SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Midway through the first half of Sundays national championship game at Avaya Stadium, USCs Kayla Mills took a West Virginia shot flush in the face from no more than a few yards away. It felt, well, unpleasant. A ball to the nose will feel that way.I wanted to cry, Mills said after the game. I wanted to stop, but I was like Oh my gosh, the ball is still in our half. I cannot let them score, because I did not get hit in the face for nothing. And so, I was just trying to get myself sorted out. I didnt want to take that for nothing.It hurt, and I wanted to cry a little bit. But nothing came out, so were good.It just didnt hurt as much as missing the NCAA tournament, which she experienced in a freshman season that went very wrong.Three years later, a senior, Mills was on the field when the final whistle brought the college season to an end. And after No. 2 USCs 3-1 win over No. 1 West Virginia, she stayed there to celebrate a national championship with her teammates. So, no, it wasnt for nothing.Put aside for a moment the pair of goals from USCs Katie Johnson that first put her team ahead and later allowed them to breathe easy for the final few minutes. Put aside goalkeeper Sammy Jo Prudhommes championship-preserving saves. Leave all of that for later.USC won the title while outscoring its six opponents by a total of seven goals. That is the smallest goal differential of any champion since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 2001. USC survived a shootout in the second round, the earliest an eventual champion ever partook in that lottery during the same time span. It won three consecutive 1-0 games to reach Sundays final. It was outshot in each of its final three games, including 21-8 by the Mountaineers on Sunday.The Trojans didnt dominate the tournament. That isnt the objective. It is to be there at the end. The Trojans had a plan for that.To understand what transpired, as USC broke down one of the stingiest defenses in recent College Cup memory to become just the fourth program to win multiple titles, start with a ball to the face. A group of players -- for whom the start of their college experience was like a ball to the face -- did over four seasons just what Mills did on this night. They played on.Six seniors played major minutes. Four transfers played major minutes.They accounted for all three goals and two of the assists. Oh yes, and eight saves.Those were courtesy of Prudhomme, who played against USC in her first two college seasons at Oregon State. Back in the bad old days. After winning a title in 2007, USC fell off the map. The nadir was a losing record and missed tournament in 2013.It just didnt seem to be working out, like they were just a little underachieving, and we didnt understand why, Prudhomme said of her view from the other goal. But I knew how good those players were.Keidane McAlpine arrived prior to the 2014 season and talked of a plan to contend for a title. Mills said it seemed the coaches saw things in the players that even the players didnt see at that point, which made it a difficult sell.Theres no way, from where we are right now, Mandy Freeman recalled thinking, that we could get a natty champ by my senior year.But that is exactly what they did.USC did what no one else in the NCAA tournament could when it took the lead against West Virginia. No worse than tied in its five previous games, the Mountaineers trailed after just 82 seconds in the final. The set-piece goal, Savannah Levin heading a corner kick deep into the box to set up Morgan Andrews for a headed finish, wasnt the fastest in the history of the final, but it was a lightning bolt. Undaunted, West Virginia piled up possession and shots until Ashley Lawrence tied the game with a 66th-minute strike. Still, the Mountaineers pressed on.But USC was outshot 41-25 in its final three games. Defending wasnt uncomfortable territory. And when Andrews launched a quick counterattack with a long pass that Leah Pruitt, another transfer, turned into an assist on the first of Johnsons two goals, USC had the lead back at 2-1.Weve talked about our team defending, day one, McAlpine said. Im big on defending. But we always talk about we defend so we can attack. Weve been able to create chances. I said it the other day, weve always been able to create chances and been very opportunistic all year. Weve got a quality group of forwards. And today was no different. We had to stay unified in what we were doing, disciplined in what we were doing. ... I thought our individual defending, especially in the box with crosses coming in, was fantastic.And we knew we had a solid netminder. Shes good; shots from distance she can take care of. Not to mention the special saves, which I think she made a handful today as well.Yes, Prudhomme did. None of them better than with 10 minutes remaining and USC still leading by a single goal. In a game in which West Virginia showed off the skill worthy of a team with so many players experienced at the international level, nothing was more impressive than the first-touch pass that Lawrence slid through a gap and the incredible control of Heather Kaleiohi to spin away from a defender as she gathered in the ball and faced no one but Prudhomme. That level of execution at the college level leads to goals almost every time.But only almost. Sliding to her right as Kaleiohi spun that direction, Prudhomme reached back across her momentum and pawed away the shot headed toward the far post. Johnson