The Bruins will wrap up the summer by hauling their soccer bags en route to a monthlong journey around the country.
No. 3 UCLA women’s soccer (5-0) will embark on a six-game roadtrip starting Sept. 1, commencing the trip with a stop at Tari Frahm Rokus Field to face Pepperdine (2-2-1) on Sunday at noon. The matchup will mark the Bruins’ last game in California until they return to Westwood at the end of the month.
“It’s definitely going to be crazy,” said graduate student midfielder Meg Boade. “The coaches have been doing everything in their power to give us opportunities to recover and take care of our bodies. … We’ll have to get creative (with our recovery) when we’re on the road.”
UCLA has played Pepperdine 23 times since 1996 and holds the all-time record with 18 wins. The Waves haven’t defeated the Bruins since 2010 but inched close when they tied in 2019.
The Bruins remain undefeated this season, blocking all five of their competitors so far from scoring a single goal. UCLA notched two consecutive top-20 matchup victories against No. 10 Santa Clara and No. 16 BYU with a 1-0 record each game. Five Bruins contributed to the goals from each match, highlighting the depth of UCLA’s roster.
“To get these results while battling adversity says a lot about the depth of our groups and character in our group,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa.
Just a few exits up from the Pacific Coast Highway, the Waves are fresh off a loss and a tie in Malibu. Across five games, Pepperdine allowed nine goals and scored five to begin its season.
The Bruins’ record may look better on paper, but the Waves boast three West Coast Conference Preseason Team selections on their roster – defender Taylor Bloom, midfielder/forward Tori Waldeck and forward Julia Quinonez. Pepperdine added to its preseason memorabilia by finishing third in the conference’s coaches preseason poll, trailing behind Santa Clara who was voted to finish first.
Ahead of the game, the Bruins are missing several key pieces of their puzzle. Junior forward America Frias, sophomore midfielder Val Vargas and freshman goalkeeper Mariangela Medina represented Mexico at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on Saturday and will miss the game as a result. Additionally, injuries have sidelined veteran starters such as senior defender Ayo Oke and senior forward Lexi Wright.
“We have a lot of injuries going on,” said senior defender Quincy McMahon. “But I think being able to continue to perform at a very high level without those girls gives us so much confidence.”
New additions in graduate student Ryan Campbell – the reigning Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year – and Boade – a two-time All-Big Ten first-team honoree – helped fill the voids in the Bruins’ roster. The pair of transfers from Stanford and Northwestern, respectively, has been regular starters for the Bruins this season thus far.
UCLA’s roster still consists of three senior defenders who contributed to the team’s five consecutive shutouts – McMahon, Jayden Perry and Lilly Reale. Reale was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after scoring the game-winning goal against Cal Poly, her first goal since 2022 against Washington State.
“We have the girls that we need, and we’re going to do great regardless of who’s on the field,” McMahon said.
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