UCLA Women's Soccer Gets Out to Big Lead, Recovers vs. Colorado

The Bruins did more than return to their winning ways, blowing out the Buffaloes in Boulder on Thursday

No. 1 UCLA women's soccer (14-1-0, 6-1-0 Pac-12) beat Colorado (8-5-3, 2-4-1 Pac-12) by a score of 6-0, taking an early lead and never looking back. It marked the fourth clean sheet in five games for the Bruins, while the attack tied its season high for goals.

Colorado started the season 5-0-1, scoring 4.3 goals per game while allowing just 0.5. The team had fallen off since then, however, entering Thursday 3-4-2 over the past six weeks.

The Buffaloes were still 8-1-0 at home this fall, but that record was also knocked down a peg by the road warrior Bruins.

UCLA was 6-0 away from Westwood prior to its loss at Stanford on Oct. 14. Two of those wins came in one weekend against Duke and North Carolina, who were the top two teams in the country at the time.

It didn’t take long for the Bruins to get their road legs back under them, especially junior forward Reilyn Turner.

Turner scored a goal in the second minute, giving her squad a lead they wouldn’t come close tonrelinquishing over the ensuing 88 minutes. Her shot from the top of the box narrowly squeezed past the diving goalkeeper in the bottom right corner of the frame.

If you just tuned in, you already missed @reilynturner's goal in the second minute of play! UCLA leads Colorado 1-0!

📺: Pac-12 Insider
📲: https://t.co/xjJU2drPKn #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/LDruSjRj5J
— UCLA Women's Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) October 20, 2022

Junior midfielder/forward MacKenzee Vance converted on a much different shot just 14 minutes later, firing a floating rocket to the left side of the goal.

Then it was Turner’s turn to get back in on the action in the 28th, deflecting a pass straight up in the air for her to volley on the way back down for another goal.

There she goes again! 🔥@reilynturner scores her second goal of the game in the 28th minute, and UCLA leads 3-0!

📺: Pac-12 Insider
📲: https://t.co/xjJU2drPKn #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/dT9UWBCWGD
— UCLA Women's Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) October 20, 2022

Freshman forward Bridgette Marin-Valencia made it a 4-0 gap in the 33rd minute, and UCLA went into halftime with more than enough insurance. Colorado, on the other hand, had both of its shots on goal saved by graduate goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy.

Brzykcy didn’t need to make any saves in the second half to wrap up the shutout, as the defense didn’t even allow the Buffaloes to get one of their three tries on target.

UCLA’s attack kept its foot on the gas, scoring two more goals in the second half, but Colorado held up a little stronger after goalkeeper Bella Grust got subbed in. Grust saved four shots in her 45 minutes of action, narrowly preventing the Bruins from setting a new season-high in goals.

Turner sent a back heel deflection to freshman midfielder Sofia Cook in the 63rd minute, and the Huntington Beach, California, native converted with a goal. Sophomore forward Lexi Wright made it 6-0 in the 70th, volleying in a cross from graduate defender Madelyn Desiano.

These goals just get prettier and prettier. 🤩

Lexi Wright scores her fourth of the season, and the Bruins are up 6-0 in the 70th minute!

📺: Pac-12 Insider
📲: https://t.co/xjJU2drPKn #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/w7qdYOeINN
— UCLA Women's Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) October 20, 2022

UCLA totaled 20 shots compared to Colorado’s six, and they had three corner kicks to their opponent’s one.

The Bruins will wrap up their mountainous road trip Sunday against Utah, with that match set to kick off at 11 a.m. on Pac-12 Networks.

Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @FN_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @FN.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube

Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA Olympic sports stories: UCLA Olympic Sports on Sports Illustrated

PHOTO COURTESY OF UCLA ATHLETICS

Add us as a preferred source on Google