Southern Cal Punches SLC Ticket

BRENTWOOD, Calif. -- University of Southern California freshman Nate Galper scored with two minutes left in overtime, giving the Trojans a dramatic, 9-8 victory against archrival UCLA in the regular season finale for both teams.

With the win, USC qualifies for the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference tournament for the first time in program history. The Trojans will face either Arizona or Arizona State on the road next weekend.

The win also gave USC (8-7) its first winning regular since 2005 under first-year head coach Adam Ghitelman.

Sophomore Dan Katzman made 18 saves to help the Trojans' effort, including 12 in he first half. Junior Kevin Cuellar paced USC with four goals while Peter Hollen contributed a game-high nine ground balls.

UCLA concludes its season with a 5-8 mark.