Counting the number of goals the Bruins have conceded in October so far would take no time at all.
After securing four consecutive shutouts, the Bruins have climbed their way to second in the nation.
No. 2 UCLA women’s soccer (12-1, 6-0 Pac-12) is looking to add to its streak with its games against Arizona (4-6-4, 1-4-1) and No. 24 Arizona State (9-2-4, 4-1-1) on the road Thursday and Sunday, respectively.
This road trip comes after three consecutive home wins in which the Bruins scored at least four goals in each match and continued their home streak.
As the Bruins head to the Grand Canyon State, however, coach Margueritte Aozasa is hoping to maintain their home consistency away from Wallis Annenberg Stadium.
“One of the challenges for us is, can we play with the same confidence and style that we play with at home on the road?” Aozasa said.
UCLA is coming into its Arizona and Arizona State contests following three games in which it outshot its Pac-12 foes by thirty shots or more, for a combined 101-6 ratio.
In fact, none of the past three teams they faced – Utah, Oregon and Oregon State – have managed to make more than three shots throughout the entirety of the respective games.
Junior forward Lexi Wright attributed some of the season’s strengths to the team’s fullbacks and the combination play in the midfield.
“How we’re swinging the ball has just been getting so much smoother,” Wright said. “Everyone just seems way more confident on the ball.”
As the end of conference play nears, the Bruins look to maintain their undefeated Pac-12 streak and form a bid for the regular season title.
“The team we had when we first played Georgia is a drastically different team,” said sophomore midfielder Ally Lemos. “Now, we’ve developed and gotten better in so many ways.”
Lemos added that the team’s atmosphere revolves around fun and camaraderie amongst teammates, especially as the season has gone on.
“You want to score for your teammates,” Wright said. “It’s all for the culture and the coaches, so it heightens every bit of the game.”
This Arizona road trip will take UCLA to its last road games before the end of the regular season, giving it the opportunity to have a strong away stint before finishing its season with three contests at home.
“It feels like we’re on the runway to playoffs,” Aozasa said.
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