Shutout Victory Over Northwestern Sends UCLA Women's Soccer to Elite 8
The Bruins danced their way to another win on their home turf Sunday night.
No. 1 seed UCLA women's soccer (19-2-1, 9-2 Pac-12) took care of business against No. 4 seed Northwestern (16-5-2, 7-2-1 Big Ten) in the Round of 16, fighting their way to a 2-0 victory. With the win, the Bruins are moving on to the national quarterfinals for the first time since 2019, thanks in part to a resurgent defensive effort.
Seven of UCLA's eight games in October were clean sheet wins, but they allowed four goals between the regular season finale and their first two outings of the NCAA tournament.
Northwestern – which scored three and two goals in the first and second rounds, respectively – hardly had any chances to get a goal up on the scoreboard Sunday night, though, and graduate goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy saved their only shot on target to return to her shutout ways. Sophomore defenders Lilly Reale, Jayden Perry and Quincy McMahon played all 90 minutes, holding things down on the back line to keep the Wildcats' attack at bay.
The Bruins did have a lead to work with for most of the night, considering they opened the scoring in the sixth minute.
Senior forward Sunshine Fontes knifed through the defense to spark the attack, and she sent a perfect through ball to graduate defender Madelyn Desiano on the right side of the box. Desiano shouldered past a defender and chipped a short cross to junior forward Reilyn Turner on the opposite post once the keeper charged.
Turner was credited with the goal in real time, but she admitted after the game that it was actually the defender who deflected it for the goal. That passed the credit along to Desiano, who picked up her second goal of the season as a result.
The Wildcats had a chance to tie things up in the 20th minute, but Brzykcy made her lone save of the contest to hold them off the board. Northwestern did have three corner kicks to UCLA's zero in the first half, but their attack still couldn't string together too many quality attempts on goal.
The Bruins had a few chances themselves to double the lead heading into halftime – Turner nearly scored off a pass from Fontes in the 26th minute, then graduate forward Ally Cook had a header hit the crossbar in the 41st. However, neither came to fruition, and the teams were separated by a single goal midway through the match.
UCLA turned up the heat coming out of the break, attempting three shots and two corner kicks in the first five minutes of the half to really set the tone for the rest of the night.
Goalkeeper Mia Raben made saves in the 55th and 62nd minutes to keep Northwestern in it, but it was only a matter of time before the Bruins converted.
Freshman midfielder Sofia Cook took it herself from the left sideline all the way to the center of the field, weaving through defenders before sending a pass up the middle that Turner narrowly overran. The ball continued to toll, however, and it got past three defenders before McMahon snuck in behind the back line and got herself in a 1-on-1 scenario with Raben.
McMahon took a touch to her right and stumbled past the sliding goalkeeper, then tracked it down and buried it for the insurance goal in the 65th minute.
Northwestern challenged with a pair of shots in the 75th minute, but both were blocked. Their attempt in the 76th was off target, and they didn't get off another shot for the rest of the match.
UCLA took twice and many shots as Northwestern and put three times as many shots on target. Raben may have recorded four saves to Brzykcy's one, but the latter had a stout defense in front of her that made it difficult for the opposition to even get a clear look at the goal.
No. 3 seed Virginia is next up on the schedule for UCLA, pitting the two sides against each other with a trip to the College Cup on the line. That match will take place Saturday at 6 p.m. right back at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSS TURTELTAUB/UCLA ATHLETICS