No. 23 UCLA women’s soccer has had a historically slow start to the 2025 season to say the least.
The Bruins have lost two out of their first three game for the first time in over 25 years and have fallen in back-to-back contests – the first occurrence since losing to California and Arizona in 2019.
After winning its exhibition home game against Loyola Marymount and its season kickoff against Georgia, UCLA has taken two hits – one in Westwood against No. 2 Tennessee and the other against No. 11 BYU on the road.
Friday presents an opportunity for UCLA to earn its first regular season win on home turf against Long Beach State at 7 p.m. It will also be a chance for the Bruins to score for the first time since their season opener against the Bulldogs.
Subdued starts in each contest have been a main limiting factor in the Bruins’ past performances.
“It’s kind of disappointing,” said redshirt senior forward Lexi Wright. “Just all around, myself included, I thought I could have done a lot of things better, and I just didn’t.”
Both of the Bruins’ past two losses were 1-0 shutouts. However, UCLA outshot its opponent in both contests but was still unable able to find the back of the net.
UCLA took 17 shots against Tennessee, compared to the Volunteers’ single attempt taken. Similarly, BYU bested UCLA with a penalty kick in the 13th minute.
“We need to fight. The first 10 minutes, we might just be trying to get into the game,” said Coach Margueritte Aozasa. “It just shows the lack of maturity in this group, and we’re going to figure that out and continue to work on that. But I do think from a tactical standpoint, there are some things we can do to try to remedy that and try to give us a faster start. Also, there are things we can do from a personnel standpoint.”
The Bruins’ roster looks very different from a year prior, featuring 11 freshmen on the 29-person roster. Nine members of last year’s squad turned pro following UCLA’s early exit from the NCAA tournament.
With veteran players like Wright coming back from injury, an even greater amount of pressure has formed around the performance of the freshmen and transfers.
“A big thing is (the) mental side and the encouragement to our younger players too, and you know how talented they are,” Wright said. “But it is a new college game and learning in what moments to be selfish and when to attack and a lot of things on this new stage that they’re not super used to. … With people coming back from injury, we’re kind of relying on everyone on our bench.”
Three freshmen started against both BYU and Tennessee, with goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor standing guard of the net for both matches. The Carlsbad, California, local has been a mainstay this season since switching in goal with sophomore Layla Armas during the team’s exhibition match against LMU.
Sophomore Bella Winn recorded an assist against Long Beach State last season before an injury in the subsequent match sidelined her for the season, forcing her to declare a redshirt season. The forward has started in each game so far this season, and notched the Bruins’ only season goal thus far against the Bulldogs.
With a team full of freshman, transfers and few returners compared to past years, the Bruin bench is as important as ever to define depth.
“We’re a young team, but now we have to grow up,” Aozasa said.
Long Beach State has also started the season slow, entering the affair on a three-game losing streak after starting off its season with a home win against Hawaiʻi. However, the Beach has yet to take on a ranked opponent, while the Bruins have faced two top-25 opponents.
Along with starting the game with more intensity in the first 10 minutes, the Bruins are also focusing on carrying energy through the final third, rather than ramping up effort only after the squad has been scored on.
Finishing scoring opportunities has also been a point of focus.
“We just want to be more threatening in the final third and capitalize on our opportunities,” said sophomore forward Kara Croone. “These past few games, we’ve had multiple chances, but we haven’t been able to put them all in the back of the net. So I think sharpening up the final third will help tremendously.”
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