No. 18 UCLA women’s soccer (3-2) will face No. 1 Stanford (6-0) on Sunday afternoon at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The Bruins started their season off on a weak note, falling to two opponents back-to-back in their second and third games, but bouncing back to win the next two matchups. Meanwhile, the Stanford Cardinal are looking to continue their undefeated season and are fresh off a 5-1 victory against No. 6 USC. Here is the scouting report from Sports senior staff writer Alexandra Crosnoe.
Stanford
Goals per game: 5
Goals allowed per game: 0.5
X-factor: Attack
Stanford – one of two teams in the NCAA with a perfect record – will bring a premier squad to UCLA’s home pitch Sunday, boasting two-way talent.
And the only way the Bruins can beat the odds against the nation’s No. 1 team is if they find a way to hold off the Cardinal’s biggest strength – their attack.
The Cardinal began their season with a 7-0 victory against San Francisco, and their offense has shown no signs of slowing down. Stanford has averaged five goals across their six games this season – including two games battling ranked opponents.
Their offensive dominance is historic. Stanford’s 12 combined goals against San Francisco and then-No. 16 Santa Clara are the most points scored in back-to-back games in program history. A dozen players have found the net this season, despite almost half of the team’s goals coming from the top three scorers.
Stanford’s consistency – particularly in players like midfielder Jasmine Aikey, who has put up two multigoal games, and forward Allie Montoya, who boasts 14 shots on goal and a .737 shot on goal percentage – could pose challenges for UCLA, a relatively young team that is yet to find any standout scorers.
Aikey is back to scoring goals as a midfielder following a season in which she played in the backfield before being sidelined because of an injury. The 2023 Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year leads the team in goals and shots with six and 20, respectively.
The Bruins have struggled to start games strongly, only scoring in the first half of one official match. But the Cardinal’s offense has had no such trouble. Stanford has recorded half of its goals in the first period of games this season, while allowing none.
Defender Elise Evans – who earned ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors earlier this season – has been instrumental to Stanford’s defense, with nearly 500 minutes in the backfield thus far. And if a ball does get past Evans, it will likely be met by Caroline Birkel – who has emerged as the top goalkeeper of Stanford’s three, after conceding just one goal in 347 minutes of action. The Cardinal have allowed just three goals this season off of 29 shots.
The Cardinal’s ability to capitalize early could be the Bruins’ kryptonite, given that both of the Bruins’ losses ended 1-0, with the squad unable to escape early deficits.
So while the Cardinal may be taking a trip to Westwood, the Bruins will likely need a season-best performance to overcome a commanding offense.
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