Senior midfielder Kylie Wright keeps the ball away from Stanford midfielder Teresa Noyola. The Bruins lost 3-0 to the Cardinal Friday in the round of 16. (Credit: Stanford Athletics)
Stanford forwards Lindsay Taylor (left) and Christen Press celebrate during the Cardinal’s 2-0 win over the Bruins in an early-season Pac-10 battle on Oct. 10.
The Bruins celebrate after freshman Jenna Richmond scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give UCLA a 2-1 win against then-No. 3 Notre Dame on Sept. 10.
As rain poured down on Laird Q. Cagan Stadium in the fourth minute of UCLA’s postseason matchup with Stanford, Cardinal midfielder Mariah Nogueira’s shot deflected off of the head of UCLA senior midfielder Elise Britt into the back of the net.
It was the beginning of the end for the Bruins, who eventually fell 3-0 to the undefeated Cardinal in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
“Honestly, I think the first goal was a bit unlucky,” UCLA coach Jillian Ellis said. “If the ball had not been as wet, it would have probably skipped off our defender’s head. It’s a tough blow when you go into a game like that, to give up a goal that early, but it was purely accidental, and I thought that after that, we regrouped.”
After the goal was officially registered as an “own goal,” the Bruins fell behind in an upsetting turn of events. Despite their aggressive efforts to counter their mistake, the Bruins struggled offensively in the first half with a total of four shots.
“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it was, because everyone just gave it their all,” senior midfielder Kylie Wright said of the team’s disappointing first-half performance. “I guess probably what I would say is our pressure, which I don’t think was tight enough and may have led to some of the goals.”
A shot by the Cardinal’s senior forward Christen Press that slipped into the inside right post doubled Stanford’s lead in the 29th minute. Receiving a pass from junior forward Camille Levin, Press dribbled toward the left corner of the box before suddenly cutting across the goal and striking the ball into the upper-right corner of the net.
Coming into the second half down by two goals, UCLA stepped up its intensity in the last 45 minutes of the match, out-shooting Stanford 10-7.
“We executed better in the second half,” Ellis said. “There was more pressure, our backs got forward and we were quicker on the ball; that was the main difference, really. We were just more committed to what we went into the game trying to do.”
Despite the Bruins’ elevated play, the Cardinal once again found the back of the net in the 60th minute.
Junior midfielder Teresa Noyola found Press at the top of the box, and the Cardinal forward launched a shot from 10 yards to score her 25th goal of the season.
“Their offense was unbelievable; I give that to them,” senior defender Lauren Barnes said about Stanford’s performance. “I don’t think that we really struggled with anything; our second half was still amazing, and we needed to start the game like that.”
Even though the Bruins’ improved performance in the latter part of the game was a positive reminder of the team’s persistent attitude, it was ultimately not enough to counter the Cardinal’s three-goal advantage.
“To dig yourself back from an early goal, then a second goal is quite a task,” Ellis said. “However, at the end of the day I was pleased (with) how we battled, just disappointed that we couldn’t go all the way, especially for our senior class.”
UCLA’s earliest exit from the NCAA Tournament since 2002, the loss marks the final game in a Bruin uniform for seven seniors, including Wright and Barnes.
“I’m super emotional right now,” Wright said. “Obviously, it is not an ideal way to go out, but I couldn’t be more proud of my team to go out the way that we did. Had we not battled and given it our all, I think that it would be a completely different story.”
It was an impressive postseason run for the Bruins, who upset Brigham Young University and Central Florida in the first two rounds before bowing out to the Cardinal.