This post was updated Oct. 19 at 11:11 p.m.
Complete dominance can usher in calm.
Confidence turns into a style of play, and every minute feels like a reminder of who’s in charge.
Thursday was that kind of night.
UCLA women’s soccer (9-4-2, 5-2-2 Big Ten) took down No. 5 Iowa (10-3-3, 5-2-2) by a score of 3-0 at Wallis Annenberg Stadium, burying a three-game winless streak with a display of sustained offensive control. The Bruins broke their scoring drought of nearly 300 minutes with their quickest goal of the season, with sophomore forward Kara Croone breaking the deadlock in the second minute of the affair.
“We talked a lot about energy and our mentality going into the game,” said freshman midfielder Grace Shank. “We really focused on putting our best foot forward in this game and giving it our all and leaving nothing out on the field.”
On Croone’s opening goal, she took a quick right-footed touch on a pass from redshirt senior midfielder Emma Egizii and sent the ball into the left corner of the net.
And four minutes later, the advantage doubled – one on the scoreboard and one on the field.
Freshman forward Payten Cooper broke free into the 18-yard box, closing in on the goal before Hawkeye midfielder Sofia Bush, who was playing last defender, took her down. The foul drew an immediate red card, leaving Iowa down a player – and without a consistent starter – for the remaining 84 minutes.
“I will say time again, there are a few teams in the country you don’t want to be down a player against – I think we’re one of them,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa. “Just in regard to how we value the ball, and how comfortable our players are under pressure, and you could really see that on display tonight.”
The Bruins let loose from there, logging a season-high 31 shots – more than double their 13.7 average attempts per game. Thirteen of the 18 players who saw action registered at least one attempt. The squad also dominated in the set-piece department, recording 11 corner kicks to the Hawkeyes’ one.
Although the Hawkeyes, who have allowed an average of 9.5 shots per game, were handicapped with only 10 players, goalkeeper Taylor Kane absorbed the brunt of the Bruin firestorm. She tallied a season-high 13 saves – the same total she had recorded across all her previous performances combined.
In what Aozasa described as a “possess to defend” strategy, the squad controlled the ball to limit Iowa’s chances. The approach proved airtight as the Hawkeyes managed just one shot, which they recorded in the 79th minute of the contest.
The Bruins converted once again in the 60th minute off an Egizii corner kick. The Downey, California, local made a short pass to junior midfielder Val Vargas, who tapped it back as Egizii took position in the box and sent a left-footed shot soaring into the net.
It wasn’t the first time a creative set piece between the two produced a goal. Vargas scored the game-winner in the squad’s 1-0 Sept. 25 victory against Rutgers off another short-play sequence from Vargas and Egizii.
[Related: UCLA women’s soccer bests Rutgers 1-0, extends unbeaten streak]
“She’s (Vargas) one of my favorite players to play with,” Egizii said. “Even in the game, we’ll cook up random things. She goes with the flow, and the same here. We just trust each other.”
The squad maintained its pressure in the second half while Aozasa rotated players to give younger athletes minutes. Freshman defender Cassidy Doogan and freshman midfielder Julia Molnar each recorded their first shots of the season, finishing with one and four, respectively.
And they were not the only athletes to record firsts.
Shank made her first collegiate goal off a career-first assist from Molnar in the 74th minute, when she lofted the ball into the upper-left corner before teammates mobbed her in celebration.
“I still can’t believe it,” Shank said. “I think I blacked out – I don’t even remember what happened, but it was so exciting. It was good to get my first goal, and it’s such a big game too.”
Aozasa said the squad returned home after its three-game road trip, which resulted in two losses and a draw, looking to reset its rhythm and rebuild momentum before the postseason.
And the group delivered with composure and intent when the stakes heightened, much like its performance against then-No. 1 Stanford earlier in the season.
[Related: Despite high pressure, No. 18 UCLA women’s soccer defeats No. 1 Stanford 2-0 ]
“The challenge this year was a lack of experience,” Aozasa said. “These are the types of wins that give you that experience.”`
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