COLLEGE STATION, Texas — When Ali Khosroshahin took over as Southern California's women's soccer coach last year, athletic director Mike Garrett bluntly told him that the school's programs were only measured by national championships.
Point taken, Khosroshahin says he'll sit down with Garrett this week to talk about a new contract.
Marihelen Tomer and Janessa Currier scored goals as the Trojans beat Florida State 2-0 on Sunday in the final of the NCAA Women's College Cup.
The Trojans (20-3-2) had never advanced past the second round of the NCAA tournament before this season. Khosroshahin is the first coach ever to win it all in his first season, and he doesn't act the least bit surprised that his team pulled it off.
"If we didn't get it accomplished this year," he said, "it would've been a huge disappointment. We would've been back working again tomorrow. You have to have that belief in yourself. You have to have that belief in your players and you have to believe in each other and believe in the plan."
To make the run even sweeter, USC snapped a nine-game losing streak to top-ranked UCLA, 2-1, in Friday's semifinals, ruining the Bruins' fifth straight appearance in the Final Four of women's soccer.
The Trojans put that game out of their minds on Saturday and looked like the more focused, determined team in the final.
"We haven't celebrated any wins in the tournament," Khosroshahin said. "After every game, we've gone to the players and said, 'Act like you've been here before, because we're on a bigger mission."'
Khosroshahin implemented discipline from his first day on the job. He demanded the players accept his difficult training regimen — mostly comprised of endless running — and didn't want to know anything about them personally.
Many resisted the tough love. None of them questioned his methods now.
"At first, we'd always hoped we'd make it to this point," junior forward Amy Rodriguez said. "I don't think it became a reality until, into the playoffs. We kept going round for round and I felt like, every game, we just took teams apart."
The Trojans took the title with their fifth shutout of the tournament and 16th in 25 games this season. This one was the most impressive of all — the Seminoles led the nation with 81 goals this season.
Florida State (18-6-3), playing in its third consecutive College Cup, was shut out for just the second time this season. The Seminoles were also playing in the championship game for the first time, a big step for a program that's only existed since 1995.