When senior midfielder Elise Britt walked up to the penalty mark, a hush fell over Drake Stadium.
Less than a minute later, Britt was swarmed by her elated teammates after her shot slipped past the diving goalkeeper to advance UCLA past BYU 0(4)-0(3) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
It was a dramatic finish to end an emotional game, marking the first time the Bruins have won a game on penalty kicks.
“I honestly was not nervous because I knew that our team was not going to lose that game,” Britt said of her game-winning penalty kick. “We worked so hard for 110 minutes, and we were not just going to let it go because of a 12-yard shot. I was just really excited that I had the chance to be able to do it for us.”
Two crucial saves by redshirt junior Chante’ Sandiford opened the door for the team’s shoot-out victory.
“I don’t really put that much pressure on myself, and I just try to read their body language and predict (their shots) as well as I can to make saves,” Sandiford said.
With both teams refusing to let go of their postseason dreams, UCLA and BYU remained fiercely locked in a scoreless tug-of-war through two overtime sessions. Every ball possession was a battle and the Bruins fell victim to the Cougars’ aggressive style early in the first half.
Freshman midfielder Jenna Richmond was the first to go down, landing badly on her right knee while jumping up for a header in the 17th minute. Ten minutes later, senior midfielder Kylie Wright was carried off the field after injuring her right ankle. While the status of both players is unknown, coach Jill Ellis is doubtful that Richmond or Wright will be available to play for the rest of the tournament.
“Seeing them leave the field was really hard, but we just had to keep telling each other that we can push through it,” senior defender Lauren Barnes said about the team’s reaction to the loss of the two key midfielders. “There is not much you can do, since it is all something out of our control, but we stayed together as a team and really brought it.”
Despite the obviously physical play, the referee’s whistle remained unexpectedly silent throughout the first half, something Ellis was not happy about.
“I thought the officiating influenced the game for both teams,” she said.
Initially caught off guard, the Bruins matched the Cougars push-for-shove throughout the rest of the game, with each team committing an equal number of fouls.
“We knew that they were a very physical and athletic team,” Ellis said. “I was so proud of the kids that stepped up; it was what was needed, and they did it.”