Lilly Reale fell to the ground after committing a foul.
The junior defender – who averages 77 minutes of play per game – lifted herself back up and stumbled her way back over to her position, shaking off the tough hit she endured in the previous play.
Within seconds, Arizona snuck in a goal off the free kick Reale’s foul awarded it, making itself the first team to score on UCLA in over three weeks.
Despite snapping the Bruins’ four game shutout streak, Arizona (4-7-4, 1-5-1 Pac-12) was unable to dethrone No. 2 UCLA women’s soccer (13-1, 7-0) Thursday evening in Tucson. The 4-1 victory extended the Bruins’ winning streak to 10 games, keeping them undefeated in conference play.
In addition to its former shutout streak, UCLA entered the contest fresh off of regaining a top-two ranking – the highest position it has held since its late-August defeat at the hands of No. 7 BYU, in which it lost its one-year reign at the top of the polls. The Bruins began the contest against the Wildcats with a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute, but not in the traditional manner.
Junior forward Lexi Wright barreled down the field, drawing out the Wildcats’ goalkeeper while the ball snuck into the net. Despite the appearance of Wright leading the ball into the goal, the point was recorded as an own goal after it was technically knocked in by her opponents.
Wright said despite getting away from the ball in the play, she was pleased that it ended up finding its way to the goal.
“It was a great ball from Ally Lemos, and I just got on the end of it. But I think I was just in a weird position,” Wright said. “And it ended up working out with the deflection.”
The lead wouldn’t last long though, as Arizona midfielder Gianna Christiansen equalized the score 25 minutes later.
The goal was not only the first that sophomore goalkeeper Neeku Purcell has allowed in four games but also only the eighth goal the squad has permitted all season. Coach Margueritte Aozasa said during the halftime break, the team focused on maintaining its composure as opposed to panicking about scoring opportunities.
“Every team faces these kinds of games where you just kind of have to ride it out, and the biggest thing was just staying calm, staying composed,” Aozasa said. “We didn’t want the team to feel that extra pressure trying to chase a goal and lose track of what we’re trying to do.”
Despite multiple near-goal efforts from senior forward Reilyn Turner, the two teams headed into the halftime locker rooms in a deadlock. Her efforts wouldn’t go to waste, however. Turner scored the second goal for the Bruins in the 54th minute off of a penalty kick.
Turner said notching the tie-breaking goal early in the second half was a welcomed boost of relief by the team.
“It definitely calmed our nerves going into the second half, getting that early goal, and kind of setting the tone for the rest of the half,” Turner said. “That gave our team a little bit of confidence and freedom to play our game how we do without those nerves of being tied.”
Ten minutes later, Wright would record her first official goal of the game, driving the ball into the back of the net to bring UCLA’s total to 3-1, resolving lingering injury fears that emerged during the deadlock.
And to close the contest, graduate student forward Ally Cook set off a decisive goal in the waning moments of the contest, locking in the Bruins’ victory over the Wildcats.
As Thursday night marked the first game of the final regular-season road trip for the Bruins, Aozasa said she’s satisfied with her team’s final regular season performance at Murphey Field.
“In my eight years or so in the Pac-12, I don’t know if I’ve ever had a team that played well at Arizona,” Aozasa said. “That’s credit to Arizona. They always do well at home. It’s a really difficult place to play.”
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