A bounce-back victory could mean momentum is back on UCLA’s side.
Now, as the Bruins enter what could be the toughest stretch of their season, their recent success could spur further triumphs.
After claiming its first win in three matches, beating Long Beach State in the squad’s latest outing, No. 18 UCLA will open the week on the road against Portland on Thursday before returning to Wallis Annenberg Stadium to face No. 1 Stanford on Sunday.
“Going off of this win, we’ll use this as momentum to propel us forward and see what we can do in the future,” freshman forward Payten Cooper said.
Cooper was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after breaking UCLA’s scoring drought against Long Beach State. She netted the first goal at the beginning of the second half and helped cement UCLA’s 2-0 victory with an assist to junior forward Oruha Hayashi.
Portland remains unranked, but it joins UCLA with recent signs of improvement. The squad shut out then-No. 4 USC in its Aug. 28 contest, halting the Trojans’ three-game winning streak with a 0-0 tie. Portland’s defense was the first opponent to hold USC scoreless since BYU silenced USC in 2023.
In UCLA’s last bout with a top-10 opponent, it fell to then-No. 6 Tennessee 1-0. Stanford matches Tennessee’s 5-0 record this season, and the Cardinal has stretched every margin of victory to at least three points.
“Stanford right now – how sharp they are in attack – is better than anybody,” coach Margueritte Aozasa said. “Defensively, we’re going to have to be much better than we were against Tennessee.”
And UCLA and Stanford have a weathered past.
The Bruins met the Cardinal in the 2017 national championships. UCLA was down 0-2 at the half but managed to tie the game until Stanford scored again in the 67th minute, spoiling UCLA’s championship hopes.
UCLA and Stanford most recently met in 2023 at the Pac-12 championships, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw and marked UCLA’s only tie of the season.
But the Bruins only needed a tie to secure their 14th Pac-12 title in their final season as conference rivals.
The Bruins have the opportunity to recover from their early losses by defeating a top-tier opponent.
Experience may be key for a young team. Of the 10 players with the most minutes this season, half are underclassmen – including three freshmen.
“As freshmen, every game that we get under our belts is a great learning opportunity,” freshman goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor said. “And I think that playing Tennessee was a real eye-opener.”
Therefore, UCLA could convert last week’s win against Long Beach State into the start of a winning streak.
Sunday’s matchup could provide a glimpse of what the rest of the season holds for the Bruins, and it may show how they measure up against the nation’s best.
“If Tennessee is the two team (No. 2 ranked team) in the country, and we played them how we did, I feel confident that on the right day, we can put together a really good performance against the top team,” Aozasa said.
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