to finish eighth in the preseason MPSF poll after posting a 4-13 overall mark and 3-6 conference record last season.
 
Head coach Tee Ladeouceur, a former standout at Syracuse and assistant at Albany (2013-15), is in her first year at the helm of the Aggies.
 
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA
The Cal Golden Bears host Longwood on Tuesday (March 8) before entertaining the Catamounts on Friday (March 11). Cal is 0-3 to start the season heading into the Longwood contest. The Golden Bears fell in overtime to No. 16 Ohio State, 16-15, dropped a 15-4 decision at Marquette and lost 21-2 at No. 7 Notre Dame.
 
The Golden Bears have struggled offensively, being out scored 52-21 overall and 33-8 in the first half. Bella Huther leads the team in scoring with seven goals and seven points. Meredith Haggerty and Jena Fritts have five points each. Jenny Wilkens is the team's top goalkeeper with 25 saves in three starts.
 
Brooke Eubanks is in her second season as the Cal head coach. She came to the Golden Bears after stint as an assistant at Stanford. Eubanks and Vermont head coach Jen Johnson played together on Team Canada in the 2005 FIL World Cup.
 
WHO'S NEXT
Vermont returns to the east coast and will face Quinnipiac in Hamden, Connecticut on March 16. Game time is set for 3 p.m.