The phrase “quality over quantity” often refers to situations where having numerous second-rate options just does not cut it.
When it comes to earning chances in soccer, the lesson rings true – the quality of chances created by the Bruins was reflected in the scoreline.
No. 18 UCLA women’s soccer (4-2) defeated No. 1 Stanford (6-1) 2-0 Sunday at the Wallis Annenberg Stadium, handing the Cardinals their first loss of the season and securing the Bruins’ first ranked win. UCLA extended its winning streak to three straight victories, following a 2-0 win over Portland (2-2-2) at Merlo Field Thursday.
Stanford pressed high from the get-go, quickly forcing a wayward pass that surrendered UCLA possession. The tables quickly turned, however, and the Bruins broke through in the fourth minute, courtesy of sophomore forward Bella Winn.
Redshirt senior midfielder Emma Egizii burst past a defender and hit a shot to the far post, forcing a full extension save from Stanford keeper Caroline Birkel. The ball fell perfectly to Winn, who rolled it past a sliding defender, giving her team the lead.
“We knew that we may not get a ton of chances because of the approach that we took,” coach Margueritte Aozasa said. “It was really nice to capitalize on one early.”
UCLA came into today’s matchup with just one first-half goal all season, but it broke the deadlock early against Stanford, a team that has conceded an average of 0.5 goals per game.
The Cardinals continued to lay on the pressure, with three players waiting on the edge of box during Bruin goal kicks. Despite this pressure and 10 first-half shots – including one that skimmed the crossbar in the 16th minute – Stanford could not break through freshman goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor and her defensive line.
“People were shifting, people were stepping, people were putting their body on the line,” Nakfoor said. “That’s how we kept them to only a few great chances.”
Nakfoor was called into action 30 seconds into the second half. The freshman deflected a shot towards the bottom right corner and clutched onto the rebound with a second save.
The ball fell to forward Oruha Hayashi’s feet on the right wing in the 78th minute. The junior whipped a first touch pass to redshirt senior forward Lexi Wright, who buried the ball into the bottom left corner with a driven shot under the keeper.
The goal to make it 2-0 was Wright’s first since 2023 and her first since returning from a season-ending injury in the 2024 preseason.
“It’s been a long recovery process and just to score in this game against a great team really means everything,” Wright said. “It gives me a little confidence that the work and everything has paid off.”
A Stanford free kick in the 84th minute threatened the Bruin’s clean sheet from the edge of the box, but UCLA – with seven players in front of the goal – blocked the shot.
Positioning defenders behind the ball was key to the Bruin’s defense, holding Stanford scoreless despite 21 shots. And when attempts did break through, UCLA could rely on Nakfoor, who finished the game with nine saves – the most by any Bruin goalkeeper since 2022.
Before the Bruins chopped down the Cardinals at home, they flew up north to take on the Pilots.
UCLA got on the board in the 16th minute of that matchup when senior forward Lily Boyden received the ball on the left wing before dribbling past two defenders and curling a shot to the far post.
Portland then attempted to get even with eight minutes to go in the first half.
A corner kick bounced around the box and was flicked toward the goal by Pilot midfielder Aliyah Dockter. However, senior defender Jennie Immethun stretched out a leg to clear the ball off of the goal line, a similar goal-saving moment to her clearance in the dying moments of the game against Georgia in August.
In the 71st minute, Egizii received the ball with her back to goal before turning one defender and dribbling into the box, finding space and striking a low driven shot into the bottom right corner to secure the shutout.
The pair of victories wrap up pre-conference play for UCLA, as they head into Big Ten action next weekend against Oregon.
“This is a really marquee win that we needed for our season to really shift the momentum … and start us off on the right foot for the Big Ten Conference,” Nakfoor said.
Comments are closed.