Reilyn Turner Hat Trick Helps UCLA Women’s Soccer Beat Oregon State
Reilyn Turner hadn’t scored in two weeks, and she only had three goals to her name with more than half the regular season already in the rear-view mirror.
It took the junior forward just 20 minutes to double her scoring output Sunday afternoon, lifting the Bruins to an easy win as a result.
No. 1 UCLA women’s soccer (11-0-0, 3-0-0 Pac-12) blew out Oregon State (4-5-2, 0-3-0 Pac-12) by a score of 5-0 in Corvallis, extending the undefeated season through yet another road trip. Turner did a lot of the heavy lifting in gifting the Bruins their big advantage, and they cruised to a win with a massive cushion as a result.
Turner scored goals in the 1st, 18th and 20th minutes Sunday, meaning UCLA held the lead for all but the first 49 seconds of the contest.
Sophomore defender Lily Reale held possession on the left side at midfield mere seconds into the game, and she sent a long through ball to graduate forward Ally Cook. The leading pass took Cook deep into the box, and she touched across a short pass to Turner on the right side for the one-timer she put in the back of the net.
Freshman midfielder Sofia Cook sparked a counter attack a few minutes later, sending one deep for Turner to chase down. The star forward was able to track it down and speed past the defense, eventually entering a 1-on-1 with the keeper and sliding to send it into the goal.
Turner’s final goal of the day came to be when senior defender Brianne Riley sent a long cross from the right wing into the box. The keeper leapt to swat it away, but Turner contested the jump ball and deposited the rebound into the back of the net.
That put UCLA up 3-0 20 minutes in, but they weren’t done scoring just yet.
Junior midfielder MacKenzie Vance went 1-on-1 with a defender on the right side of the box in the 43rd minute, then pulled the chair on the Beaver when she tried to complete the tackle. Another defender crashed towards Vance, who passed to senior forward Sunshine Fontes, who one-timed it with her left foot for the powerful goal.
The Bruins subbed out graduate goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy, who made one save Sunday, at the half with a 4-0 lead. Freshman goalkeeper Neeku Purcell came in to try and keep the clean sheet alive, and she managed to achieve that feat thanks to her two saves.
Purcell’s biggest save came on a penalty kick in the 78th minute, when she gussed correctly and dove left to turn away the try.
By that point, UCLA was up 5-0 after Sofia Cook added a goal in the 53rd minute, heading one in off a setpiece by freshman midfield Ally Lemos and headed assist by Turner.
The Bruins outshot the Beavers 22-9 on the day, with 14 of their attempts going on target. If it weren’t for Hailey Coll and Mya Sanchez’s combined nine saves, UCLA could have run up the score even more.
With the win, the Bruins have improved to 6-0 on the road this season with a plus-14 goal differential in those games.
UCLA will return to action Thursday with a home game against Arizona State. The match, which will kick off at 7 p.m., will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF UCLA ATHLETICS