Santa Clara’s defense was like a brick wall – keeping the Bruins off the scoreboard for nearly the entire first half.
But junior midfielder Sofia Cook breached the Broncos’ defense to score the game-winning goal in the 42nd minute.
Cook’s goal helped No. 6 UCLA women’s soccer (4-0) hand No. 11 Santa Clara (3-1) its first loss of the season at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on Sunday. With the 1-0 victory, the Bruins have yet to allow a goal through four games this season.
Cook’s goal celebration epitomized how she found the back of the net.
“It’s like a SWAT team,” Cook said. “You put on the ski mask, you break down the door and then go inside.”
A foul gave the Bruins a free kick just ahead of the halfway line.
Junior forward Bridgette Marin-Valencia dribbled toward Santa Clara’s box before passing the ball to Cook. Then, the 2023 All-Pac-12 second-team selection player launched a shot to the top right side of the net – earning her first goal of the season.
“Once we figured out their shape and what they were doing, I thought we settled into a really nice rhythm,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa. “They’ve been scoring lots of goals for the season, and we managed to contain them pretty well.”
In the first half, the Broncos applied heavy pressure to the Bruins’ backline – tallying three shots within 10 minutes.
While two of Santa Clara’s shots were off-frame, the third – from Broncos forward Kennedy Schoennauer – forced graduate student goalkeeper Ryan Campbell to dive toward the bottom left corner of the net to make the save.
UCLA’s defense quickly adjusted to Santa Clara’s offense, limiting the Broncos to just four total shots. Campbell – the reigning Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year – only had to make one save each half.
“We just had to get our midfield line in check,” said senior defender Jayden Perry. “Once we figured out where we needed to make adjustments, we did that and then they only had one shot after.”
The Bruins matched the Broncos’ intensity across the game. A slide tackle into the shin of a Bronco player in the first half gave senior midfielder Alice Barbieri her first yellow card of the season. Seven minutes later, freshman defender Nicki Fraser took the team’s second yellow card.
Schoennauer was dealt the third yellow card of the game with four minutes remaining in the match after tackling freshman forward Sammy Sanchez, forcing Sanchez to exit the game.
“This game, and when we play BYU, will be good games for us going into the Big Ten because it is more aggressive,” Perry said. “Something that we’ve been trying to work on with our team is getting into tackles, getting stuck in, not being afraid to just hit someone.”
Although the second half was scoreless, the Bruins created multiple scoring opportunities – logging 18 total shots, 10 of which were on goal.
After freshman forward Jordan Geis intercepted a pass from the Broncos, she blasted the ball toward the goal, but it flew over the crossbar. Shortly after, senior defender Quincy McMahon crossed the ball to graduate student defender Maya Evans who volleyed the ball off frame.
In the final seconds of the game, sophomore forward Taylor Cheatham made a last minute attempt to add a second goal to the scoreboard. But, a Bronco defender kept Cheatham out of the box.
UCLA will face No. 4 BYU on Wednesday at Wallis Annenberg Stadium, putting their win streak – and shutout streak – on the line.
Comments are closed.