capped the scoring with a deft long-range finish on another counter with barely three minutes left.Like Andrews, the Notre Dame transfer so instrumental in two of the three goals, Prudhomme was a late but invaluable addition to USCs rebuilding effort.Transferring within the Pac-12 meant that Prudhomme had to sit out a season, a penalty most transfers dont pay in sports other than football and basketball. But that was a small price to pay for what she found in Los Angeles.I came from a situation where it was very intense and very upsetting and you didnt feel comfortable playing, Prudhomme said. You didnt feel like you did anything right, and you felt kind of worthless. We came here, and they made me confident again. I was actually getting to the point where I wanted to quit, because thats how much I hated soccer. And it wasnt because I actually hated the game. ...I think this coaching staff did an amazing job bringing these players that came from a similar situation that I did and bringing them back to a place mentally where they believe theyre good players. Because they are good players.All of that would have been true no matter the outcome in the final. For a group of players and coaches so open about not only their soccer experiences, but their conversations about matters of cultural significance and the roles they hope to play in the wider world, Sundays result didnt really define them any more than the loss defined a brilliant West Virginia team.But they are also good players who earned the trophy they held aloft.And if youre going to get hit in the face, well, its nice to know it wasnt for nothing. White Ultra Boost . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Ultra Boost Shoes From China . LOUIS -- St. http://www.cheapultraboostclearance.com/ . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. Womens Ultra Boost . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Clearance Ultra Boost . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services.Like everyone else, he was shocked. The decision of Jordan Younger to retire blind-sided the entire Toronto Argonaut organization, but nobody would feel the impact of that move more than Matt Black. The Toronto native, entering his fifth season in double blue, is now atop the depth chart at Youngers old position at starting safety. Hes established himself as one of the best special teams players in the CFL, but has never started a game. If he gets the nod, hes ready. "I prepare every year like Im going to be the starter, I work my butt off", Black told TSN.ca. "I was excited when I heard the news for myself, sad for the team because were losing great leader, a great veteran, a great friend, a knowledgeable guy that I loved learning from every year, but its a part of the business." Head coach Scott Milanovich is entering his second season with the Argos and has seen what Blacks abilities are, on and off the field. He may be the 59" safetys biggest fan. "I dont know what Matts biggest attribute is; hes got a lot of great things going for him. Hes athletic, hes tough, hes very intelligent, hes instinctive. The good thing about Matt being back there is the way we rotate (personnel) he played a lot last year. Hes been a leader on this team for a while; I think Matt is going to be a natural fit there". While it cant be underestimated how important it is to have the backing of the head coach, Black is more concerned about how he will be accepted as a starter by his teammates. "Its more so winning the trust and respect of the guys around me because they trusted and relied on J.Y. When the bullets were flying he was the guy that organized people and barked orders and got guys lined up where they needed to be and I have to fill the void that he left".dddddddddddd Black is right, Youngers departure has left a void but there doesnt seem to be anyone involved with the organization that doesnt think hes the right man for the job. Notes: Mondays practice was once again held at Holy Trinity Secondary School in Oakville ... During drills there were several different combinations of defensive backs as Pat Watkins and Pacino Horne were still out of action ... Black took first reps at safety with Bryan Payton seeing a lot of reps there as well ... The starting defensive line was Kevin Huntley and Khalif Mitchell at tackles with David Lee and Jeremy Geathers lined up at ends. The linebackers were the starters from a year ago, Robert McCune in the middle, flanked by Marcus Ball and Brandon Isaac ... Isaac is consistently the most vocal player at practice ... Left tackle Tony Washington didnt practice Monday, nor did centre Jeff Keeping. The first unit offensive line consisted of SirVincent Rogers and Chris Van Zeyl at tackles, Joel Reinders and Joe Eppele at guards. Wayne Smith moved over to center from guard ... If he continues to impress like he has going back to the first day of rookie camp, Quincy Hurst will be almost impossible to keep off the roster. Hes been a standout every session ... Newly acquired receiver Romby Bryant also looked very good on Day Two ... A familiar face graced the sidelines for the second session of the morning. Donnavan Carter was the Argos first-round draft pick in the 2000 draft. He played eight seasons in the league before entering the coaching ranks. Hes about to enter his first season as the Defensive Coordinator for the OUAs Windsor Lancers after leaving a similar position with the University of Toronto Blues. China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '